The Department of Pediatrics is the largest academic department at the Keck School of Medicine, and is recognized as an exceptional resource for student teaching. The staff is dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive care and advancing the field of pediatrics. Furthermore, the private practice organization of the department continues to be one of the most innovative pediatric practices in the United States.

National and International Recognition

“Best Doctors in America”

• Robert Adler, M.D.
• Bram H. Bernstein, M.D.
• Joseph A. Church, M.D.
• Gertrude Costin, M.D.
• Timothy Deakers, M.D., Ph.D.
• Astrid H. Heger, M.D.
• Arno R. Hohn, M.D.
• Francine R. Kaufman, M.D.
• Thomas G. Keens, M.D.
• Alan B. Lewis, M.D.
• Richard G. Mackenzie, M.D.
• Eithne MacLaughlin, M.D.
• Wilbert H. Mason Jr., M.D.
• Christopher J.L. Newth, M.D.
• Robertson Parkman, M.D.
• Arnold C.G. Platzker, M.D.
• Robert C. Seeger, M.D.
• Stuart E. Siegel, M.D.
• Michael J. Silka, M.D.
• Masato Takahashi, M.D.
• Sally D. Ward, M.D.

"America's Top Doctors"*

• Richard Boles, M.D.
• Richard G. Mackenzie, M.D.
• J. Gordon McComb, M.D.
• Wendy Mitchell, M.D.

*New York: Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.; 2004

Rare Surgery Saves Newborn’s Life»
A newborn with a potentially fatal birth defect is alive today, thanks to groundbreaking surgery performed at LAC+USC Medical Center by physicians from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
“If the baby had been born normally, it couldn’t take a breath, because the whole airway was blocked,” said Istvan Seri, professor of pediatrics, head of the USC division of neonatal medicine and co-director of the IMFH.

USC pediatrician receives Mathies Award for healthcare leadership»
Francine R. Kaufman, professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine, recently received the 2006 Mathies Award for Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership from the Partners in Care Foundation.

Four Faculty Receive Selective Honors»
Four faculty have been awarded new distinctions by USC President Steven B. Sample. Stephen Hartke and Francine R. Kaufman have been named Distinguished Professors and Malcolm Cecil Pike and William G. Tierney were named University Professors. Distinguished Professor awards are given very selectively to those whose accomplishments have brought special renown to USC.

Professor Elected to Institute of Medicine »
Francine R. Kaufman, professor of pediatrics in the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been named as one of 64 new members of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

USC expert pens book to fight ‘diabesity’»
USC endocrinologist Francine R. Kaufman is not just wringing her hands over the nation’s mounting problems with obesity and diabetes—she is on a mission to stop the epidemic.

Violence Intervention Program opens new learning center for abused children»
The LAC+USC Violence Intervention Program, or VIP, celebrated the opening of the Sanders Family Foundation Education Center, nestled within the VIP’s S. Mark Taper Foundation Family Advocacy Center, on Feb. 11.

Obesity linked to higher leukemia relapse risk for children, CHLA study shows»
Anna Butturini, associate professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School, presented the findings of her study on acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Diego on Dec. 4. The study is the first large examination of obesity’s influences on ALL outcomes.

Child magazine ranks CHLA among nation’s best »
Child magazine announced its rankings of the nation’s top children’s hospitals on NBC’s “Today” show on Jan. 5, with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) the only pediatric hospital on the West Coast to appear in the top 10.

Teens with diabetes show signs of heart disease»
Youths with type 1 diabetes, especially boys, already show early signs of cardiovascular disease by their teen-age years, according to researchers from the Keck School of Medicine and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), but this requires further investigation,” said study senior author Francine R. Kaufman, professor of pediatrics at the Keck School and head of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at CHLA.