Providing training and support online and in-person in Michigan, Ohio, and other nearby states.
Dr. Oatis is a mom and award-winning pediatrician who served inner city Toledo families for 35 years through Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, now called, “Nationwide Children’s Toledo, Ohio.” In addition to providing primary care, Pam created and led the Mercy Family Care Team offering multiple services to families and their hospitalized children who had complex medical issues. A key resource Dr. Oatis and her team provided was Hand in Hand’s principles and listening tools.
Pam trained over 900 public health nurses, pediatricians, early intervention workers, and Head Start teachers using Hand in Hand’s listening tools to improve the quality of care they offer. She also served as the Medical Specialist for Ethics for St. Vincent Mercy Hospital, a 350-bed community based tertiary care teaching hospital for 15 years while chairing the Adult Institutional Review Board responsible for evaluating all research on human subjects.
Dr. Oatis has won numerous awards for research and teaching excellence including the American Academy of Pediatrics Ohio Chapter Pediatrician of the Year in 2011-12, and the March of Dimes Physician of the Year in 2013. She was chosen to participate in the first Harvard University Program in Pediatric Palliative Care Education and Practice in 2008/9.
Dr Oatis is on the Hand in Hand research team that completed a feasibility study, made improvements, and completed a pilot study evaluating the impact of the Foundations for Educators 8-week course. The results are published in the Infant Mental Health Journal Research Article: Building a culture of connection in early childhood education: The Hand in Hand Foundations Course; Angela Sillars, Ahava Vogelstein, Pamela J. Oatis, Annie Davis Schoch, Anna Cole, Pamala Trivedi, Maya Coleman First published: 23 June 2025 https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.70030
Dr. Oatis has presented Hand in Hand theory and practice at multiple local, regional, national and international conferences, as well as teaching classes in person and online. Hand in Hand has been vital to her parenting and pediatric career for 40 years.
Her first book, What Babies Wish We Knew, is in process. You can learn more about her, her book, and read her blog at her website www.pamoatis.com/.
She continues to share her Hand in Hand experiences as a guest on various podcasts including:
Hand in Hand Parenting Pediatric Meltdown
“In this powerful final episode of Pediatric Meltdown, Dr. Lia Gaggino sits down with physician, mother, educator, researcher, and Hand in Hand Parenting advocate Dr. Pam Oatis, who brings decades of primary care and hospital experience to the forefront. Together, they explore how listening, humility, and authentic relationships transform patient outcomes far beyond medical treatments alone.”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pediatric-meltdown/id1529656785
Colleen Wahl and Sarah Donohue: Embodied People
https://embodiedpeople.podbean.com/e/season-6-episode-9-pam-oatis-and-hand-in-hand-parenting/
Or on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZCV4uU0npr3Lg8ziGxRl5?si=72887f74d4654644
Pam and her husband of 45 years have loved, nurtured, and cherished one foster and two adopted sons who are now vibrant young men with treasured families of their own.
She grows lots of organic vegetables, sings in a community chorus, lifts weights, hikes, bikes, and swims, savoring life with family and friends.
