Hollywood’s Top Doctors 2015: Best Pediatricians in Los Angeles

This story first appeared in the Sept. 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

Health and drama go together like air and water for Hollywood — the industry needs both to sustain itself. Just ask Seth MacFarlane, whose 2013 Oscar hosting gig was rescued by ear, nose and throat surgeon Dr. Shawn Nasseri, or So You Think You Can Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe, whose grandson was saved by pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Krieger, or Charlie Sheen, whose shoulder injury was prevented from derailing a money-minting career by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Raj (yes, that’s his name — this is Hollywood, after all). For its second annual Doctors Issue, The Hollywood Reporter elicited stories of drama, trauma and triumph over both by surveying 2,000 professionals in the film, television, movie, music, sports and media fields to find out who are the most beloved, trusted and go-to physicians in L.A.

THR also scored an exclusive interview with former NBC medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who was excoriated for supposedly violating her Ebola quarantine, as well as her cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, who did indeed contract the dreaded disease and lived to tell about it. THR also asked this haunting question: What happens to the patients when a beloved doctor dies? In the case of Dr. Fredric Brandt, the celebrity dermatologist who commanded eight figures in annual billing before committing suicide in April, the answer is: a gold rush among prominent doctors to grab what they can from the dermatological diaspora. THR found out how to live to be 100 and still work in Hollywood (centenarian Norman Lloyd recently appeared in Trainwreck) and, in perhaps the world’s first Hollywood-oriented DSM-V, catalogued the dominant dysfunctions and diagnoses of the industry’s top jobs, from studio exec to screenwriter (producers win the top prize for anxiety, by the way). Finally, if you’ve ever wondered if you’re as narcissistic as people say everyone in Hollywood is, there’s a quiz for that.

As for the official Hollywood’s Top Doctors list for 2015, to identify the 469 elite physicians who qualified for it, THR’s editors partnered with the physician-led research team of Castle Connolly, the U.S.’ preeminent medical-database authority, to identify the highest-rated practitioners in their specialties, all of whom are nominated by their peers in an extensive survey process of thousands of U.S. doctors each year. The listed doctors rank in the nation’s top 10 percent and are among the very best in their specialties and communities. Castle Connolly screens these doctors’ medical educations, training, hospital appointments, disciplinary histories and much more. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be included.

Read more from The Hollywood Reporter‘s Top Doctors Issue:

Hollywood’s Top Doctors 2015

Hollywood DSM: Industry Shrinks Reveal What’s Wrong With Actors, Producers, Agents and More

Stars and Their Doctors: Seth MacFarlane With the Man Who Saved His Voice for the Oscars

Stars and Their Doctors: A ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Producer and the Man Who Knows Him Inside Out

Producer Nigel Lythgoe Pays Homage to the Doctor Who Saved His Baby Grandson

Stars and Their Doctors: Charlie Sheen and the Man Who Gives Him Stem Cells

How a Showtime PR Exec’s Daughter Was Cured of Debilitating Scoliosis

Yes, You Can Turn 100 in Hollywood and Still Work

Former CAA Partner: Why I Became an Agent for the Sick (Guest Column)

Dr. Fredric Brandt’s Suicide Sparks Frantic Scramble for His Celebrity Patients

Nancy Snyderman Breaks Silence on Ebola Nightmare, NBC News: “People Wanted Me Dead” (Exclusive)

Hollywood Psychologist on Reasons Why A-List Couples Fail

Hollywood’s Top Doctors 2015: The Dentist List

Want to Get “Expensive Urine”? Look at the Hollywood History of Health Fads

L.A.’s Westside Mystery: Higher Cancer Rates in One Zip Code, Longer Lives in Another

Manopause and Male Aging: Gavin Polone Says Just Say No to Those Drugs (Guest Column)

Ken Jeong: How to Ditch Medicine for a Career in Comedy and Diagnose Castmates (Guest Column)

Why There’s a Medical Crisis for Transgender Youth (Guest Column)

Clarke Anderson
Hematology/oncology
City of Hope Nat’l. Medical Ctr.
1500 E. Duarte Road
Duarte 91010
800-826-4673

Dean M. Anselmo
Surgery
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2322

Eyal Ben-Isaac
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-669-2534

David W. Bliss
Surgery
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2322

Yvonne J. Bryson
Infectious disease
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-825-0867

Timothy W. Casarez
Cardiology
Pediatric Cardiology Medical Associates
5400 Balboa Blvd.
Encino 91316
818-784-6269

Joseph A. Church
Allergy and immunology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2501

Roger Defilippo
Urology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2247

Kimberly Diamond
La Peer Pediatrics
8920 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills 90211
310-652-5004

Larry D. Eisenberg
Gastroenterology
18372 Clark St.
Tarzana 91356
818-705-8559

Robert W. Eitches
Allergy and immunology
Cedars-Sinai
8631 W. Third St.
Los Angeles 90048
310-657-4600

David A. Ferry
Cardiology
Pediatric Cardiology Medical Associates
5400 Balboa Blvd.
Encino 91316
818-784-6269

