our story

Blue Monarch Pediatrics

Blue Monarch Pediatrics began with a single mission – to provide accessible and quality patient care. Our goal is to provide medical care without the time constraints of traditional medicine. Under these constraints, patient office visits are generally less than ten minutes per visit with their physician. Additionally, parents are typically unable to speak with their child’s physician outside of business hours or address most concerns outside of a visit. However, with the Blue Monarch Pediatrics membership model, appointments are on average 60 minutes in duration and parents will have access to their child’s physician via text, phone call, email, or virtual video during and outside of business hours. Increased visits and accessibility allow for the opportunity to build a strong connection and provide personable, high quality child healthcare focused on the whole child. It is like having a pediatrician in the family!
The name Blue Monarch is symbolic of what we represent. The butterfly represents transformation, change, and freedom. We hope to support the movement of transforming healthcare for families by providing services without the constraints of the traditional healthcare industry. The transformation of the butterfly also represents each patient, as we hope to guide families and support each child’s transformation from newborn to young adult, focusing on the whole child and building lasting relationships. The color blue represents calm, trust, and competence, which are the characteristics we strive to cultivate in the care we provide. We incorporated purple in our logo to be inclusive of everyone in any walk of life. Lastly, the Monarch butterfly is the Texas state insect, and in Texas we always strive for bigger and better!
meet the physician

Dr. Elissa Gonzalez

Dr. Elissa Gonzalez (Dr. Elissa or Dr. G ) completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development with a focus in Early Childhood Development with an interdisciplinary degree in Healthcare Policy at the University of Texas in Austin. She earned her Medical Degree and Masters of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Her publications and research include topics in mother child attachment, breastfeeding efficacy, allopathic vs traditional medicine and lupus in the pediatric population. She was also involved in medical mission trips in underserved countries.

Dr. Elissa is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the Texas Medical Association, and Travis County Medical Society. She is currently certified as a breastfeeding specialist and actively pursuing certification as a Lactation Consultant and Physician of Breastfeeding Medicine. She is also educated in PIM (Pediatric Integrative Medicine) and working on her fellowship in Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care. Dr. Elissa has experience in multiple private pediatric practices in the San Antonio and Austin area.

Dr. Elissa is married to her supportive husband Rick who together have three active young children and two dogs. In her spare time Dr. Elissa enjoys picnics at the park, cooking, hiking, water sports, and snowboarding. During the summer time you may find her with her family out on the lake!

As a parent to three young children, Dr. Elissa understands the need to provide high quality personalized whole child healthcare to the children and the whole family. She was motivated to provide a new experience for families after she was unable to get same day healthcare for her child. When she first moved to the Austin area her infant daughter was sick with 105F for a few days with no other symptoms. Dr. Elissa had all of her medical supplies packed up and wanted to establish care with a pediatrician in town. She called around to multiple pediatricians who were unable to see her, the urgent care was unable to provide pediatric specific procedures to test urine and she was directed to the children’s ER. She immediately unpacked her medical bags! After this she was inspired to save families visits to the hospital and urgent care centers especially in the time of the pandemic for simple tests and evaluations.

TIM
meet the physician

Dr. Tim Whitaker

Dr. Whitaker is a board certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  He completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Rice University, Medical Degree at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center.  He has over 20 years of experience in a variety of settings including newborn hospital, emergency and urgent care facilities, outpatient clinic for children with complex health needs and mental health difficulties. His diverse expertise, along with his pursuit of certification in Integrative Medicine, further demonstrates his commitment to providing comprehensive and holistic care to young patients.

Dr. Whitaker is married to his supportive wife and has two teenage children.  He is fortunate to live within blocks of his wife’s wonderful parents and sister’s family.  He enjoys staying active and involved with his children.. including attending the Taylor Swift concert with his daughter! He also enjoys mountain biking, traveling and woodworking

Dr. Whitaker joined Blue Monarch Pediatrics following his passion to practice medicine in a more holistic way that goes beyond the restrictions and the rushed visits of the current healthcare system. His emphasis on building relationships and treating each child as a unique individual reflects a deep commitment to providing comprehensive and personalized care. Recognizing that children’s health concerns often encompass multiple aspects, he is compassionate at looking at root cause and addressing the whole child rather than addressing isolated problems. Dr. Whitaker’s expertise in pediatric emergent and urgent care is invaluable in ensuring the well-being of his young patients during difficult times for families. His ability to manage urgent situations effectively can reduce the need for visits to urgent care or emergency rooms, which can be a comfort to parents and promote the overall health and safety of the children under his care. His expertise complements his holistic approach to pediatric medicine, emphasizing both physical and emotional well-being.