Elena Marie Kraus, MD

A big motivation to be a doctor is to help people. I was drawn to science but also to the drama of life, health care and medicine. Medicine was a great mix of science and interacting with people on a hands-on level. The best part of my job is working in Mercy's great maternal and fetal medicine department. We participate in lots of different facets. On any given day, I could be seeing patients in the office, rounding on patients who are hospitalized because of complications, performing rounds in the hospital or reading ultrasounds from anywhere in the Mercy footprint. It's never boring. Pregnancy can be a fearful, high-anxiety time. One of our roles is to help people understand what's happening. Just knowing what that might be and knowing there's a plan can de-escalate anxiety. We can't fix everything, but we absolutely can be aware of it and do everything we can to provide a healthy birth.