Specialty Pediatric Critical Care Facility Santa Clara Medical Center Department of Pediatrics- Hospital Based Specialists Address 700 Lawrence Expressway 3rd Floor Santa Clara CA 95051 Map & Directions Telephone Office: (408) 851-7400 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

My Professional Practice

I know that having your child in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) can be a frightening experience. I hope the information on this page will help you be more comfortable during this trying time.

As a Pediatric Intensivist, I have advanced training in the care of seriously ill and injured children. My practice is limited to the care of children admitted to the hospital. I do not see patients in clinic. This allows me to devote as much time as needed to your child’s care. I care for every child in the PICU as I would care for my own family.

As Director of the PICU, I supervise a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals. This team includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, social workers, nutritionists, child life specialists and others. We all work together to provide the best, safest and most compassionate care to your child, your family and you. Our team meets every morning to discuss your child's case and make a plan for the day. We call this meeting "morning rounds". An important part of this meeting is to make sure that every member of the team understands the plan of care for your child and understands their role in providing that care.

You are also an important part of the team. After rounds, one of the doctors will meet with you to explain your child's condition and the plan for the day. This is the best time for you to ask questions and tell us anything you want us to know about your child and your family. Remember, you know your child best, so what you have to tell us is important and will help us care for your child.

In addition to caring for patients, I am also a teacher. I belong to the clinical faculty of Stanford University School of Medicine. Our team includes residents and medical students who are learning Pediatrics. Be assured, the residents and medical students always work under the direct supervision of a Pediatric Intensivist and/or Pediatric Hospitalist. When working in the PICU, the Pediatric Hospitalists work in close consultation with a Pediatric Intensivist. Besides teaching at Kaiser Santa Clara, I lecture groups of doctors and nurses throughout the Bay Area about various aspects of Pediatric Critical Care.

I am also here to teach you. While your child is in the PICU, I want you to understand everything about why your child is ill and how we are working to make him/her better. It is normal to have lots of questions about what happens in the ICU. I encourage you to write your questions down. That way you will remember them when we talk. The more you know about your child's illness and what we are doing to treat it, the more comfortable you will feel about being in the hospital.

My Personal History

My family moved from upstate New York to California when I was 14 years old. I graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California and received my medical degree from the University of Nevada in 1984. I did my residency and Chief residency in Pediatrics at UCLA. After that I moved to Connecticut where I trained in Pediatric Critical Care and joined the faculty at Yale University. After 5 years of winter, I returned to UCLA as an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Critical Care. In addition to caring for critically ill children, I performed basic research in molecular neurobiology. In 2000, I decided to join the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group so I could dedicate my full attention to patient care.

I came to Kaiser Santa Clara as Director of the PICU and Pediatric Inpatient Service. At that time, I was Kaiser's only Pediatric Intensivist in Northern California. In 2001, we developed Kaiser’s first ever Neonatal/Pediatric Critical Care Transport Team. As Medical Director of this team, I supervise a service that performs almost 500 transports per year. Having our own transport team allows us to provide ICU care to critically ill infants and children long before they reach the PICU. I am also on the Clinical Faculty of Stanford University School of Medicine. I am Co-Site Director for pediatric resident and medical student training at Kaiser Santa Clara.

Since coming to Santa Clara, I have received a number of honors including being named a "Top Doc" by San Jose Magazine, a "Best Doctor" by San Francisco Magazine and one of the "Best Doctors in America". I am an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Society of Critical Care Medicine. I've served on national committees for both organizations.

I enjoy spending my free time with my wife and two school aged children. We enjoy scuba diving, hiking, bike riding and listening to live music.

My Credentials

Medical school	University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV
Residency	UC Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Fellowship	Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Board certification	Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics
Board certification	Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, American Board of Pediatrics

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