Maria Eugenia Petrini, MD

Consultative Pediatrics

Primary Office

Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware 1600 Rockland Road Wilmington, DE 19803 Appointment: (800) 416-4441

Get to Know Me

I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and got interested in medicine while caring for a cousin born with a heart condition. My parents supported my decision to attend medical school and become a physician. Today, I care for inpatients at duPont Hospital for Children. My husband, Francisco Vranic, is a primary care physician at St. Francis.

Why I Treat Children

I have always enjoyed working with kids and helped care for many of my younger cousins. I knew all along that my career would involve caring for children. I started medical school before I turned 18, which is normal in the Argentine education system, and I have never had a second thought about it.

What I'm Passionate About

I try to exemplify the values I learned when I was growing up: the importance of family and maintaining open, healthy relationships; honesty, faith, and making a difference in what you do. Even if it doesn’t always feel like you’re making a difference, the important thing is to try, every day. That’s what gets me up in the morning.

How I Try to Make A Difference

I make an effort to listen to children and families and understand what their needs are and help with that. It’s always about the children and their families. Sometimes, the child is fine but needs help understanding what’s going on with the family. So I try to be as comforting as I can.

Education & Training

Residency

  • Pediatrics - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 2006
  • Pediatrics - Ricardo Gutierrez Children's Hospital, 2001

Medical/Dental School

  • MD - Universidad del Salvador, Argentina, 1996

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics/General Pediatrics

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna Better Health PA Kids HMO
  • Aetna HMO
  • Aetna PPO/POS/EPO
  • Amerihealth Caritas Delaware
  • Cigna/Great West HMO EPO POS
  • Cigna/Great West PPO
  • Delaware First Health
  • Delaware Medicaid/Diamond State
  • Devon Health Services
  • Fidelis Care NJ Medicaid HMO
  • First Health/Affordable PPO
  • Geisinger Health Plan Commercial
  • Global Medical Managment DE/PA
  • Health Partners Medicaid/Kidz Partner HMO
  • Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware
  • Highmark Medicaid Health Options
  • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
  • Independance Blue Cross/Amerihealth/Keystone Health Plan
  • Insurance Administrators of America
  • INTEGRA Administrative Group (ClaimsBridge)
  • Keystone First Medicaid HMO
  • Lifetrac Transplant
  • Maryland Medicaid
  • Multiplan PPO
  • New Jersey Medicaid
  • Pennsylvania Medicaid
  • Plan Vista/NPPN PPO
  • Preferred Healthcare PPO
  • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS)
  • Qualcare HMO/POS/PPO
  • Star Healthcare Network
  • Three Rivers Provider Network
  • Tricare/Humana Military Health Services
  • United Healthcare of the Mid-Atlantic
  • UPMC MCAID/CHIP PA DE
  • Wellpoint Maryland Medcaid
  • Wellpoint Maryland Medicaid

Research Activities

I’m working on health equity and health literacy issues in English and Spanish. English is my second language and I try to provide strong leadership in the areas of cultural awareness and providing language translation services for patients and families. I’ve also done some research in the Emergency Room.

Medical Interests

  • Outpatient care for children with cerebral palsy
  • Pre and post surgical care of the medically complex child
  • Sedations
  • Started to primary care outpatient

  • English
  • Spanish