Dr. Tokat and her three kids were in Jordan this summer where they also spent time with the refugee kids from Sudan.

Dr. Tokat described the visit as “a refreshing experience that puts our lives in perspective” seeing the kids with almost no means to live are quite happy with what little they have. Dr. Tokat spent time with refugee moms asking about children’s health, vaccinations, and nutrition status. She counseled them on their immediate health issues. Dr. Tokat’s three children spent hours playing with the beautiful refugee kids.

Dr. Tokat’s daughter described the experience as: “Watching the refugees play and smile made us feel more grateful. The fact that some of them don’t even have a roof over their head but can stay smiling is incredible. My mom couldn’t stop taking pictures of the children. Every five seconds she would pull on over one of them to take their picture. My brother called her the refugee paparazzi. We went and bought ice-cream and chips for them.  You should have seen their faces. Their eyes got big and they started a line. They were super happy afterward. Even if we might not think of an ice cream and chips as much, it meant so much to them” and her son would say “it was the highlight of the summer!”

Ikbal Tokat
Dr. Ikbal Tokat is a Board Certified Pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). Dr. Tokat has received her medical degree from Istanbul University and completed pediatric residency at Beth Israel Medical Center-Long Island College Hospital in New York.

Dr. Tokat has worked in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Long Island College Hospital and was a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s Long Island College Hospital. While at SUNY, Dr. Tokat helped train medical students as well as covered several pediatric practices in New Jersey as a locum tenens provider. Dr. Tokat has also worked with the Pediatric Gastroenterology team treating chronically ill children, conducted extensive research, and co-authored several publications while at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

With 15 years of diverse medical experience and mother of three young children, Dr. Tokat is a passionate pediatrician who cares deeply that parents and the children learn about the issues of growth, development, behavior, preventive health and management of illness while receiving the treatment they need.