Featured Pediatricians, Part 1

Some of these pediatricians have received national attention for their books, articles, and broadcasts. See the pediatricians featured below and other pediatricians making an impact in social media, elsewhere on the Web, and in their communities in our Top Pediatricians profiles.

1. @MDPartner Gayle Schrier Smith, MD, has a “membership model pediatric practice,” Partners in Pediatrics, in Richmond, Virginia. Her interests are health care reform, health care social media, and emerging practice models, in addition to pediatric health care. “I’m all about the kids … their health and well-being,” she writes. Her practice recently received the 2010 Medical Home Innovation Award from Children's National Medical Center.


2. @baby411 @expecting411 Ari Brown, MD, is an award-winning pediatrician and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She's a leading child healthcare advocate who has been featured on NBC Today, Rachael Ray, and numerous other television shows and in print publications. She is the co-author of the series, Baby 411, a best seller and “the ultimate FAQ for new parents,” Toddler 411, and Expecting 411. You can watch a video montage of her television appearances at and follow her blog about all sorts of child health issues.


3. @housecalldoc Rob Lamberts, MD, is “the House Call Doctor” whose podcasts give “quick and dirty tips” on everything from cholesterol to bruises, “to help you understand your body better and improve your health and quality of life.” He has a private practice in primary care, is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics, and is an authority on electronic medical records. He recently decided to take a hiatus from his blog, which had been featured in national print media, but you can view his past postings at Distractible.org.


4. @kiddocjana Laura Jana, MD, is a  pediatrician and health communicator based in Omaha, Nebraska. She served as a consultant to Dr. Benjamin Spock and went on to start her own company, Practical Parenting Consulting. She has become nationally recognized for her efforts to promote healthy lifestyles for children, and she offers parenting advice to new and expectant parents. An author and early literacy advocate, she also owns a nationally franchised child care center, Primrose School of Legacy.


5. @dralimohamadi Ali Mohamadi, MD, is a pediatric endocrinologist in private practice in Maryland, specializing in weight management; disorders of growth, development, and puberty; and numerous abnormalities. He maintains Pediatric Endoblog, where he writes “informally” on these topics.


6. @parikhmd @docrkp Rahul Parikh, MD, practices in pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek, California. He is a strong believer in routine immunization and “judicious” use of antibiotics and other medicines. Dr Parikh helped create the Sharewood Project, a free medical clinic that provides care to homeless and indigent citizens in Boston. He tweets news and tips about children’s health. You can see many of his popular publications in at his site, RahulKParikh.com. 


7. @yayayarndiva Pierrette Mimi Poinsett, MD, is a medical consultant in case management of children and adults with special health care needs, developmental disabilities, and mental health issues. She is CEO of Indigo Lotus Navigators, a health advocacy and empowerment startup. A “developing writer of poetry, prose, and satire,” she tells her own difficult story as the single mother of a 14-year-old with mental health challenges, in her blog.


8. @JamesSMarks48 James S. Marks, MD, directs program and administrative activities of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Group. He served as director of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and has been a national advocate of strengthening public health systems and services.


9. @DrGwenn Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, MD, founded Pediatrics Now, a Web site that contains a vast library of resources covering the latest health information “for today’s busy families.” Her nationally syndicated blog, Dr. Gwenn Is In, is picked up by media outlets such as Reuters, USA Today, and the Chicago Sun Times. She’s also considered an expert in the online world of kids and social media.


10. @ChrisCoppola Chris Coppola, MD, performed six years of active duty service in the Air Force “in exchange for a free education at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,” allowing him to pursue his dream of becoming a pediatric surgeon. He was deployed to Iraq twice, where many of his patients were seriously wounded children. “Shaken by what he saw, he passed sleepless nights writing letters to friends and family,” and his book, Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq, “draws on the pain of these letters.” You can listen to audio clips of his experiences at his Web site.


11. @ChildDocs Michael Eliot Bornstein, MD, has a private practice in Richmond, Texas, that’s a family affair—his wife manages the office, and they, along with both of their young sons, “go to the office together every day.” He is a clinical instructor at Baylor College of Medicine, an author, and the creator of iBabyDoc.com, which has articles, forums, and newsletters on children’s health.


12. @DoctorNatasha Natasha Burgert, MD, is part of a Pediatric Associates, a Kansas City office with nearly a dozen doctors. She is the administrator for the social media sites used by the office—“integrating technology into her practice is an evolving hobby”—and she blogs regularly at KCKidsDoc.com.


13. @DrNancyNBCNEWS Nancy Snyderman, MD, has been NBC News’ chief medical editor since 2006, reporting on wide-ranging medical topics affecting men and women. Her medical work has been widely published in peer review journals, and she is the recipient of numerous research grants as well as broadcasting awards. She has published several books and writes a monthly column for Good Housekeeping magazine, and you can read her articles and watch her videos at her Web site.


14. @AskDoctorSears William Sears, MD, is father of eight children. Three of them—James, Robert, and Peter—are also pediatricians and part of AskDrSears.com, a Web site loaded with information about family health and parenting. “Dr. Bill” is the author of more than 30 books on child care; an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine; and medical and parenting consultant for Baby Talk and Parenting magazines.


15. @PeterHanfileti Peter Hanfileti, MD, is a holistic physician in Vancouver, Washington, who uses “energy medicine” in his pediatric practice. His Principles for Parents blog has articles and videos on the subject and on how parents can use it to care for kids of all ages.

If you know of pediatricians who are worthy of attention on these pages, please use our contact form to let us know. See How to Become an OrganizedWisdom Expert Curator and Curator Benefits. Other blog entries featuring health professionals:

Featured Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Part 1
Featured Chiropractors, Part 1
Featured Neurologists, Part 1
Featured Cardiologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Dietitians, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Featured Nutritionists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Nurses, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nurses, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Featured Oncologists, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Top Nephrologists on Twitter
Top Gastroenterologists on Twitter 
Gluten-Free Diet Feature 
Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts, Part 1, Part 2 

By Julie Bohlen, MBA-HCM, ELS