Staff Biographies
Leslie F. Aiello, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Dr. Aiello is a long time member of the Austin pediatric medical community. He arrived in Austin in 1977 to join former friends and residents from the University of Texas and Southwestern Medical School/Children’s Medical Center in Dallas to form Pediatric Associates of Austin, which still serves Austin’s children today.
He has many years of experience with Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNP’s) beginning in the Air Force in 1975, where he ran a pediatric facility with only PNP’s. He has been associated with the University of Texas School of Nursing, in the graduate Nurse Practitioner program for about 12 years and has been the only medical director of the University’s training clinic in Del Valle—the Children’s Wellness Center. The Center is a school based health clinic developed as a joint venture between the School of Nursing and the Del Valle Independent School District both as a training facility for the nursing program and as a pediatric clinic home for the underserved in that community. Dr. Aiello holds an Associate Professorship with the School of Nursing.
Patrice Patton Budd, R.N., M.S.N., C.P.N.P.
Pat was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the oldest of four children. Her father (who died in 1998) was a commercial realtor, and her mother did volunteer work. The family was rounded out with her maternal grandmother, who was part of the household. Love for work, church, and family were essential family values and it was very early on when Pat realized that she’d been called to serve children as a Pediatric Nurse.
After graduation with a BS in nursing from the University of Oklahoma (yes, she does sometimes admit that!), she worked on the pediatric units at Brackenridge Hospital, which later became Children’s Hospital of Austin at Brackenridge. Serving as charge and head nurse, she completed her master’s degree in nursing, and took the job of nurse-educator for the Children’s Hospital. She spent the last seven years of her hospital career coordinating outpatient programs in the Specialty Care Center at Children’s Hospital, focusing specifically on developmental and behavioral issues.
While working on her Post-Master’s Pediatric Nurse Practitioner certification, she began teaching at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, where she remains on faculty. The past eight years have been spent as the director of the Children’s Wellness Center, a UT-run indigent care clinic, where she has worked directly with Leslie Aiello, M.D.
When away from the medical world, Pat loves spending time and traveling with her husband of 28 years, Rick. The couple also spends time working with their daughter, Kait and son-in-law Cliff, as they create a large high-speed rural Internet provider. Pat’s a voracious reader, preferring her electronic Kindle for her reading pleasure; loves Irish tea; is an addicted Internet peruser /shopper, and is hooked on CSI. The Budds live in Round Rock with their three cats, none of whom will eat anything Pat cooks.
Emily Faulkner, R.N., M.S.N., C.P.N.P.
Emily Faulkner, a Texas native, was raised in a family focused on health maintenance, illness prevention, and service to others. Her father has been a Cardiologist in Houston, Texas for more than 30 years and her mother works as a Nutritionist. She was brought up with a desire to serve others, and this, accompanied by her love for children, led her to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
In 1999 Emily was graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. She attained her Master’s of Science in Nursing and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certification in May 2003. She is currently a member of The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and The Central Texas PNP’s.
Since becoming a registered nurse in 2000, Emily has worked at The Children’s Wellness Center, a school based health clinic in Del Valle in conjunction with the University of Texas, School of Nursing, where Dr. Aiello serves as the director. She has worked closely with Dr. Aiello at this clinic for the past five years. Emily also has previous experience at Pediatric Associates of Austin where she served as an after-hours call nurse from 2003-2005.
In addition to working at the Children’s Wellness Center, Emily has been on faculty at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program for two years. She has also served as a clinical preceptor for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner students since 2004.
Although she has no children of her own, Emily loves to spend time with her friends’ children. She most enjoys interacting with 3-4 year old’s because of their creative imaginations, honesty, and the funny things they say.
Emily is active in her church, First Evangelical Free Church, and enjoys going on mission trips. She also loves spending time with her friends and family, making pottery, antique shopping, and being outdoors.
Linda Meyer, R.N., M.S.N., C.P.N.P.
Linda Meyer, originally from Indiana, grew up around the Indianapolis area. She was graduated from the nursing school at Indiana University in 1990 and later worked as a Registered Nurse at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. After several years, she went back to school at Indiana University at Indianapolis to obtain her master’s degree and certification as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Following graduation in 1997, she worked again at Riley Children’s Hospital in an outpatient clinic for children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida. During this time she also taught in the undergraduate nursing program at Indiana University.
Her husband’s job transfer brought her and her family here to Austin about five years ago. They all love the area and do not miss the cold and snow at all! In Austin, she has worked part time at the Children’s Wellness Center in Del Valle along with Dr Aiello as well as for Child Inc. She also taught in the undergraduate nursing program at the University of Texas.
Linda is a busy mother of a 10 year old and 7 year old twins. She spends most of her free time volunteering at school, Brownie meetings and carting various children to soccer, baseball, gymnastics, etc. She loves to read Sci-fi/fantasy books (or “dragon books” as her children call them) and spend quiet evenings with her husband of 12 years.