Experts Available

• share
• favorite_border

Here at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, transgender issues are not new. Our Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine has been supporting the health of transgender youth for nearly 20 years. While many are becoming more familiar with the subject now, there is still great opportunity to advance understanding in the community. In this post, Johanna Olson, MD, medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at CHLA, gives answers to questions that many are asking, including what the term ‘transgender’ means, what the transition process includes, and services that are available for transyouth.

• share
• favorite_border

Johanna Olson, MD, is a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she directs the Center for Transyouth Health and Development. In an effort to increase knowledge about the transgender experience, Olson frequently speaks to media on the topic.

• share
• favorite_border

Michael Neely, MD, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, helps explain the facts about measles, and how parents can prevent further outbreak. MD, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, helps explain the facts about measles, how parents can prevent further outbreak, and what CHLA can do to help prevent infection and to treat those who have already been infected.

• share
• favorite_border

PTSD. Four letters we immediately associate with soldiers and horrific wartime tragedies. But unfortunately, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect anyone who has experienced a traumatic event—including children with serious medical diagnoses. To learn more about this devastating disorder in kids, we talked to Jeffrey I. Gold, PhD, director of the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

• share
• favorite_border

Richard Kim, MD, a cardiac surgeon at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, recently used a 3D printed heart as a model to plan a life-saving procedure for his young patient, Esther Perez.

• share
• favorite_border

Children's Hospital Los Angeles infectious diseases specialist Pia Pannaraj, MD, discusses the importance of getting an annual flu vaccine and why opting out should not be an option.

• share
• favorite_border

Bianca Edison, MD, MS is an attending physician in the Children’s Orthopaedic Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Here she reviews common infant and toddler injuries, and how parents can determine if emergency medical care is needed.

• share
• favorite_border

At some point, virtually every child gets a stomachache. Fortunately, it’s usually short-lived and not cause for concern. But what happens when a child’s stomach troubles—including pain and constipation or diarrhea—don’t go away?

• share
• favorite_border

Mark Urata, MD, chief, Division of Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, as well as chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, discusses the future of pediatric cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) physician Roger E. De Filippo, MD, chief of CHLA's Division of Urology and an associate professor of urology and director of Pediatric Urology Stem Cell Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California discusses how science, technology and parental care can lead to improved pediatric urological health.

• share
• favorite_border

For many months, the world has witnessed the Ebola virus spread and claim more than 4,400 lives in West African countries. On Oct. 8, the first confirmed adult Ebola patient identified in the United States died. The constant news coverage has heightened concern among parents who fear their children will become infected.

• share
• favorite_border

The genes children inherit determine everything from their height to their hair color. But sometimes, a child’s genetic code also contains hidden abnormalities that can cause an array of health issues, such as developmental delays or physical or mental illness. Linda Randolph, MD, head of the Division of Medical Genetics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) explains how a medical geneticist works “like a detective” to diagnose genetic syndromes—and put children on the path to better health.

• share
• favorite_border

How can a seemingly healthy child have a genetic disorder? Divya Vats, MD, medical director of the Newborn Screening Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and is a staff physician at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles-Santa Monica Outpatient Care Center explains how newborn screening works and why it can prevent lifelong disability—and even save a child’s life.

• share
• favorite_border

It’s hard to tell the difference between the two, but Pia Pannaraj, MD, Infectious Diseases specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles speaks on how parents should treat their kids’ symptoms and when to seek medical attention.

• share
• favorite_border

During the month of August, two publications delved into the decades-old debate questioning exactly how drastically a mother’s alcohol consumption while pregnant affects her child in the future. We asked Elizabeth Sowell, PhD, director of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory to share her thoughts:

• share
• favorite_border

Sickle cell disease had been considered a pediatric ailment since people with it generally didn’t live to adulthood. As pediatricians, we’ve done a good job caring for our patients – 95% now live to their 20th birthday. Unfortunately, when our patients prepare to leave the pediatric system, a smooth transition to adult healthcare is lacking.

• share
• favorite_border

Fifty years ago, childhood cancer was a near-certain death sentence. But thanks to decades of treatment advances, more than 80 percent of childhood cancer patients now become survivors.

• share
• favorite_border

John Wood, MD, PhD, and colleagues are looking into how the body regulates blood flow to the muscles and brain in patients with sickle cell trait (SCT). They hope to determine specific factors that put certain SCT athletes at risk for life-threatening complications during vigorous exercise.

• share
• favorite_border

The Samuels Family LA-HIP is a biomedical internship and college preparatory program that gives minority students the opportunity to pursue their own research alongside nationally-renowned investigators.

• share
• favorite_border

Sharpened pencils: check; notebooks and paper: check; school schedule: check. As a parent, this check list may seem familiar to you. It is a clear indication that back-to-school season is here and that means preparing your child for the school year as best as you can. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is helping you and your child finalize the list by providing top 10 expert tips on keeping your child healthy and safe all year round.

• share
• favorite_border

18-month-old “Karla” was playing on the slide at the park in her neighborhood, her mother sitting on a nearby bench chatting with her friend. A loud screech was followed by a crash and the sound of car alarms going off. In a flash, Karla was swept into her mother’s arms and both were shaking as they saw people running and heard sirens coming toward the scene of a car crash in the street next to the park.

• share
• favorite_border

Pediatric eye surgeon Thomas Lee, MD, division chief of CHLA’s Vision Center, will collaborate with Apl.de.ap Foundation International to treat retinopathy in premature infants in the Philippines.

• share
• favorite_border

Kiarash Sadrieh, MD, of the Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, offers tips for parents on how to identify when their child suffers a febrile seizure.

• share
• favorite_border

A Children's Hospital Los Angeles sports medicine expert explains how concussions occur while playing ice hockey and offers parents tips on how to recognize the injury in their children.

• share
• favorite_border

The Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary of providing care for Los Angeles youth with a special event Saturday May 10, 6 p.m. PST, at the Sheraton Universal Starview Ballroom. The celebration will be put on by the CHAMPION Fund.