PHOENIX [Dec. 20, 2022] – Phoenix Children’s, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pediatric health systems, has announced the creation of a new Division of Anesthesiology and named Dr. Narasimhan “Sim” Jagannathan as Division Chief and Dr. Amod Sawardekar as Associate Division Chief.

“Phoenix Children’s is preparing to welcome patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital – East Valley in 2023 and at Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Arrowhead in 2024, and we are taking steps to extend the exceptional quality and service for which we are known to all points of inpatient and outpatient care in our integrated health system,” said Dr. Daniel J. Ostlie, surgeon in chief at Phoenix Children’s.

Building an integrated and aligned medical group for all areas of operations at Phoenix Children’s, including anesthesiology, is part of the health system’s overall strategic plan amid its continued growth. Ensuring each surgical patient family receives consistently high-quality, safe care at all sites of service is a top priority for Dr. Ostlie, Dr. Jagannathan and Dr. Sawardekar.

Joining the newly created Division of Anesthesiology are 39 experienced providers who recently transitioned from a longstanding private practice into Phoenix Children’s Medical Group. Many of these skilled providers have subspecialties within anesthesia, including pediatric pain management, cardiology, transplantation and more. This team is already an integral part of daily care delivery, having practiced extensively within Phoenix Children’s health system.

Growing the anesthesiology division and further building out the team of pediatric anesthesiologists, including the team’s sub-specialists, will be a strong focus in the coming months. As division chief, Dr. Jagannathan will also champion the division’s commitment to research and educating future anesthesia providers.

“I look forward to being part of Phoenix Children’s commitment to clinical best practices and continuous quality improvement efforts. It’s an exciting time to join this health system, as the pediatric population in Arizona is booming and we have additional sites of services opening over the next few years,” said Dr. Jagannathan.

Both Dr. Jagannathan and Dr. Sawardekar held numerous leadership positions at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (Lurie Children’s), where they most recently practiced.

Dr. Narasimhan “Sim” Jagannathan completed his residency at the Cleveland Clinic and then a pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Lurie Children’s. After fellowship, he joined a private anesthesia practice in Chicago where he rose to Vice President before joining Lurie Children’s. His clinical and academic leadership roles at Lurie Children’s included Vice Chair & Division Head of Clinical and Academic Anesthesiology, Section Chief of Liver Transplant Anesthesia, and Medical Director of Research and Associate Chair of Academic Affairs for the Department of Anesthesia.

Dr. Jagannathan is a nationally recognized pediatric anesthesia expert with leadership roles in the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia and Society of Airway Management. He has more than 100 publications to his credit and is the editor of a multidisciplinary airway management textbook entitled Management of the Difficult Pediatric Airway.

Dr. Amod Sawardekar completed his residency at Rush University Medical Center and a fellowship in pediatric anesthesia at Lurie Children’s. As part of his commitment to improving operations, he also earned a Master of Business Administration. This additional training prepared him to serve in numerous administrative leadership roles including as a member of the Board of Directors and the Medical Director of Anesthesia for the same private practice to which Dr. Jagannathan belonged, and as the Associate Chair of Operations and the Director of Regional Anesthesia at Lurie Children’s.

Dr. Sawardekar’s operational experience and expertise will serve him well as he also assumes the role of Director of Perioperative Services and Operations for Phoenix Children’s. He also has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications to his credit, along with numerous national and international presentations.

In addition to the Division of Anesthesia, Phoenix Children’s recently created a Division of Infectious Diseases and a Division of Nephrology and announced leadership appointments in each. This is in addition to a number of high-profile clinical and executive hires in recent months.

For more information on rewarding career opportunities at Phoenix Children’s, click here.