Pediatric Emergency Medicine

PEM Core Faculty

Patricia Padlipsky

Patricia Padlipsky, MD, FAAP

Timothy Horeczko

Timothy Horeczko, MD, MSCR, FACEP, FAAP
David Burbulys
David Burbulys, MD, FACEP, FAAP
Ilene Claudius
Ilene Claudius, MD
Mohsen Saidinejad
Mohsen Saidinejad, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAAP
Tabitha Cheng
Tabitha Cheng, MD, FAEMS

Signature research projects driven by PEM faculty and fellows

  • PECARN Prehospital Trials (Pedi-DOSE & Pedi-PART; Dr. Saidinejad)
    As a PECARN site principal investigator, Harbor-UCLA is a lead in multi-center studies advancing prehospital drug dosing and airway management for ill and injured children.
  • Caregiver Experiences in Using Interpreters in the Pediatric ED (Kelsie Bond – PEM Fellow)
    Qualitative research exploring caregivers’ perspectives on interpreter use, identifying communication barriers, preferences, and strategies to enhance language access and family-centered care in the ED.
  • Pediatric Mental-Health Emergency Research (Dr. Claudius, Dr. Saidinejad)
    Investigating behavioral health crisis pathways, and participation in national policy statements on ED management of mental and behavioral health emergencies. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38781459/

  • Health Services & Qualitative/Mixed Methods Research (Dr Horeczko)
    Using big data analysis, such as the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) to understand emergency department trends in adult and pediatric care. Using phenomenology, applied research, and mixed quantitative-qualitative methods in  studies pertaining to emergency medicine, medical education, and child abuse pediatrics.
  • Systematic Reviews & Workflow Studies (Dr. Young, Dr. Simbieda – PEM Fellow Alumnus, Dr. Claudius)
    Faculty-led reviews on weight estimation, procedural pain and dosing, and multi-center COVID-19 workflows drive evidence-based practice.

Signature academic projects driven by our PEM faculty and fellows

  • High-Fidelity Pediatric Simulation Curriculum (Dr. Burbulys)
    Integrated into both EM residency and PEM fellowship training to sharpen procedural skills, crisis resource management, and teamwork under realistic conditions.
  • Child-Friendly Triage Pathways & Pain-Reduction Protocols (Dr. Padlipsky)
    Standardized in our ED to streamline assessment, minimize distress, and optimize analgesia for procedures.
  • Sepsis and Mental-Health Screening Initiatives (Dr. Claudius)
    Department-wide quality-improvement efforts to improve early recognition of pediatric sepsis and to integrate mental-health triage and disposition pathways.
  • Community Injury-Prevention Campaigns (Dr. Padlipsky, Dr. Cheng)
    In partnership with local schools and community centers, we train teachers, parents, and students in bleeding control, pediatric trauma first aid, and targeted injury prevention campaigns (most recently, Firework Safety & Prevention)
  • Pediatric Airway & Trauma Protocol Development (Dr. Gausche-Hill)
    Faculty-led refinement of advanced airway management and hemorrhage control guidelines for prehospital and in-hospital teams.
  • Health-Literacy & Nonurgent ED Utilization Study (Dr. Young)
    Community outreach interventions that reduced nonurgent visits by improving parent understanding of pediatric emergency care needs.
  • Pediatric ED Screening for Social Needs (Dr. Assaf, PEM fellow Alumnus)
    Voluntary pediatric ED screening to identify social needs such as food insecurity, housing instability, and caregiver stress.
  • Emergency Medicine Regional Care Systems (Dr. Horeczko)
    Under an Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) longitudinal grant, development of a regional system and transfer protocols in rural northern California.
  • Pediatric Sepsis and Shock (Dr. Horeczko)
    Parameterization of the systemic inflammatory response in children.
  • Pediatric Assessment Triangle Application (Drs. Horeczko and Gausche-Hill)
    Providing evidence basis for use of initial assessment tool by nurses and paramedics
  • Leadership Curriculum (Dr. Horeczko)
    Development of a longitudinal workshop for leadership skills for physicians.

Highlights, Announcements, and Accomplishments

Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, FACEP, FAAP, FAEMS, faculty emeritus, is nationally and internationally known for her work as an EMS researcher and educator, and for her leadership in the field of EMS and pediatric emergency medicine. She has won numerous national awards for her leadership in emergency medicine, pediatric emergency medicine and EMS. She is best known for her study of pre-hospital airway management for children published in JAMA2000 and her work on the National Pediatric Readiness Project published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2015 and JAMA Network Open in 2021.

Grants

  • Dr. Saidinejad serves as:
      • Site PI and co-lead for the Communications Service Core for HRSA-funded Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN)
      • Member of the Executive Core and domain co-lead for the Knowledge Management domain of the Emergency Medical Services for Children, Innovation and Improvement Center
      • Dissemination lead for the Seattle, Dallas (Tx), and Los Angeles Research Node (STELAR) for the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN)
      • Site PI for the PECARN PediDose study at Harbor UCLA
      • Site PI for PECARN PediPART study at Harbor UCLA
      • Recently awarded $75,000 for a PPN pilot award to develop a Pediatric Mental Health Disaster education series for Emergency Department Physicians
  • Dr Horeczko, principal investigator for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for $800,000 grant: Transport of Acutely ill and injured Children To Institutions of higher Care from Allied Localities (TACTICAL)
  • Dr. Tabitha Cheng awarded a $100,000 HRSA-funded Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) Center Pilot grant.

Fellow Recognition

    • 2021 EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center Prehospital Fellow: Tabitha Cheng
    • 2020–2021 AAP Emergency Medicine Program Directors Subcommittee Fellow: Raymen Assaf
    • 2022 SAEM PEM Fellow of the Year: Raymen Assaf

 

Academic Publications & Scholarly Contributions

  • Institutional Works: EMRA PEM Fundamentals Handbook, co-edited by Dr. Chang (resident alumni), Dr. Padlipsky (core faculty) & Dr. Young (Emeritus).
  • Committee/Board Leaderships:
    • Timothy Horeczko, MD, MSCR, FACEP, FAAP – ABP PEM Sub-board Chair
    • David Burbylus, MD, FACEP, FAAP – ABEM Representative on the ABP PEM Sub-board
    • Ilene Claudius, MD – Associate editor CorePendium, Co-editor in Chief Pediatric Emergency Medicine Practice
    • Mohsen Saidinejad, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAAP – Member, AAP CoPEM; Member, ACEP PEM Committee; Director, Health Services and Outcomes Research, The Lundquist Institute
    • Tabitha Cheng, MD, FAEMS – NAEMSP Representative on CoPEM; Vice Chair, NAEMSP Pediatrics Committee; Member, ACEP PEM Committee

FOAMed Collaborations

Harbor-UCLA PEM faculty and alumni contribute to the following free online medical education resources: