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Faculty

  • Kyung (Kay) E. Rhee, MD, MSc, MA

    Kyung (Kay) E. Rhee, MD, MSc, MA

    Professor of Clinical Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests 

    Conducting research on the intersection of biology, cognition, and behavior and how this affects child development and health. Identifying novel targets for obesity prevention and treatment including parenting styles, parent feeding behaviors, child eating behaviors, behavior modification, executive functioning, the microbiome, and metabolomics. Examining the impact of social determinants of health and food insecurity on health outcomes for children with nutrition related illnesses.  

    Community Interests 

    Creating healthcare policies that promote equity and inclusion for underserved communities and underrepresented minorities. Creating equitable access to healthy and affordable food.
  • Howard Taras, MD

    Howard Taras, MD

    Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests

    Teaching medical students and residents about school health.

    Community Interests

    Provides consultation services to school districts (K-12) for: school health and safety policies; and to assist schools with educational placement of students with special healthcare needs. 

     
  • Nancy Graff, MD

    Nancy Graff, MD

    Clinical of Pediatrics

    Academic Interests

    Advocacy and teaching the next generation of pediatricians the importance of community to improve the health of children and their families. 

    Community Interests

    Community Health, Advocay
  • Sheila Gahagan, MD, MPH

    Sheila Gahagan, MD, MPH

    Professor of Clinical Pediatrics ​ 

    Academic Interests

    Health disparities in child growth and development and the role of nutrition on long-term developmental outcomes, role of iron on the developing brain and the long-term consequences of iron deficiency anemia, early life childhood obesity affects development and health.  

    Community Interests

    Mediating risks for childhood obesity include neighborhood safety, walkability, and availability of healthy, nutritious foods. 
  • Patricia East, PhD

    Patricia East, PhD

    Research Scientist 

    Developmental Psychologist 

    Academic Interests

    Child and adolescent development, child health, developmental origins of obesity and cardiovascular disease, iron deficiency, neurocognitive functions in children and adolescents, 

    Community Interests

    Socioeconomic hardship and its effects on health. 
  • Ramon Hernandez, DrPH

    Ramon Hernandez, DrPH

    Academic Interests

    Community Interests
  • Vanessa Scott, MD, MS

    Vanessa Scott, MD, MS

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
    Director, Think Globally, Act Locally Resident Rotation 

    Academic Interests  

    Developing innovative technology-based interventions to improve patient/parent-physician communication to decrease health disparities for a variety of topics such as behavioral interventions for obesity prevention and treatment, breastfeeding and immunization delivery. Global health medical education. 

    Community Interests 

    Cultivating community partnerships to promote healthy family dynamics through activities such as community-oriented gardening, cooking and plant-forward eating. Fostering educational platforms for parenting skills, breastfeeding support and trauma-informed approaches to nutrition and diet. 
  • Shannon Leung Kim, MD, MPH

    Shannon Leung Kim, MD, MPH

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics ​ 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Increasing patient health literacy and patient-provider communication to improve breastfeeding education and transitions of care from pediatric to adult medicine. 

    Community Interests 

    Supporting infants, children, teenagers, young children, and families through preventive medicine to promote their health and well-being. 
  • Richard Silva, MD

    Richard Silva, MD

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics

    Academic Interests​ 

    Provide comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents, with special interest in newborn medicine.  

    Community Interests 

    Education of residents and medical students.  Increase opportunities and access to health care for those underrepresented communities.
  • Piper Sandel, MD, MPH

    Piper Sandel, MD, MPH

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics ​ 

    Academic Interests 

    Health Disparities, Care Coordination, Breastfeeding Education and Care 

    Community Interests 

    Addressing the social determinants of health particularly food and housing insecurity, care coordination, and bringing medical care into communities through school-based or mobile health care delivery 
  • Adam Braddock, MD

    Adam Braddock, MD

    Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests 

    School Health, Ethics, Developmental Behavioral Disorders 

    Community Interests 

    School Health 
  • Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS

    Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS

    Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Dr. Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS is a pediatric oncologist at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor and physician-scientists in the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.  Her expertise includes health equity, hematological malignancies, implementation and improvement sciences, bioethics, and interventional clinical trials. She is the Division Quality Improvement Lead and serves as the liaison between Rady Children's Hospital and the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Population Sciences, Disparities and Community Engagement Program. In her role as the Medical Director for International Outreach Program at Rady Children’s,  she also leads childhood cancer programs globally in Latin America. She is a member of the UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute Dissemination and Implementation Science Center (DISC) and founding member of IGNITE, the first pediatric oncology health equity research consortium. https://igniteconsortium.org/ 

    Community Interests 
  • Laura Bauman, MD

    Laura Bauman, MD

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics ​ 

    Academic Interests​ 

    My research centers on the use of epidemiologic and clinical methods to investigate the influence of social and cultural factors on disease phenotypes, outcomes, and healthcare utilization in pediatric chronic diseases. Additionally, I am dedicated to employing these approaches to study and enhance the health-related quality of life for children with chronic illnesses. 

    Community Interests 

    My community interests are diverse and include advocating for culturally competent care, especially within the Latino community, and promoting access to fresh, healthy food options. I am also passionate about raising awareness and fostering acceptance of disabled healthcare workers, as well as increasing access to and reducing stigma surrounding viral hepatitis screening in vulnerable populations. 

     
  • Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH

    Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH

    Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Community Interests 
  • Gaya Chelvakumar, MD, MPH (she/her)

    Gaya Chelvakumar, MD, MPH (she/her)

    Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Providing and improving access to healthcare to adolescent populations particularly vulnerable to negative health outcomes with a specific focus on LGB youth, gender diverse youth, youth experiencing homelessness, justice involved youth, and youth at the intersection of these populations. Interest in working with youth and their communities to develop interventions to address health inequities.  

