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Kara S. Lewis, MD

Kara S. Lewis, MD

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Medical Director, Fetal Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's

Kara S. Lewis, MD

Edit Profile

Medical Director, Fetal Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's

Specialty

Areas of Expertise

  • Pediatric Neurology

Phone Number

Locations

About Kara S. Lewis, MD

Kara S. Lewis, MD, is a pediatric neurologist and medical director of Fetal Neurology at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's. Dr. Lewis has extensive training in the field of pediatric and fetal neurology. She is skilled in diagnosing and treating a wide range of neurologic conditions that affect children, including headaches and migraines, as well as cerebral palsy and other conditions that develop before and after birth. Dr. Lewis is regularly honored as a Top Doctor by Phoenix Magazine.

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Kara S. Lewis, MD, is a pediatric neurologist and medical director of Fetal Neurology at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's. Dr. Lewis has extensive training in the field of pediatric and fetal neurology. She is skilled in diagnosing and treating a wide range of neurologic conditions that affect children, including headaches and migraines, as well as cerebral palsy and other conditions that develop before and after birth. Dr. Lewis is regularly honored as a Top Doctor by Phoenix Magazine.

A native of the Phoenix area, Dr. Lewis has called Arizona home since returning for medical school. She joined the Phoenix Children's team when a joint program was developed with Barrow Neurological Institute in June 2011. She is proud of the clinical care, education, research and advocacy services that she and her colleagues provide for their patients. Dr. Lewis enjoys the puzzle-solving challenge of managing each patient's neurological condition.

Dr. Lewis earned her undergraduate degree from Pomona College in Claremont, California, and her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona. She completed her postgraduate training in Phoenix, Arizona, including her residency in pediatrics at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, along with a fellowship in child neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Dr. Lewis is board certified in neurology, with a special qualification in child neurology, in addition to subspecialty board certification in headache medicine. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society, as well as a member of Professors of Child Neurology, the Child Neurology Society, the Southern Pediatric Neurology Society and CACTI (Consortium of Arizona Cephalalogists, Teachers and Investigators). She is a national speaker, and her research has appeared in peer-reviewed publications including Current Pain and Headache Reports, Pediatrics in Review, Frontiers in Neurology and Neurology Genetics.

Dr. Lewis's approach to patient care is led by her belief in listening to and respecting her patients and their caregivers, as well as continuous learning. She fosters the intellectual curiosity that has guided her career and the empathy needed to care for children with complex conditions. Dr. Lewis is a member of the national Make-A-Wish America medical advisory board, which has given her the chance to travel and meet people from a wide range of medical fields with the goal of caring for children with life-threatening conditions.

When she isn't at work, Dr. Lewis enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, traveling, enjoying the beach, hiking, golfing, watching live theater, reading and cheering on her favorite college basketball teams.

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+Education & Training

Board Certification

Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; Headache Medicine, United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties

Medical School / Education

University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ

Residency

(Pediatrics) St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ

Fellowship

(Pediatric Neurology) Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ

+Academic and Professional Affiliations

Academic Affiliations

Assistant Professor Clinical Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American Academy of Neurology

Fellow, American Headache Society

Member, Professors of Child Neurology

Member, Child Neurology Society

Member, Southern Pediatric Neurology Society

Member, Consortium of Arizona Cephalalogists, Teachers and Investigators (CACTI)

+Awards

  • Top Doctor Recipient, PHOENIX magazine

+Research & Publications

Publications

Rastogi RG, Evans R, Hastriter EV, Hickman C, Karnik KT, Lewis KS, Little RD. Advances in the Acute and Preventative Treatment of Pediatric Migraines. Current Pain and Headache Reports. (Accepted July 17, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-023-01157-8.

Rastogi RG, Arnold TL, Borrero-Mejias C, Hastriter EV, Hickman C, Karnik KT, Lewis KS, Little RD. Non-pharmacologic and Mindful-based Approaches for Pediatric Headache Disorders: A Review. Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2021 Dec 11;25(12):78. doi: 10.1007/s11916-021-00993-w. PMID: 34894314.

Sukhina AS, Oatman OJ, Lewis KS, Thomas TC, Brown D, Rowe RK, Adelson PD, Lifshitz J. Failure to Thrive in a 15-month-old with a History of Head Trauma. Pediatr Rev. 2021 Jan;42(Suppl 1):S55-S59. doi: 10.1542/pir.2018-0069. PMID: 33386363.

Ortiz JB, Sukhina A, Balkan B, Harootunian G, Adelson PD, Lewis KS, Oatman O, Subbian V, Rowe RK and Lifshitz J (2020) Epidemiology of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury and Hypothalamic-Pituitary Disorders in Arizona. Front. Neurol. 10:1410. PubMed ID 32038466.

Gauquelin L, Cayami FK, Sztriha L, Lewis K, Bernard K, et al. Clinical spectrum of POLR3-related leukodystrophy caused by biallelic POLR1C pathogenic variants. Neurol Genet 2019;5. PubMed ID 32042905.

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