dr. dionne a. franco
pediatrician in san antonio
Dionne A. Franco, MD, FAAP, is one of those rare individuals who knew what she wanted to be when she grew up at a very young age. She may not have been able to spell it, but early in elementary school, she declared herself a “Pediatrician.” True to her elementary school dreams, she is now a top-tier, board-certified pediatrician who joined Here We Grow Pediatrics in 2023.
A Texas native, Dr. Franco was chosen for the prestigious Medical Science Scholars Program at Texas A&M University, which admitted her simultaneously to Texas A&M University and Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine when she graduated high school. Like both of her Aggie parents, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Texas A&M, in the Fall of 2001. Then, to the astonishment of mothers everywhere, she gave up her guaranteed seat in medical school to re-apply, hoping to come home to San Antonio, but knowing that meant she might not go to medical school at all.
Her gamble paid off, and after a short time as a psychiatry research assistant and small business owner, she completed medical school in 2007 and then pediatric residency training in 2010 at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Fast forward to now and Dr. Franco has become a cornerstone for countless families in San Antonio and beyond, guiding them through every sniffle and milestone with humor and compassion. She comes to Here We Grow with a wealth of experience, having practiced outpatient pediatric medicine and newborn hospital care for 13 years on the northeast side of San Antonio. She was chosen by her peers as a 2023 Scene in SA Best Doctor.
But medicine hasn’t been her only journey. She’s not just “Dr. Franco the pediatrician”; she’s also “Dr. Franco the mom.” She married her high school sweetheart in 2005 and together they have four amazing children. This has given her what she jokingly calls “supermom senses” – an uncanny ability to hear the faintest sound, a hearty respect for quiet moments, and the ninja-like skill to exit a room without waking a sleeping baby. When she’s not in mom or doctor mode, you’ll find her diving into fiction novels, designing photo albums or other crafts, hitting the road for a trip or daydreaming about cheesecake.
Dr. Franco has a keen interest in a range of pediatric areas, from breastfeeding and newborn wellness to preventive care and behavioral management. She loves the long-term relationships she gets to develop with her patients as they grow, and a drawing or joke from one of them lights up her day.