Marianne C. Finerman
3808 Riverside Drive
Burbank 91505
818-848-0011

Henri R. Ford
Surgery
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2322

Philip K. Frykman
Surgery
Cedars-Sinai
8635 W. Third St.
Los Angeles 90048
310-423-2331

Mitchell E. Geffner
Endocrinology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-4606

David H. Geller
Endocrinology
Santa Monica Outpatient Ctr.
1301 20th St.
Santa Monica 90404
310-820-8608

Christopher C. Giza
Neurology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-825-6196

Sonya Gohill
Brentwood Pediatrics
11633 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles 90049
310-207-8200

Tracy C. Grikscheit
Surgery
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2322

Carl Mayer Grushkin
Nephrology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2102

Nancy J. Halnon
Cardiology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-825-5296

Robert Curtis Hamilton
Pacific Ocean Pediatrics
2216 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica 90404
310-264-2100

Frank F. Ing
Cardiology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2461

Suparna B. Jain
10th St. Pediatric Med. Group
1450 10th St.
Santa Monica 90401
310-458-1714

Stanley C. Jordan
Nephrology
Cedars-Sinai
8900 Beverly Blvd.
West Hollywood 90048
310-423-2641

Neena Kapoor
Hematology/oncology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2546

Nanda Kerkar
Gastroenterology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-5454

Steve S. Kim
Urology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2247

Sheldon Kishineff
3808 Riverside Drive
Burbank 91505
818-848-0011

Jeffrey Koempel
Ear, nose and throat
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2145

Robert M. Landaw
Cedars-Sinai
11633 San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles 90049
310-826-5513

John E. Legault
Huntington Med. Foundation
55 E. California Blvd.
Pasadena 91105
626-449-7350

Steven Lerman
Urology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles, 90095
310-825-7911

Gary Robert Lerner
Nephrology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2102

Richard F. Levy
Kiddox Medical Group
1245 16th St.
Santa Monica 90404
310-453-9010

Fataneh Majlessipour
Hematology/oncology
Cedars-Sinai
8700 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles 90048
310-423-4423

Suzanne V. McDiarmid
Gastroenterology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-206-6136

Marie T. Medawar
Valley Pediatric Medical Group
5353 Balboa Blvd.
Encino 91316
818-789-7181

Wendy G. Mitchell
Neurology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2471

Gregory S. Perens
Cardiology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-825-5296

Mark Z. Powell
Rose City Pediatrics
800 S Fairmount St.
Pasadena 91105
626-449-8440

Bess K. Raker
Beverly Hills Pediatrics
8530 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills 90211
310-854-0770

Andreas Reiff
Rheumatology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2119

Howard J. Reinstein
Providence Tarzana Med. Ctr.
5400 Balboa Blvd.
Encino 91316
818-784-5437

Joseph Rosenthal
Hematology/oncology
City of Hope Nat’l Medical Ctr.
1500 E. Duarte Road
Duarte 91010
626-301-8442

Tena L. Rosser
Neurology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2471

Marshall H. Sachs
Saint John’s Health Center
2825 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica 90404
310-829-9935

Pejman Salimpour
Encino Hospital
15477 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks 91403
818-907-0322

Isidro B. Salusky
Nephrology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-206-6987

Raman Sankar
Neurology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-825-6196

Judith K. Sato
Hematology/oncology
City of Hope Nat’l Medical Ctr.
1500 E. Duarte Road
Duarte 91010
800-826-4673

Pamela B. Schaff
Keck Medicine of USC
1520 San Pablo St.
Los Angeles 90033
323-442-5900

Nina L. Shapiro
Ear, nose and throat
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-206-6688

Stuart E. Siegel
Hematology/oncology
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2205

Liliana Sloninsky
Cedars-Sinai
8631 W. Third St.
Los Angeles 90048
310-854-3043

Kenneth F. Spaulding
Agoura-West Valley Pediatrics
7230 Medical Center Drive
West Hills 91307
818-340-3822

James E. Stein
Surgery
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2322

Eileen Tsai
Nephrology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-206-6987

Jeffrey Upperman
Surgery
Children’s Hospital L.A.
4650 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles 90027
323-361-2322

James R. Varga
10th St. Pediatric Med. Group
1450 10th St.
Santa Monica 90401
310-458-1714

Robert S. Venick
Gastroenterology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-206-6136

Jeffrey L. Wasson
10th St. Pediatric Med. Group
1450 10th St.
Santa Monica 90401
310-458-1714

James A. Weidman
West Hills Hospital
7325 Medical Center Drive
West Hills 91307
818-713-9377

Patricia Liu Weng
Nephrology
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-206-6987

Dennis B. Woo
UCLA Health System
2825 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica 90404
310-829-9935

Evan M. Zahn
Cardiology
Cedars-Sinai
127 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles 90048
310-423-1153

Lonnie K. Zeltzer
UCLA Health System
200 UCLA Medical Plaza
Los Angeles 90095
310-825-0731

Nancy R. Zimble
Providence Tarzana Med. Ctr.
5400 Balboa Blvd.
Encino 91316
818-784-5437