Our Doctors

Mary Cochran, MD, MPH

As a native of upstate New York, I was fortunate to move to California before I was old enough to shovel snow.  I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area before the Silicon Valley became the draw that it is today.  Graduate school and medical school took me to UCLA and I escaped from L.A. to Tucson in 1981.  After completing my pediatric residency I joined Drs. Labelle and Crowdes in 1984 and enjoyed the camaraderie of a small but growing practice.  In 21+ years at the former practice I was able to care for many families and saw many of my patients from birth to college entrance.  In late December, 2005, I left the practice and joined Dr. Couchman to start Mesquite Pediatrics. 

Practicing pediatrics is a joy, but public health endeavors benefit many more children than can be seen in one office (even a large one!).  My background in public health has made me aware of all that can be done when one focuses on the community as a whole and not just on individuals.  I have been fortunate to have worked in Kenya and remote areas of Mexico and Alaska, where healthcare of any sort is a rarity. These experiences help to remind me of how incredibly blessed we are with the resources we have available in Tucson.

Participating in the care of children is far more rewarding for me than any other work I can imagine doing.  It is a privilege to be able to provide medical care for my patients and to watch them grow from infants to toddlers to children and then through adolescence (hopefully) and on to adulthood.  Some of my former patients are now returning with young families of their own, which is a lot of fun (but it does make one feel a bit old some days!).

When not working in the office I volunteer on the board of Tucson Medical Center Healthcare and I also serve as the medical director of the TMC Children’s Hospice.  I have served on the boards of many charitable organizations over the years and I continue to contribute to the community whenever and however I can.  I have been accused of being an “exercise nut” and try to run, swim, cycle or do some sort of athletic activity every morning.

Being a pediatrician is the best job in the world – I could not ask for better “life work” than this!

Jeff Couchman, MD

I was born near Detroit, Michigan, which I always say is a good place to be FROM (I'm very happy now to be living in Tucson, instead).  I went to undergraduate school at the University of Michigan, mostly because it was where all my friends were going and I didn't want to fill out any more college applications.  For medical school, I did a little more searching and interviewing and ended up at Washington University in St. Louis.  I enjoyed St. Louis but, though it's both south and west of Detroit, it still wasn't what I had in mind.  When I finished medical school, I interviewed throughout the West and chose to do my residency here in Tucson, at the University of Arizona.  I fell in love with Tucson during those three years and decided to make it my permanent home.

When I finished my residency, I was fortunate enough to fill a vacancy at an established pediatric practice, where I then worked for seven years.  But, after being in practice for a while, I decided that I'd like to do things differently and I needed more flexibility.  So, Dr. Cochran and I opened Mesquite Pediatrics at the beginning of 2006.  We have created a small practice that is peaceful, efficient, and unrushed.  I like having time with my patients; our staff is happy, friendly, and helpful; and I feel our patients get the attention and respect they deserve.  My goal at Mesquite Pediatrics is to provide every one of our patients with high quality medical care and to make sure that we meet everyone's needs as much as we possibly can.  Finally, I want to make sure that our patients and their parents learn everything they can about their health.  I don't ever want people to leave an appointment with questions that haven't been addressed.

I have many interests outside of pediatrics.  My wife, Leigh, and I were married in May, 2002.  We have two boys:  Eli, born in 2003 and Zane, born in 2010.  My wife and I play volleyball at least once a week (barring injury) and are also into cycling, though it's difficult to juggle that with parenthood.  I also play in a co-ed soccer league most weekends.  If we're lucky, we'll be able to get our kids interested in at least some of these activities — Eli already enjoys hiking, another interest of ours.  And, as you can tell from the pictures, he's a bit of a goofball, which makes him fit right in with the rest of the family.

Susan McMahon, MD

Rumor has it that there are not many native Tucsonans but I am one of them. I grew up about a mile from Mesquite Pediatrics and recently moved back into my old neighborhood.  My dad would frequently quip about life in Tucson as "another day in paradise" and I share his view.  I never tire of the view of the Catalinas and cannot imagine shoveling snow on a regular basis.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor but pediatrics is actually my third career.  After getting my Masters Degree I worked in a lab at the U of A in Exercise Physiology.  I was coaxed into coaching soccer at Ss Peter and Paul and at Salpointe which led me to my second career as a high school teacher.  The seven years I spent teaching science and coaching were fun and rewarding and were an unexpected asset.

Finally, I returned to my dream of being a physician.  I went to medical school at the University of Arizona never planning to become a pediatrician. However, at every step of my training (including having Dr Cochran as an instructor) I was pointed towards taking care of kids.  I did my pediatric residency training at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Maricopa Medical Center.  In 2003 I returned to Tucson to work for El Rio Health Center where I had a large panel of my own patients and was involved in teaching medical students and residents at my office and in the hospital.

As often is the case, life has come full circle and I am thrilled to join my mentor and Dr Couchman at Mesquite Pediatrics.   Much of pediatrics is about education since kids tend to be resilient.  I share my colleagues' goals of providing quality, timely care to our patients.

In my free time I play soccer and ultimate frisbee, routinely lose ten dollars in my monthly Texas Hold 'Em game and always enjoy a weekend on the beach at Rocky Point.