Tamara Simon

Professor of Pediatrics (Clinical Scholar)

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Overview

Tamara D. Simon, MD, MSPH, is a pediatric hospitalist with a research focus on improving the quality of evidence in inpatient health care provided to children with medical complexity. Since April 2020, Dr. Simon has held numerous leadership positions including faculty in the Division of Hospital Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC; member of the hospital medicine team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; principal investigator at The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (TSRI); CHLA Site Principal Investigator, Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI).

Her research portfolio includes a clinical research focus is on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infections and re-infections in children with hydrocephalus, a translational line of inquiry focused on the microbial environment of CSF shunt infections; and a health service research focus on improving the quality of care provided to children with medical complexity in the inpatient setting.

Dr. Simon is passionate about the mentorship she provides to residents, fellows and junior faculty with specific research interests in hospital medicine and other generalist fields, specifically those interested in the physician-scientist career path in this growing field. Dr. Simon parlayed her passion for mentorship into a leadership role as Faculty Director for Training, Education, Career Planning and Development and Associate Director for Training and Education within The Saban Research Institute at CHLA from 2020 to 2022. She was instrumental in refining existing programs and developing new programs that promote the conduct of high-quality research.

The support and guidance provided by Dr. Simon will continue to be a priority as she has been appointed to serve as the CHLA Site Principal Investigator, Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) effective June 2022. As the Site Principal Investigator Dr. Simon will provide operational and strategic leadership and direction for the SC CTSI, representing and advocating for the clinical and translational research interests and needs of CHLA investigators. As CHLA Site Principal Investigator, Dr. Simon will interface with CHLA leadership and research investigators to promote SC CTSI’s goal to be a leader in clinical and to translational research to benefit diverse communities benefit diverse communities and special populations.

A member of the editorial board of Hospital Pediatrics since 2010, Dr. Simon has been an Associate Editor since 2014. Dr. Simon also serves as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and various foundations.

Awards

American Pediatric Society, 2019
Outstanding Research Award in Pediatric Hospital Medicine, 2018
National Mentor for APA Research Scholar Program, 2012
Society for Pediatric Research, 2009
Pediatric Clinical and Translational Research Scholar (UUSOM), 2007
Primary Children’s Medical Foundation Scholar, 2006
Pediatric Academic Societies’ Young Investigator Travel Award, 2006
Ambulatory Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award, 2005
Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr., M.D. award for outstanding research by a resident, 2004
American Academy of Pediatrics Resident Research Grant, 2003
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (UNC-CH SOM), 1999
Research Fellowship at Lineberger Cancer Center, UNC-CH SOM, 1998
Phi Beta Kappa Senior Honor Society (Colgate University), 1994
Avery Prize in Molecular Biology (Colgate University), 1994

