Trusted care for growing kids: Dr. Philip Tolentino joins OSU Pediatrics

I love working with pediatric patients and their families. I realized this while working with the OSU pediatric residents in medical school and this love for children has guided most of my decisions as a physician.

I joined the OSU medicine family in 2017 when I started medical school at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa. I was delighted to serve as a Student Ambassador to prospective students during my time in medical school and was honored to receive the Departmental Award in Pediatrics.

It is the OSU culture that draws me to this place. Working with the OSU pediatric residents while in med school had a big impact on my life. I chose to complete my pediatric training there on the Tulsa campus as a result of their mentorship. When I graduated from the residency program three years later, I knew it was the place I wanted to stay to continue working with the residents and hopefully inspire the next generation of medical schools to pursue pediatrics. Every day I’m motivated by watching the teamwork of families working together with their medical team to keep their children healthy. Of course, childhood is the best place to start those healthy habits to set kids up for a bright future.

I grew up in Oklahoma City where my dad is a retired neonatologist. I earned my undergraduate degree in Zoology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman and studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a focus in Spanish language, culture and customs. Using my Spanish speaking proficiency, I traveled on mission trips and volunteered at a number of community schools and clinic settings. In addition, I served as a behavior interventional specialist at the Good Shepherd Mercy school in Oklahoma City where I worked with children diagnosed with autism.

Because I grew up as a physician’s son, I knew the ropes when it came my time to go to medical school. I noticed how new and fresh Tulsa was becoming with the art and cultural community growing and flourishing in downtown Tulsa so I set my eye on the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.

I just completed three years of medical residency in June 2024 through the OSU Pediatrics Residency Program at OSU Center for Health Sciences. Newborn care, developmental milestones, upper respiratory illness, ear and throat infections are the most common illnesses I encounter but I’m finding more children today are suffering with anxiety and depression. One of my prescriptions for parents and children is to “put down your phone and experience the world around you.”

I’m board-certified in pediatrics, trained in musculoskeletal manipulation and starting my first year as a pediatric attending physician here in Tulsa. I now call Tulsa home and enjoy all of the new activities exploding on Riverside – especially the Gathering Place. I love the miles and miles of biking and running trails for my marathoning. In contrast, I’m a very deep person as my life mantra is “I’m not lactose intolerant, I’m lactose-dependent” because I simply cannot live without ice cream! It might also surprise people to know I have a small tattoo of my very favorite comic book series – Calvin and Hobbes.