Leadership

Anthony Willyerd, MD

A native of Phoenix, Dr. Willyerd received his medical degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at Phoenix Children’s and returned to Phoenix Children’s after completing his fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He divides his time between clinical service, education, and research. He is the Program Director of the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship.

Megan E. Land, MD

After completing her fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Dr. Land joined the faculty as an attending physician in the PICU. She completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas. She started a residency in Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine but graduated from the University of Washington. She is the Associate Program Director of the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship.

Nicholas G. Huggins, MD

Dr. Huggins joined Phoenix Children’s from UT Southwestern where he completed back-to-back fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. He received his medical degree from and completed his residency in Pediatrics from UT Southwestern. He is the contact for all CVICU matters pertaining to the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. He serves as the Program Director for the CVICU Fellowship program.

Paul R. Bakerman, MD

Dr. Bakerman earned his medical degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He completed his residency in Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado, and his fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the Children’s Hospital of Denver. Although primarily based in the CVICU, he does occasionally work in the PICU.

Aline N. Branca, MD

Before Dr. Branca received her medical degree from the State University of New York Medical University in Syracuse, New York. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School/Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. She completed her fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Phoenix Children's followed by a CVICU Fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California.

Sandra D. Buttram, MD

Dr. Buttram was a faculty member with the fellowship from the beginning, having come to Phoenix Children’s immediately upon completing her fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She attended medical school at Wayne State University and completed her residency in Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. She is board certified in Neurocritical Care through the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. She has conducted research and published articles in the areas of ECLS and traumatic brain injury. She is the Section Chief of the PICU.

Matthew J. Carter, DO

Dr. Carter joined the faculty after graduating from the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Phoenix Children’s. He completed medical school at the Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine and a residency in Pediatrics at Michigan State University and Sparrow Hospital. He has an interest in simulation and is usually a part of any simulation training. He serves as the pediatric transport medical director, providing consultation and evaluation for Air Evac, a medical evacuation operator serving Arizona.

Teik-Ee Cheah, MD

Dr. Cheah earned his medical degree from the University of Malaya Medical Faculty in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He completed residencies in Pediatrics at both the University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur and at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He completed his fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. He is leading the effort to bring ultrasound to the bedside in the PICU.

Renee L. Devor, MD

Dr. Devor received her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. She completed fellowships in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and CVICU both at Phoenix Children's. After a brief stint at Rainbow Babies in Cleveland, Ohio, she returned to Phoenix Children’s to work in the CVICU. Although primarily based in the CVICU, she does occasionally work in the PICU.

Kevin P. Engelhardt, MD

Dr. Engelhardt joined Phoenix Children’s from UT Southwestern where he completed back-to-back fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. He received his medical degree from and completed his residency in Pediatrics at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Although primarily based in the CVICU, he does occasionally work in the PICU.

Lisa M. Grimaldi, MD

Dr. Grimaldi received her medical degree from the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey School Medical School. She completed her residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Columbia University, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian. In addition to her clinical responsibilities in the CVICU, she serves as a Professional Advisor in the Student Affairs department at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix.

Vishal Gunnala, MD

Dr. Gunnala received his medical degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. He completed his fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He splits his service time between the PICU and the CVICU. He oversees and runs the Protected Case Reviews for the PICU.

Heather A. Hanley, MD

Dr. Hanley attended medical school, completed a residency in Pediatrics, and completed a Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship all at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. Before joining Phoenix Children’s, she was the Medical Director of the PICU at Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. She shares responsibility for the Quality Improvement curriculum for the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship.

Andres Herrera-Camino, MD

Dr. Herrera-Camino completed his undergraduate training in Lima, Peru, and his pediatric residency at Indiana University/Riley Hospital for Children, where he was selected as a scholar in the Morris Green Physician Scientist Development Program. He completed his fellowship training in both Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.

With expertise in respiratory and critical care medicine, he strives to provide high-quality, comprehensive care for patients with complex needs. His clinical and research interests focus on understanding the long-term effects that critical illness has on the physical, mental, and cognitive domains among ICU survivors. He is particularly interested in characterizing the long-term pulmonary sequelae that affect children with severe acute respiratory failure and in implementing programs to mitigate some of these morbidities. He splits his service time between Pulmonology and the PICU.

Christopher L. Knoll, MD

Dr. Knoll completed medical school at the Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and a residency in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Stanford Health Care followed by a one-year Cardiology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. All of his clinical time is spent in the CVICU.

