Dirk Hamp, MD FAAP joined Growing Child Pediatrics in March of 2003. Dirk came to the U.S. from Germany at age 20. He graduated from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1991 at which time he also received the Amos Christie Award in Pediatrics. Subsequently, he stayed at Vanderbilt for his residency in General Pediatrics. Dirk particularly likes the newborns and working with young parents. He enjoys watching over their healthy growth and development, but also wants to be available to children and adolescents of all ages in times of sickness and worry. "Every child is God’s opinion that the world should continue…" Dirk has practiced as a solo practitioner in Paris, TN, and as part of a leading pediatric group practice in Annapolis, MD. He lives in Wake Forest, NC with his wife Paige. They have three girls and two boys. Time off is spent with family.

Effective immediately, Dr. Dirk will not be available to provide routine health care (except in case of emergency) to infants or children if parents choose to refuse vaccinations in difference to AAP, CDC and ACIP guidelines. This may differ from the views of other providers in this community and even within GCP. If you would like for Dr. Dirk to be your child’s primary care provider, please bring documentation of medical exemption or true allergic reactions to vaccines if you believe your child should not receive certain vaccinations. If you would like to discuss this issue with Dr. Dirk, please schedule a separate appointment. A consultation fee may apply.

“I recognize that there may be medical reasons to defer vaccines at times of illness or due to true contraindications. I also understand that vaccine guidelines continue to change along with increasing knowledge of benefits and risks of vaccines currently available in this country. It is my responsibility to pass on these recommendations and to do my best to help protect your child. Ultimately, I would like to be able to sleep at night knowing that I have done the best I could to help keep your child (and your child’s playmates) safe. However, in times where children worldwide and in this country die from vaccine preventable disease, childhood vaccination may be the single most important component of what we do as pediatricians.” - Dr. Dirk Hamp (March 2010)