Dr. Christina Gerhardt
Pediatric Endocrinologist
Over Two Decades of Growth and Puberty Care, Rooted in the Same Colorado Training That Shaped LIFE.
Dr. Christi Gerhardt has spent more than 20 years practicing pediatric endocrinology across the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on growth and puberty care built on the same foundation LIFE Pediatric Endocrinology was founded on. She trained in Colorado at the same time as Dr. Toni Kim, twenty years ago, at the Barbara Davis Center, the same institution where Dr. Kim's own approach to growth and puberty care took shape.
That shared foundation shows: Dr. Gerhardt has spent her career building the same kind of individualized, deeply-informed approach to a child's growth and puberty timeline that defines LIFE today, recognized for it year after year by her patients and peers.
At a Glance
Specialty
Pediatric Endocrinology
Primary Clinical Focus
Growth & Puberty Care
Areas of Clinical Expertise
- Growth disorders and short stature
- Precocious (early) and delayed puberty
- Thyroid disease
- Type 1 diabetes
- Cystic Fibrosis-related diabetes
- Adrenal disorders
Also Evaluates
As a fellowship-trained pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Gerhardt also evaluates children with a broad range of pediatric endocrine concerns when comprehensive evaluation is needed.
Board Status
Board-Certified in Pediatric Endocrinology
Trained Alongside
Dr. Toni Kim, LIFE's founder, at the Barbara Davis Center in Colorado
Where Dr. Gerhardt Sees Patients
Dr. Gerhardt's practice is rooted in the West Coast and Southwest, with patients across Washington, California, Nevada, and Arizona, and she also sees families by telemedicine in LIFE's Texas and Georgia markets, with a particular focus on Austin, Dallas, and the surrounding Texas communities. Appointment availability and format vary by location; see LIFE's full list of offices for details.
Why Families Choose Dr. Gerhardt
Families who've spent years being told a growth pattern or a puberty timeline is "probably nothing" often find their way to a physician like Dr. Gerhardt precisely because she doesn't stop at "probably." Over more than two decades in practice, she's built a reputation, including a Castle Connolly Top Doctor recognition, on taking the time to actually work through what's happening with a child's growth or development rather than defaulting to reassurance.
That reputation followed her across the roles she's held: on faculty teaching the next generation of physicians, in the hospital caring for the most complex cases, and now at LIFE, where she can finally practice the individualized model she's believed in for her whole career.
Growth and Puberty Care, Rooted in the Same Colorado Training as Dr. Kim
Twenty years ago, Dr. Gerhardt and Dr. Kim trained together in Colorado at the Barbara Davis Center, part of the University of Colorado's pediatric endocrinology program. Both went on to build careers centered on the same conviction: that growth and puberty concerns deserve a physician who looks at the whole child, not just a single lab value.
Dr. Gerhardt has spent the years since deepening that approach, most directly in a published book chapter on precocious puberty in Endocrine Secrets, a widely used reference text in the field. At LIFE, she joins Dr. Kim and Dr. Kelli Davis in practicing that same growth and puberty philosophy, the foundation the entire practice was built on.
Conditions Commonly Evaluated
Growth Disorders & Short Stature
Dr. Gerhardt evaluates the hormonal, genetic, and developmental factors behind a child's growth pattern, drawing on more than two decades of experience distinguishing normal variation from conditions that benefit from treatment.
Precocious & Delayed Puberty
Puberty that starts significantly earlier or later than expected affects a child's growth window and their day-to-day experience alike. Dr. Gerhardt has published on precocious puberty specifically and evaluates the hormonal drivers behind both early and delayed puberty.
Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes
A distinctive area of expertise from Dr. Gerhardt's fellowship research, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes requires endocrine management that differs meaningfully from standard Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes care.
Thyroid Disease & Type 1 Diabetes
Dr. Gerhardt manages pediatric thyroid disorders and Type 1 diabetes as part of comprehensive endocrine care, alongside her focus areas in growth and puberty.
Education & Training
Dr. Gerhardt earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, summa cum laude, from Auburn University, where she was named a University Honors Scholar, before earning her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama School of Medicine.
She completed her pediatric internship and residency at Oregon Health and Science University, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of Colorado Health and Science Center and the Barbara Davis Center, training alongside Dr. Toni Kim.
She went on to serve as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of Washington, then spent 14 years at Providence Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane, Washington, while also directing the endocrinology curriculum as Assistant Professor at Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
She is board-certified in Pediatric Endocrinology.
Selected Publications & Recognition
Peer-Reviewed Publications
"New Onset Diabetes in an Obese Adolescent: Diagnostic Dilemmas"
Gerhardt CM, Klingensmith G. Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism, October 2008, Volume 4, Number 10, Pages 578 to 583.
Book Chapters
"Chapter 44: Precocious Puberty," in Endocrine Secrets, 5th Edition
Gerhardt C, Travers S. Edited by Michael McDermott. Elsevier, Mosby, 2009.
Recognition
Castle Connolly Top Doctor, since 2021. Featured in Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living Magazine, 2021 and 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
My child's growth or puberty timing seems off. When should we get it checked?
If a growth pattern or puberty timeline doesn't match what's expected for your child's age and family history, or has clearly changed, it's worth a formal evaluation rather than waiting to see. Dr. Gerhardt evaluates growth charts, hormone levels, and developmental timing together to determine what's actually going on.
What is cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, and how is it different from Type 1 diabetes?
Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes has features of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes but requires its own management approach. Dr. Gerhardt's fellowship research focused specifically on this condition, and she brings that depth to families managing it.
Does Dr. Gerhardt only see patients on the West Coast?
No. While her primary base is Washington, California, Nevada, and Arizona, she also sees families by telemedicine in LIFE's Texas and Georgia markets.
What is Dr. Gerhardt's connection to Dr. Toni Kim?
Dr. Gerhardt and Dr. Kim trained together twenty years ago at the Barbara Davis Center in Colorado, and both built their careers around the same growth and puberty philosophy that LIFE was founded on.
Continue Learning
Explore more from Dr. Gerhardt on LIFE Pediatric Endocrinology's blog:
- What Early Breast Development Means for Puberty and Growth
- What Early Puberty at Age 8 Means for Growth and Final Adult Height
- Are Glyphosates Harmful for Kids? A Pediatric Endocrinologist Explains
Schedule a Consultation
Whether you're watching a growth chart that doesn't look quite right, navigating an early or delayed puberty diagnosis, or managing cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, Dr. Gerhardt welcomes the opportunity to partner with your family. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Christi Gerhardt and experience the LIFE difference.