Alison Liddle (right) with a pediatric client.
The great equalizer A l i s o n L i d d l e i s i m p rov i n g h e a l t h e q u i t y t h ro u g h p ra c t i c e , s e r v i c e a n d m e nto rs h i p .
When Alison Liddle ’98 BS PT was a kid, if she didn’t have after-school activities, she volunteered at the pediatric nursing home where her mother worked. Volunteering was integral to their family life and she loved spending time with the children who lived at the facility. “I thought, ‘I could do this for the rest of my life,’” says Liddle. And she has. Liddle’s mission is to bring access to health care to underserved populations. She is founder and CEO of M Street Pediatric Therapy, which brings early intervention services to the homes of children with developmental delays and disabilities in the greater Chicago area. 20
Her staff includes 34 therapists who provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, feeding and lactation support, nutrition counseling and behavioral support. Two staff members handle the business end. Liddle loves her field, and her practice. “Once you come here, you won’t want to work anywhere else,” she promises. “We need more therapists willing to work in this space. These are families who care and love their children and want what’s best for them. To work in these beautiful communities is extremely inspiring.” Liddle and her twin, Alisa, who are biracial, were adopted from foster care as toddlers and grew up in mostly-white Bloomingdale.
When it came time for college, both enrolled at UIC; Alisa studied business and Alison chose physical therapy.
“I found a home at UIC. I found a place that appreciated diversity and welcomed it,” Liddle says. The physical therapy faculty included two of the best: Jules Rothstein and Suzann Campbell. “He was tough, and he was honest, and he was amazing,” Liddle says of Rothstein, who died in 2005. “And Sue Campbell literally wrote the book on pediatric physical therapy.”
