Respiratory care professor publishes children’s book

By Kate Hunger

Assistant Professor Tabatha Dragonberry has published a book for children of mothers who are respiratory therapists.

“I did this because there was nothing of its kind,” said Dr. Dragonberry, DHSc, MBA, MEd, RRT-NPS, RRT-ACCS, AE-C, CPFT, C-NPT.

The self-published book features main character Regina Rabbit, a registered respiratory therapist who is also a mom, and aims to demystify the profession by taking the reader through a day in the life of a respiratory therapist.

“It is showing people what we do in a non-scary manner,” Dr. Dragonberry said. “The mom is the super hero—she is the super RT.”

The original idea for the book came to Dr. Dragonberry in 2019 when she was working in Doha, Qatar. She hopes to create a series of books in which Regina Rabbit explains asthma, cystic fibrosis and other conditions, as well as a series that highlights other family members in the profession, including fathers and grandparents.

“Respiratory therapists can be every member of your family,” she said. “The dad version is currently being illustrated.”

Dr. Dragonberry shares author credit with her own mother, Phyllis Teeter.

“It’s something I wanted to do, and I did it,” she said. “How nice is it to have something that explains to your kids what you do?”