Publications

Infection rates during eras of intrathecal antibiotic use followed by antibiotic-impregnated catheter use in prevention of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2024 Jul 19; 1-8. . View in PubMed
Comparing ventriculoatrial and ventriculopleural shunts in pediatric hydrocephalus: a Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2024 Jul 05; 1-10. . View in PubMed
Factors associated with tracheostomy-associated infection treatment: A multicenter observational study Pediatr Pulmonol. 2024 Jun 11. . View in PubMed
Antibiotic impregnated catheters and intrathecal antibiotics for CSF shunt infection prevention in children undergoing low-risk CSF shunt surgery BMC Pediatr. 2024 May 11; 24(1):325. . View in PubMed
Utilization trends in cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection prevention techniques in the United States from 2007 to 2015 J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2024 Apr 01; 33(4):349-358. . View in PubMed
National Characteristics of Emergency Care for Children with Neurologic Complex Chronic Conditions West J Emerg Med. 2024 Mar; 25(2):237-245. . View in PubMed
Associations of Standard Care, Intrathecal Antibiotics, and Antibiotic-Impregnated Catheters With Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infection Organisms and Resistance J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2023 Sep 27; 12(9):504-512. . View in PubMed
Lower levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at the time of initial CSF shunt placement in children are associated with subsequent shunt revision surgeries Cytokine. 2023 09; 169:156310. . View in PubMed
Gender equity in the scientific workforce: what is the current state of pediatrics? Pediatr Res. 2023 01; 93(1):17-18.. View in PubMed
Comparison of outcomes in the management of abdominal pseudocyst in children with shunted hydrocephalus: a Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2023 09 01; 32(3):312-323. . View in PubMed
Characterization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microbiota at the time of initial surgical intervention for children with hydrocephalus PLoS One. 2023; 18(6):e0280682. . View in PubMed
A Refined, Controlled 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing Approach Reveals Limited Detection of Cerebrospinal Fluid Microbiota in Children with Bacterial Meningitis Microbiol Spectr. 2023 06 15; 11(3):e0036123. . View in PubMed
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Pediatric Faculty Research Workforce: Call to Action Pediatrics. 2023 09 01; 152(3). . View in PubMed
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in previously shunt-treated patients J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Jul 29; 1-9. . View in PubMed
The Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network quality improvement initiative: the role of antibiotic-impregnated catheters and vancomycin wound irrigation J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Jun 01; 29(6):711-718. . View in PubMed
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy revision after failure of initial endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Apr 22; 1-10. . View in PubMed
Anterior versus posterior entry site for ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion: a randomized controlled trial by the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Mar 01; 29(3):257-267. . View in PubMed
Impact of ventricle size on neuropsychological outcomes in treated pediatric hydrocephalus: an HCRN prospective cohort study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Mar 01; 29(3):245-256. . View in PubMed
The american pediatric society and society for pediatric research joint statement against racism and social injustice Pediatr Res. 2022 01; 91(1):72. . View in PubMed
Assessing the Relationship Between Well-Care Visit and Emergency Department Utilization Among Adolescents and Young Adults J Adolesc Health. 2022 01; 70(1):64-69. . View in PubMed
Correction: The american pediatric society and society for pediatric research joint statement against racism and social injustice Pediatr Res. 2022 Jan; 91(1):264. . View in PubMed
Prevalence of Children With Medical Complexity and Associations With Health Care Utilization and In-Hospital Mortality JAMA Pediatr. 2022 06 01; 176(6):e220687. . View in PubMed
Vaccine Administration in Children’s Hospitals Pediatrics. 2022 02 01; 149(2). . View in PubMed
Caregiver and provider experiences of physical, occupational, and speech therapy for children with medical complexity J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2021; 14(3):505-516. . View in PubMed
Characterization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microbiota from patients with CSF shunt infection and reinfection using high throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNAgenes PLoS One. 2021; 16(1):e0244643. . View in PubMed
Molecular Characterization of Microbiota in Cerebrospinal Fluid From Patients With CSF Shunt Infections Using Whole Genome Amplification Followed by Shotgun Sequencing Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021; 11:699506. . View in PubMed
Predictors of fast and ultrafast shunt failure in pediatric hydrocephalus: a Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2020 Dec 18; 27(3):277-286. . View in PubMed
Temporal trends in surgical procedures for pediatric hydrocephalus: an analysis of the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network Core Data Project J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2020 Dec 18; 27(3):269-276. . View in PubMed
Surgical resource utilization after initial treatment of infant hydrocephalus: comparing ETV, early experience of ETV with choroid plexus cauterization, and shunt insertion in the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2020 Jun 19; 26(4):337-345. . View in PubMed
Caregiver and Provider Experiences of Home Healthcare Quality for Children With Medical Complexity Home Healthc Now. 2020 May-Jun; 38(3):138-146. . View in PubMed
Associations Between Quality Measures and Outcomes for Children Hospitalized With Bronchiolitis Hosp Pediatr. 2020 11; 10(11):932-940. . View in PubMed
Complex Care Has Arrived Hosp Pediatr. 2020 08; 10(8):631-632. . View in PubMed
Social Determinants of Health and Emergency and Hospital Use by Children With Chronic Disease Hosp Pediatr. 2020 06; 10(6):471-480. . View in PubMed
Vaccination Status and Adherence to Quality Measures for Acute Respiratory Tract Illnesses Hosp Pediatr. 2020 03; 10(3):199-205. . View in PubMed
