Overview
Through my clinical expertise as a pediatric anesthesiologist and pain specialist, I am reminded every day of the challenges our pediatric patients and their families experience when undergoing a surgical procedure. Acute pain management in pediatrics is associated with numerous age-specific complexities, and unfortunately, many interventions that are easily accessible in adults remain out of reach for children due to lack of clinical knowledge and missing pharmacologic data. My research is focused on developing and analyzing innovative approaches to improve functional outcomes after pediatric surgery through interventional and observational clinical trials. As a physician-scientist, my goal is to advance our understanding of existing and novel analgesics to provide safe, effective, and personalized perioperative pain management in children and adolescents.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Combined Pecto-intercostal Fascial Plane and Rectus Sheath Blocks Versus Local Infiltration for Pain Management Following Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Journal Article Anesth Analg · June 1, 2026 BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that regional anesthesia (RA) use versus placebo control is associated with less postsurgical opioid requirements and improved pain scores. This trial compared a novel combination of bilateral pecto-intercostal fasci ... Full text Link to item CiteInfluence of psychological and somatosensory characteristics on treatment outcomes in adolescent chronic postsurgical and primary pain.
Journal Article Pain Rep · April 2026 INTRODUCTION: Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) affects 20% to 30% of pediatric patients at 12 months after surgery. We hypothesized that differences in biopsychosocial and somatosensory profiles exist between patients with CPSP and those with chronic prima ... Full text Link to item CiteEpidural catheters and continuous heparin infusions: navigating complex clinical decisions with incomplete information
Journal Article Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine · March 13, 2026 Full text CiteRecent Grants
Integrated Training in Anesthesiology Research
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 1996 - 2031Revolutionizing Pediatric Tonsillectomy Pharmacology and Therapeutics
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 2024 - 2029Optimizing Pain Management in Infants and Young Children Undergoing Cleft Palate Repair
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Gerber Foundation · 2026 - 2028View All Grants