DR. KRUMINS'S STORY

Andrejs Krumins, M.D., clearly remembers the night in 1941 he spent hiding in the Latvian woods outside his family's farm. His father, an educated man who worked in Riga, had been warned to leave the city because "something was going to happen." That night, the Russian army rounded up 40,000 Latvians and put them on trains to Siberia. When Dr. Krumins and his family emerged safely from the woods the next morning, many of their neighbors were missing. Some relatives had also been taken.

After the midnight raid, Dr. Krumins' father moved his family to a small German village on the Swiss border. He knew the Russians would eventually return and thought his family would fare better in a country conquered by the Allies.

Dr. Krumins recalls those days in Germany as an adventure. Unable to understand German, he was promptly kicked out of the local school because he didn't realize he was supposed to salute the teachers.

Dr. Krumins arrived with his family in the United States at age 13. Within a year, he was speaking English fluently. He received his undergraduate degree and medical training from Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. He interned at Harbor General Hospital, in Torrance, and completed his residency training at Rochester General Hospital, in New York, where he was chief resident. Dr. Krumins also served three years in the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of major in the medical corps.

In 1970, Dr. Krumins joined the practice of Hugh J. Plumb, M.D., at Harbor Pediatric Medical Group, in Newport Beach. Dr. Plumb was on staff at CHOC, and Dr. Krumins quickly became involved with the hospital, as well.

Perhaps the secret to Dr. Krumins' success is that he remembers how it feels to be a kid. With a twinkle in his bright blue eyes, he admits to not having quite grown up yet himself. However, he is most serious when discussing his patient care philosophy: advocacy.

"I am the kids' doctor. I respect kids and understand where they are coming from," he says. "I am not there to please the parents, and I tell them that. I make sure the kids get the best care possible so they can achieve according to their capabilities."