Tara McKinley, PhD

Assistant Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Pediatric Office of Medical Education

How long have you worked in Pediatrics?   12.5 years

What is your favorite thing about your job?  I really like getting to think outside the box to plan solutions, solve problems, and improve the residency program. And I have some pretty awesome spreadsheets. :)

What is your hometown?
Decatur, IL - Soybean Capital of the World

What is your favorite movie?
Totally depends on what kind of mood I'm in. The movie I've seen the most is probably 13 Going on 30. I'm really more of a reader, and my favorite books are The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.

Tell us about your family:
My husband, Dave, and I have been married for 12 years, and we have a 10-year-old goldendoodle named Maddie (@madmadthedoodle).  We are very outdoorsy and spend a lot of time backpacking, hiking, and visiting national parks.

Do you have pets?  See above. :)

What are you doing, where are you going, for your next vacation?
Well, we were supposed to go skiing in Park City, Utah, at the end of March and to Disney World to celebrate my sister finishing nursing school in May, but COVID-19... so no specific plans, but we'll probably camp at Red River Gorge once it's a little warmer at night.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A veterinarian until I visited Auburn University and watched a horse getting colon surgery.  Now I volunteer at the zoo with healthy animals.

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
My niece tells me pretty regularly, "Ray Ray, you're the best Ray Ray."  It's hard to beat that with fancy pieces of paper.

What is your favorite quote?
I don't really have one... I do have a Dove chocolate wrapper on my bulletin board that says, "Solve problems with a dance off."

What was your first job?
Besides babysitting, I was an office assistant and packed paper kits for a small paper business in Mt. Juliet, TN.

What is your favorite ice cream?
I really love mint chocolate chip, but I have a milk allergy.  Avocado popsicles from Steel City Pops are dairy free and pretty great!