Experts in Adolescent Medicine, Endocrinology, Intensive Care and Neonatology Will Care for Young Patients and Support Families

 

Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s is welcoming five new physicians who focus on specific areas of children’s health, including adolescent health, endocrinology, intensive care and neonatology.

“Guerin Children’s continues to expand the breadth of expertise and services it provides, making it a top destination for pediatric care worldwide,” said Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, executive director of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and the David and Meredith Kaplan Distinguished Chair in Children’s Health.

Patients will benefit from highly specialized care provided by the newest physicians to join Guerin Children’s. 

Endocrinologist John Ching, MD, brings expertise in disorders related to the body’s hormones. Some of the hormone-related issues he treats are poor growth, delayed puberty, obesity and diabetes. Ching also conducts research on obesity and diabetes. 

Ching’s education includes a pediatric residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and a pediatric endocrinology fellowship at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

“I’m passionate about supporting families facing endocrine disorders and also helping them adopt lifestyle practices that, alongside medical treatments, contribute to good health,” Ching said. 

Adolescent health specialist Michelle Escovedo, MD, directs a new adolescent health clinic at Guerin Children’s that focuses on the socio-emotional, mental and physical health of preteens, teenagers and young adults. 

Escovedo has expertise in treating depression and anxiety, providing reproductive health services, managing eating disorders, addressing body image concerns, and counseling about drug and alcohol use.

She completed a residency in pediatrics at UCLA Health and a fellowship in adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

“By starting a new adolescent health program at Cedars-Sinai, our goal is to provide quality, compassionate care to adolescents of all backgrounds,” Escovedo said. 

Neonatologist Xin Yu, MD, specializes in the care of newborns, including children born prematurely or with an illness or health condition. 

Yu completed a residency in pediatrics at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and a neonatology fellowship at Tufts Medical Center.

“My goal is to combine the latest medical advances in neonatology with compassionate care to create individualized treatment plans,” Yu said.

Intensivists Charles Pohl, MD, and Sareen Shah, MD, provide high-level monitoring and treatment for hospitalized children who are seriously ill or injured.

Pohl completed a residency in pediatrics at the UCI School of Medicine/Children’s Hospital of Orange County, as well as a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine/Rady Children’s Hospital, and a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at City of Hope.

“Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s has given me the opportunity to divide my time between my passions of critical care and supportive care, which will promote a greater integration of the two disciplines,” Pohl said. “I am proud to help develop a new world-class pediatric supportive medicine team for children with serious and complex illnesses.”

Shah completed a residency in pediatrics at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and a fellowship in pediatric critical care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

In addition to caring for patients, Shah studies how to use machine learning and data analysis to improve outcomes for patients.

“The excitement surrounding Guerin Children’s is palpable,” Shah said. “I am thrilled to be a part of that journey.”

In addition to hiring these new specialists, Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s has appointed renowned pediatric surgeon David Skaggs, MD, as associate director of Community Engagement. In this role, Skaggs will lead outreach efforts to engage an active network of pediatric providers, develop new partnerships and expand relationships with critical community stakeholders. Skaggs is currently director of Pediatric Orthopaedics, director of the Spine Center and executive vice chair of Orthopaedics at Cedars-Sinai.

“Through these appointments, Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s shows its commitment to providing specialized and harmonized care to patients and families,” said Shervin Rabizadeh, MD, MBA, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and director of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Guerin Children’s.

Guerin Children’s has been made possible by a $100 million gift from the Shapell Guerin Family Foundation and its president, Vera Guerin. The contribution is the largest lifetime gift in Cedars-Sinai’s history.