CREDENTIALS/DISCIPLINE: MD, MPH. Specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine.
BOARD CERTIFIED: Yes, Pediatrics.
Number of years treating patients with eating disorders: 20+ years
Number of patients with eating disorders we treat annually: 15+
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERTISE: I received my medical degree from Yale Medical School, completed my pediatrics residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and an adolescent medicine fellowship at University of California, San Francisco. I also received a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. I have had over 16 years experience treating adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. I am currently medical director of the Eating Disorders Program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, where I am responsible for overseeing services in our outpatient Eating Disorders Clinic and the inpatient Comprehensive Care Unit, for adolescents and young adults with acute medical complications related to eating disorders and malnutrition.
TREATMENT PHILOSOPHY: Our clinic and in-patient program are team-based, with close collaboration between adolescent medicine physicians, child psychiatrists, dietitians, social workers, nurses, and other members of the treatment team. Our program is primarily family centered, incorporating principles from the Maudsley Approach. Other evidence-based treatment modalities are also used in our program, depending on the needs of each individual and family.
Yes, I think it is possible to recover from an eating disorder and define recovery as: Recovery involves restoration of both physical and emotional health. We strive to support patients in returning to a normal weight range, with regular hormonal function, including regular menstrual cycles for women, healthy organs including the heart and bones, and normal vital signs. Emotional health includes being less focused on food and weight issues, and being able to feel comfortable in social situations involving food and eating.
FEES: Cash, Credit Cards, Payment Plans, Personal Checks, Medi-Cal, Medicare, Insurance-We accept a variety of insurance types; if “Provider out of the network” in a PPO, patient needs to apply for reimbursement.