Caring for Children, Advocating for Families: Meet Dr. Christine Page-Lopez

For Dr. Christine Page-Lopez, caring for children has always been about more than what happens in the exam room. 

Dr. Page-Lopez is a pediatrician and Associate Medical Director at Neighborhood Health, where she oversees clinical teams at two health centers while continuing to care for patients. Her path to medicine was shaped by an interest in public health, health policy and serving communities that face barriers to care. 

In fact, medicine was Dr. Page-Lopez’s second career. Before medical school, she worked in health policy and knew that if she became a physician, she wanted public health to remain central to her work. 

“I went to medical school to work at community health centers,” she said. 

That commitment has remained at the center of her career. Before joining Neighborhood Health, Dr. Page-Lopez worked at Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C., and spent six years at Arlington Pediatric Center. She joined Neighborhood Health a little more than three years ago. 

What continues to inspire her most are the children and families she meets every day. 

Dr. Page-Lopez describes seeing remarkable resilience in families who have overcome tremendous challenges. She is especially moved by parents and caregivers who make sacrifices to give their children opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. 

As a pediatrician, she also treasures the everyday moments. 

She loves watching children reach developmental milestones and sharing those accomplishments with proud parents and caregivers. Whether an infant is learning to sit independently or a child with developmental delays reaches a milestone that once seemed difficult, each accomplishment is worth celebrating. 

“Being able to support the families and support the kids in being who they want to be” is one of the most meaningful parts of the work, she said. 

Her commitment to patients also extends beyond Neighborhood Health’s walls. Dr. Page-Lopez has been active in pediatric and public health advocacy at the state and national levels, including work with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Reach Out and Read. Her special interests include immigrant health, mental health and early childhood. 

For Dr. Page-Lopez, participating in these conversations is another way to care for her patients. 

“If I’m not there, then a lot of times the voices of our patients are not there,” she said. 

It is a perspective that reflects what makes community health centers so important: listening to patients, understanding the realities they face and making sure their experiences are represented both inside the exam room and beyond it. 

At Neighborhood Health, we are proud to have clinicians like Dr. Page-Lopez who bring together excellent clinical care, public health and advocacy to help children and families across Northern Virginia thrive.