New physician brings a heart for healing to Shriners Children’s Lexington
LEXINGTON On a busy afternoon on the third floor of Shriners Children’s Lexington, Anne Marie Dumaine, MD, moves between exam rooms, offering encouragement, high-fives, and laughter to her young patients.
One teen beamed as she proudly showed Dumaine her Taylor Swift T-shirt — a moment that Dumaine celebrated with a big smile and genuine excitement.
It’s small moments like these that set the tone for Dumaine’s patient care: approachable, compassionate, and rooted in building trust.
Dumaine is the newest pediatric orthopedic specialist and surgeon at Shriners Children’s Lexington. She cares for children with a variety of orthopedic conditions, including neuromuscular challenges, clubfoot, hip dysplasia, and traumatic injuries.
“I’m tremendously blessed to be able to impact patients really early in their life, get them back to what they want to do, and give them the highest level of function,” says Dumaine.
A Kentucky Native Returns Home
Born and raised in the small Northern Kentucky town of California, Dumaine always felt a pull toward science and problemsolving. She pursued a bachelor’s degree at Transylvania University in Lexington before earning her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati.
While she originally considered a career in research, it didn’t take long for her to realize that her heart belonged with patient care.
“I quickly realized I’m too much of a people person for that, and I was missing the relationships that patient care was able to provide,” she says.
Dumaine’s journey to pediatric orthopedics continued with an orthopedic surgery residency at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as well as a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at Texas Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas.
Today, Dumaine is proud to be back in her home state, offering specialized orthopedic care to families across Kentucky and beyond.
Discovering a Passion for Pediatric Orthopedics
During medical school, Dumaine initially thought she would become a pediatrician. But a series of experiences in surgery revealed a different path. “I quickly found that my personality fit a little bit better as a surgeon,” she says. “Really the biggest thing for me is the opportunity to get patients back to what they love to do and seeing that immediate impact for patients.”
Dumaine found her perfect fit in pediatric orthopedics, drawn to the opportunity to provide care that spans from head to toe. “In pediatric orthopedics, we’re still able to offer a lot of general care — whether it’s the spine, trauma, neuromuscular conditions — and that really appealed to me, and made me want to pursue a career in pediatric orthopedics,” says Dumaine.
Sights Set on Shriners Children’s
Dumaine’s relationship with Shriners Children’s Lexington began long before she joined the team. During her time as a medical student, she completed a rotation at Shriners and immediately felt the impact of the team’s passion and dedication.
“Even from that standpoint, it was just a special group,” she says. “There was great education for the residents. Everyone was really passionate about what they were doing.” When the opportunity came last year to join the team permanently, it felt meant to be. “My sights were always set on Shriners,” she said. Everything lined up — including the opportunity to care for a patient population she is especially passionate about: children with neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy.
Providing Comprehensive, Compassionate Care
At Shriners Children’s Lexington, Dumaine treats a wide range of orthopedic conditions, including trauma and fractures, hip dysplasia, clubfoot, and neuromuscular disorders. She also collaborates closely with the medical center’s motion analysis lab, helping children move more freely and comfortably.
Her approach to care is grounded in listening and partnership. “My goal for all of my families is that I always want to be approachable and want them to feel heard,” says Dumaine. “I always hope that patients feel like I am truly invested in them and helping them to accomplish their goals.”
She also emphasizes open communication and shared decision-making with every family she meets. “I always want families to feel like they can bring their concerns and voice what they’re feeling, so that we’re able to reach their goals together,” she says.
A Focus on Neuromuscular Care
Dumaine is particularly passionate about caring for patients with neuromuscular conditions, such as cerebral palsy. Through a dedicated neuromuscular clinic at Shriners Children’s Lexington, she partners closely with physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors from the University of Kentucky to provide comprehensive, coordinated care.
“We share a lot of patients where we’re working on muscle tone and medicine management,” she says. “We also continue to assess these patients as they’re growing, monitoring for contractures, neuromuscular hip dysplasia and scoliosis.”
By offering in-house equipment evaluations, physical therapy, and orthotics services, the team ensures that patients receive the care and support they need, all in one convenient location.
“We hope it makes for more simplistic and easier care when you have all of these people involved,” says Dumaine.
Making a Difference, One Patient at a Time
One of Dumaine’s earliest patient experiences at Shriners Children’s Lexington will always stand out in her memory. A young patient came in after quietly living with significant hip pain for years, not realizing anything was wrong.
“We found that she had a slipped growth plate in her hip,” Dumaine explains. “Once we were able to identify it, we were able to stabilize and fix it for her.”
When the patient returned after surgery, her gratitude was overwhelming. “She said, ‘Thank you. My hip no longer hurts, and I forgot what this feels like,'” Dumaine recalls. “It was an amazing reminder of why we do what we do.” Working with children has taught Dumaine powerful lessons about strength and resilience.
“I think one of the greatest things about taking care of kids is how amazingly resilient they are,” she says. “Whatever you’re going through, just channel your inner child — because we can all learn a lesson from them.”
Press Ganey patient satisfaction survey responses continue to demonstrate that Dumaine is already making a significant impact at Shriners Children’s Lexington.
“Dr. Dumaine was so nice and caring,” one family wrote in. “She took time to go over scans and pictures and numbers with me, explaining what we were seeing and what we needed to see.”
“She was the best doctor we have ever seen,” another family wrote.
A Team Approach to Care
One of the things Dumaine appreciates most about working at Shriners Children’s is the strong team environment. “From top to bottom, we just have a team that is all working together,” she says. “We have so many resources here that are all housed in this building, which is amazing for families.”
That collaboration enables families to access comprehensive services, ranging from orthopedic visits and radiology imaging to bracing, physical therapy, and gait analysis, all under one roof. “All of our teams work really closely together,” says Dumaine. “I think that allows us to take really good care of patients. We are always accepting new patients,” says Dumaine.
And for only being at Shriners Children’s Lexington for less than a year, Dumaine already comes highly recommended.
“We LOVE Dr. Dumaine,” another family wrote in on a 2025 Press Ganey survey. “She answers all of our questions and takes every concern we have seriously, giving us multiple options when available as well as plenty of time to think on decisions if we need it. We would recommend her to anyone.”