    Community Interests 

    Advocating for improved access to healthcare through community-based solutions; Providing education to community members on health disparities in adolescent populations; working to build trust in the healthcare system within the communities I work with through community academic partnerships.  
  • Dawn Eichen, PhD

    Dawn Eichen, PhD

    Academic Interests​ 

    Community Interests 
  • Jessica Haley, MD

    Jessica Haley, MD

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Community Interests 
  • Jeannie Huang, MD, MPH

    Jeannie Huang, MD, MPH

    Professor in Residence, Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​

    Community Interests 
  • Eustratia Hubbard, MD

    Eustratia Hubbard, MD

    Academic Interests​ 

    Educate all levels of medical trainees in the comprehensive care of newborns during birth hospitalization, including the provision of inclusive parent education and breastmilk feeding support.  

    Lead and participate in quality improvement efforts to increase breast milk feeding, reduce infant falls, optimize safe sleep environments, increase acceptance of recommended standard newborn prophylaxis and screenings, and identify mother-baby pairs with elevated blood lead levels. 

    Community Interests 

    Collaborate with UCSD OB Refugee Patient Navigation team to further develop the program for newborn-specific preparation.  

    Disseminating information to community health care providers regarding work up of antenatal hydronephrosis, management of populations at risk for high blood lead levels, and other topics relevant to newborn care. 
  • Cindy Kuelbs, MD

    Cindy Kuelbs, MD

    Academic Interests​ 

    Community Interests 
  • Jeremy Landeo-Guttierrez, MD, MPH

    Jeremy Landeo-Guttierrez, MD, MPH

    Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Studying sleep and respiratory health disparities in children and adolescents from underrepresented backgrounds in clinical research. Identifying environmental and social determinants of health impacting obstructive sleep apnea disparities in the San Diego community. Leveraging emerging technology to aid in screening for sleep disorders in underserved areas. 

    Community Interests 

    Advocating for health education to aid in early recognition of sleep and respiratory disorders in communities disproportionately affected by them.
  • Natalie Laub, MD

    Natalie Laub, MD

    Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Research Center 

    www.pearcenter.org 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Dr. Laub completed her fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics and holds a master's in Health Policy Research. Dr. Laub utilizes an evidence to action model where the research generated from her team is used to create policy and legislative change. She has a strong interest in child abuse prevention and Co-founded the PEAR Center, a research center geared towards advocacy, health equity and prevention of childhood maltreatment.  

    Community Interests 

    Drug exposed children 

    Prevention of child abuse 

    Sexual abuse prevention

    Policy
  • Sydney Leibel, MD

    Sydney Leibel, MD

    Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and UCSD School of Public Health

    Academic Interests​ 

    I am interested in the intersection between environmental exposures and pediatric health outcomes in underserved populations. I am particularly interested in exposures related to pollution and climate change and how they affect respiratory conditions like asthma. 

    Community Interests 

    Reducing barriers to care 

    Addressing social determinants of health that exacerbate existing health disparities
  • Alejandra Rios, PhD

    Alejandra Rios, PhD

    Academic Interests​ 

    Conducting research to advance the understanding of how diet and lifestyle shape the gut microbiome across diverse populations. Utilizing computational methods to enhance diet analysis within microbiome research, with the ultimate goal of generating novel insights and developing personalized nutrition recommendations that promote overall health. 

    Community Interests 

    Translate research findings into accessible educational materials on nutrition and the microbiome to improve family health. 
  • Kanani Titchen, MD

    Kanani Titchen, MD

    Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Researching resilience factors that enable teens and young adults to thrive despite exploitation and abuse.  

    Interviewing youth survivors of human trafficking about ideas for preventing the exploitation of children and teens.   

    Creating educational programs for medical professionals to learn about human trafficking and trauma informed care. 

    Investigating anxiety as a barrier to LARC initiation and testing pharmacologic and psychological remedies. 

    Community Interests 

    Advocating for policies to promote reproductive health access and online safety.  

    Building programs to achieve equitable access to reproductive health services and trauma informed care for youth. 

    Marrying the worlds of medicine and the arts to achieve compassionate care, balance, and creative wellness. 
  • Janine Young, MD

    Janine Young, MD

    Professor of Clinical Pediatrics 

    Academic Interests​ 

    Immigrant and refugee health, health disparities, neglected tropical diseases, immigrant medical screening, unaccompanied immigrant children, human rights for asylum seekers, social determinants of health, equitable language access, cultural beliefs and practices, clinical work in federally qualified health centers, public health, policy and advocacy.

    Community Interests 

    Funding immigrant community involvement and expertise in informing priorities to address health care access, health systems barriers to care, and teaching medical providers cultural humility and understanding.
  • Michelle Zive, PhD

    Michelle Zive, PhD

    Academic Interests​ 

    My research background focuses on health disparities, physical activity and nutrition interventions in children and adolescents, childhood obesity prevention, participant recruitment and attainment, and the socio-ecological model and other health behavior frameworks. 

    Community Interests 

    My current interests focus on bridging research and community to bring attention to those issues that impact the BIPOC communities including mental health, trauma, food security, food sovereignty, improving systems collaboration to better serve these communities.  Special interests in Native American communities. 
  • Leah Kern, MD

    Leah Kern, MD

    Academic Interests​ 

    Community Interests 
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    Sarah Hiller-Venegas

    Academic Interests​ 

    Community Interests