Joshua D. Koch, MD

Before joining the CVICU as Division Chief and becoming Division Chief of both the PICU and CVICU, Dr. Koch was the Clinical Director of Critical Care Services at Children's Health in Dallas, Texas. He attended medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. In addition to his administrative duties as chief, he works in both the PICU and CVICU.

Erin M. Kreml, MD

Dr. Kreml received her medical degree from the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at the Oklahoma University Health Science Center. She completed her fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Phoenix Children’s and was the first graduate of the program to join the faculty. She is interested in fellow education and the BMT patient population.

John E. Lane, MD

Dr. Lane earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Chicago and earned his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He completed his Pediatrics residency and fellowships in both Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Pediatric Cardiology at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Before joining Phoenix Children’s, he was a physician at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He gathers data and tracks cases for the Protected Case Reviews for the CVICU.

Ali McMichael, MD

Dr. McMichael earned her medical degree from the University of New Mexico. She completed her residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Duke University Medical Center. She came to Phoenix Children’s from UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. In addition to chairing the Clinical Competency Committee for the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, she is interested and involved in fellow research and education.

Jenny Mendelson, MD

Dr. Mendelson came to Phoenix Children’s from Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. She earned her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. She completed her combined residency in Emergency Medicine Pediatrics at the University of Arizona. She completed a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She splits her service time between the Emergency Department and the PICU.

Sharad P. Menon, MD

Dr. Menon started his medical career in Nagpur, India, earning his medical degree at the Government Medical College and working in private practice. He came to the United States to complete his residency at the John M. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, Illinois. He completed his fellowship training in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Pediatric Cardiology at Duke University. He recently graduated from the W.P. Carey Executive MBA program at Arizona State University.

Michele M. Munkwitz, MD

Dr. Munkwitz received her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She completed her fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to joining Phoenix Children’s, she worked at University Physicians Healthcare in Tucson, Arizona. She is the chair of the Bioethics Committee at Phoenix Children’s.

Nguyenvu “Winston” Nguyen, MD

Dr. Nguyen came to Phoenix Children's from Cardon Children's Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. He received his medical degree from the Emory University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Pediatrics at Benioff UCSF Children's Hospital. He completed a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto followed by a fellowship in Cardiac Intensive Care at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Renee Potera, MD

Dr. Potera earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at the Southern Illinois School of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. She came to Phoenix Children’s from UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. She serves as the medical director of the ECMO program at Phoenix Children’s.

Jay Rakkar, MD

Dr. Rakkar has a passion for data-driven approaches in medical education and research. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and went on to earn his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. After completing his residency in Pediatrics at Phoenix Children's, he completed a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Additionally, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuro-intensive care and resuscitation research at the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined Phoenix Children's as a member of the PICU, where he continues to leverage technologies and data analytics to optimize patient outcomes.

Lillian Su, MD

Dr. Su received her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and completed her residency in Pediatrics at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. She completed a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in Cardiac Critical Care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She joined Phoenix Children’s as Section Chief of the CVICU after stints at Children’s National Medical Center and the Heart Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

Paul P. Tafoya, MD

Dr. Tafoya earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology and Anthropology at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. After a year-long study abroad program in South America, he attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio, where he received his medical degree. He graduated from the Phoenix Children’s Hospital combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency program with Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He completed a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, he also participated in the first fellowship program involving a Leadership and Professionalism curriculum.

David W. Tellez, MD

Dr. Tellez received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego. He completed his residency in Pediatrics at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and his fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. He serves as the hospital’s liaison to the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Network. He is the Principal Investigator for the Phoenix Children's site for the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children (NEAR4KIDS), a multi-center, prospective registry for advanced airway management in pediatric intensive care units.

Elizabeth A. Zorn, MD

Dr. Zorn received her medical degree from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in Vermilion, South Dakota. She completed a combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency program at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona and completed her fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

She is a past president of the Phoenix Children's medical staff, current Peer Review lead, and chair of the Clinical Effectiveness Committee. She is heavily involved in new safety initiatives related to early identification and treatment of sepsis and shock through Phoenix Children's. She is the Surviving Sepsis lead at Phoenix Children's and is also the hospital representative to the Donor Network of Arizona. She oversees all fellow Quality Improvement project and works with the Scholarly Activity Forum and Exchange to ensure that all fellows complete a Quality Improvement project.