Caring for the Community That Raised Her

Morgan Franco, MD

“I can always unite with parents on the common goal of wanting what’s best for their child.”

For Morgan Franco, MD, caring for children in South Jersey is more than a professional calling – it’s a return home. She now works in the same community where she was once a patient herself, a full-circle moment she doesn’t take for granted.

“It’s a huge honor and privilege to be able to serve kids and families where I grew up and where I live,” says Franco, a pediatrician at Rowan Medicine Pediatrics. “That’s been really special.”

Franco recognized her interest in pediatrics early.

“I loved taking care of patients and their families, getting to know them over time and using those relationships to help me care for them better as I saw them over the months and years,” she says. “Children are often the center of a family, and that really drew me to primary care pediatrics.”

Her training at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University gave her a deeper look at the region she hoped to serve.

“I learned about the South Jersey community – the resources available and the challenges our communities face,” says Franco.

In practice, Franco focuses on relationships, both with her patients and with their caregivers.

“I like to approach my patients with love and curiosity,” she says. “I can always unite with parents on the common goal of wanting what’s best for their child.”

She has also learned to let families guide her approach, especially during physical exams.

“A parent knows best how to make their child comfortable, so I learn from them,” she says. For children, she relies on developmentally appropriate, play-focused interactions.

But pediatrics also requires emotional stamina.

“In pediatrics, you really need a big reservoir for your emotions because it’s such an emotionally charged specialty,” she says. “Some moments are especially difficult. Sometimes truly horrible things happen to children who are healthy, happy, and deeply loved. I try my best to stand by my families as they go through it – being the best support I can be.”

The positive moments help her keep going.

“The kids and their families really fill up my positive emotional cup,” she says.”So when things get hard – because challenging moments feel even heavier in pediatrics – I rely on all of those positive interactions to help me get through the really difficult ones.”

Whether helping families access specialty care, navigating insurance barriers, or simply checking in after a tough week, Franco sees her role as a steady partner. For her, caring for South Jersey’s children is more than a job – it’s a responsibility she feels deeply.

“I love having the privilege to take care of kids and families,” she says. “Being a pediatrician is a really unique and special – and also vulnerable – position, and I’m grateful that my patients and their families give me their trust.”

2025 South Jersey’s Face of Childhood Health