Breath is the elixir of life, the lungs its source. Without it, no other organ can function. That’s why, at the heart of any hospital is its respiratory medicine team, comprised primarily of pulmonologists, who focus on diseases of the lungs, airway and overall respiratory system.
At Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, the Division of Respiratory Medicine collaborates with all other hospital specialties to provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary care to pediatric patients facing an array of breathing challenges.
“Breathing disorders are by far the number one cause of childhood morbidity and mortality every year,” explains Kelan Tantisira, MD, chief of the Division of Respiratory Medicine at Rady Children’s and a professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
“Whether it’s asthma or pneumonia or any other sort of respiratory infection, by far, respiratory issues are the primary cause of admission at pediatric institutions,” he continues. “While we don’t always take care of all of those patients from a pulmonary perspective, these disorders cannot be overemphasized with regard to disease acuity.”
What that means is that this division is at the ready to provide its expertise to specialists managing complications that may arise from chronic conditions like asthma—the most common respiratory disorder in kids—or acute illnesses like croup or bronchitis.
The multidisciplinary team, in addition to pulmonologists, also includes dietitians, social workers, nurse practitioners, a genetic counselor, pharmacists, nurses, a research nurse and respiratory therapists.
“I like to say that the pulmonary team are the best collaborators in town,” says Aparna Rao, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at Rady Children’s and a clinical professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “The lung is a multisystem load bearer—it takes care of every other organ system without really complaining. That’s important from a pulmonary medicine perspective—we are uniquely trained to interpret and manage that physiologic load. We take care of asthma, but then we are also involved with some of the sickest children in the hospital.”
RADY CHILDREN’S RESPIRATORY MEDICINE: RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE
That multidisciplinary approach and spirit of collaboration makes Rady Children’s a true standout. The division has received nationwide recognition from several reputable ranking organizations, including U.S. News & World Report, which ranks Rady Children’s at number 14 in the nation for respiratory medicine, and Newsweek, which ranks the Hospital at number 8.
But it’s not just the division overall that is growing in recognition. It’s also specialized programs the division is involved in that make Dr. Tantisira especially proud.
One such program is the Aerodigestive Program, led by Dr. Rao and Matthew Brigger, MD. Known officially as the Center for Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders and Airway Surgery at Rady Children’s, the program consists of a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals from otolaryngology (ENT), pulmonary/respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, nutrition, speech-language pathology and occupational therapy.
Working together, these specialists focus on the evaluation, treatment and management of complex airway problems and esophageal disorders. The aerodigestive clinic is a lifesaver for pediatric patients with breathing issues complicated by swallowing, feeding and digestive difficulties.
“Our aerodigestive program is the gold standard across the country,” says Dr. Tantisira.
Other specialized programs or initiatives involving the Division of Respiratory Medicine include one of the largest cystic fibrosis centers in California; a state-of-the-art sleep center with board-certified sleep medicine specialists, who are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders like sleep apnea and snoring; the Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular Clinic, which coordinates outpatient care for children with neuromuscular diseases; and the Severe Asthma Program, which offers comprehensive care by a pulmonologist, allergists, clinical pharmacists, a nurse practitioner, research associates and patient educators, for children with extreme cases of the chronic condition.
INNOVATING AND ACCELERATING
While Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego’s respiratory medicine team is consistently achieving in the present, it is also focusing on the future of a specialty that will continue to see high demand.
Research is an important focus for Kelan Tantisira, MD, and he is proud of the work the division does in this arena, as well as Rady Children’s involvement in nationwide consortia of other pediatric centers working toward the same goals of improving pediatric respiratory medicine.
“One of the things we are interested in is improving the outcome of kids through research. We have several ongoing research projects and participate in a number of large clinical trials. In fact, I am a co-principal investigator on a Long COVID trial, which is funded through 2026 to study the effects of Long COVID on kids,” he says.
“And we are also proud of the way we are improving interactions with other institutions on the national level,” he continues. “We are actively involved in a number of national consortia, including the Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutics Network, which looks at novel treatments and the latest and greatest medications. We have also just become a member of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Research Network, which has the largest number of patients with this rare genetic disorder.”
All these achievements, he concludes, are only possible thanks to the dedication of the exceptional team at Rady Children’s.
“I have the greatest faculty in the world,” he concludes. “Everyone contributes. Everyone has their niche, but everyone wants to learn and go the extra mile to really understand everything that goes into optimizing care—from the simplest of simple cases to the most complex of complex.”