Validation of a Parent-Reported Hospital-to-Home Transition Experience Measure Pediatrics. 2020 02; 145(2). . View in PubMed
Patient and Treatment Characteristics by Infecting Organism in Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infection J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2019 Jul 01; 8(3):235-243. . View in PubMed
Predictors of success for combined endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization in a North American setting: a Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2019 May 31; 24(2):128-138. . View in PubMed
Reinfection rates following adherence to Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline recommendations in first cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection treatment J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2019 Feb 15; 1-9. . View in PubMed
Development of Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Positive Respiratory Cultures in Children with Tracheostomy Lung. 2019 12; 197(6):811-817. . View in PubMed
Vaccination Status and Resource Use During Hospital Visits for Respiratory Illnesses Pediatrics. 2019 11; 144(5). . View in PubMed
Pediatric Respiratory Illness Measurement System (PRIMES) Scores and Outcomes Pediatrics. 2019 08; 144(2). . View in PubMed
Creating synthetic patient data to support the design and evaluation of novel health information technology J Biomed Inform. 2019 07; 95:103201. . View in PubMed
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infection: Emerging Paradigms in Pathogenesis that Affect Prevention and Treatment J Pediatr. 2019 03; 206:13-19. . View in PubMed
Relationship of causative organism and time to infection among children with cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2019 05 03; 24(1):22-28. . View in PubMed
Utilizing Family-Centered Process and Outcome Measures to Assess Hospital-to-Home Transition Quality Acad Pediatr. 2018 Nov – Dec; 18(8):843-846. . View in PubMed
Parental Vaccine Hesitancy and Declination of Influenza Vaccination Among Hospitalized Children Hosp Pediatr. 2018 10; 8(10):628-635. . View in PubMed
The Future of Measuring Health Outcomes for Children With Medical Complexity Pediatrics. 2018 09; 142(3). . View in PubMed
Development and Validation of the Pediatric Medical Complexity Algorithm (PMCA) Version 30. Acad Pediatr. 2018 07; 18(5):577-580. . View in PubMed
Reinfection after treatment of first cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection: a prospective observational cohort study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2018 04; 21(4):346-358. . View in PubMed
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization in infant hydrocephalus: a prospective study by the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2018 03; 21(3):214-223. . View in PubMed
Risk factors for hospitalizations due to bacterial respiratory tract infections after tracheotomy Pediatr Pulmonol. 2018 03; 53(3):349-357. . View in PubMed
Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Case Management Service for Children With Medical Complexity Pediatrics. 2017 Dec; 140(6). . View in PubMed
Development and Validation of the Pediatric Medical Complexity Algorithm (PMCA) Version 20. Hosp Pediatr. 2017 Jul; 7(7):373-377. . View in PubMed
Shunting outcomes in posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus: results of a Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network prospective cohort study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2017 Jul; 20(1):19-29. . View in PubMed
Validation of New Quality Measures for Transitions Between Sites of Care Pediatrics. 2017 May; 139(5). . View in PubMed
Ventricular catheter entry site and not catheter tip location predicts shunt survival: a secondary analysis of 3 large pediatric hydrocephalus studies J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2017 Feb; 19(2):157-167. . View in PubMed
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and post-tracheotomy bacterial respiratory tract infection readmissions Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017 09; 52(9):1212-1218. . View in PubMed
Caring for Children with Medical Complexity: Perspectives of Primary Care ProvidersJ Pediatr. 2017 03; 182:275-282. e4. . View in PubMed
Development and Pilot Testing of Caregiver-Reported Pediatric Quality Measures for Transitions Between Sites of Care Acad Pediatr. 2016 Nov – Dec; 16(8):760-769. . View in PubMed
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in children: prospective, multicenter results from the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2016 Oct; 18(4):423-429. . View in PubMed
A new Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network protocol to reduce cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2016 Apr; 17(4):391-6. . View in PubMed
Risk factors for shunt malfunction in pediatric hydrocephalus: a multicenter prospective cohort study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2016 Apr; 17(4):382-90. . View in PubMed
Variability in Management of First Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infection: A Prospective Multi-Institutional Observational Cohort StudyJ Pediatr. 2016 12; 179:185-191. e2. . View in PubMed
Pediatric Critical Care Resource Use by Children with Medical ComplexityJ Pediatr. 2016 10; 177:197-203. e1. . View in PubMed
Quality Measures to Assess Care Transitions for Hospitalized Children Pediatrics. 2016 08; 138(2). . View in PubMed
The effectiveness of family-centered transition processes from hospital settings to home: a review of the literature Hosp Pediatr. 2015 Apr; 5(4):219-31. . View in PubMed
Variation in the use of procedural sedation for incision and drainage of skin and soft tissue infection in pediatric emergency departments Hosp Pediatr. 2015 Apr; 5(4):185-92. . View in PubMed
Summary of STARNet: Seamless Transitions and (Re)admissions Network Pediatrics. 2015 Jan; 135(1):164-75. . View in PubMed
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization in infants with hydrocephalus: a retrospective Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014 Sep; 14(3):224-9. . View in PubMed
Factors associated with ventricular catheter movement and inaccurate catheter location: post hoc analysis of the hydrocephalus clinical research network ultrasound-guided shunt placement study J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014 Aug; 14(2):173-8. . View in PubMed
Pediatric hospital medicine role in the comanagement of the hospitalized surgical patient Pediatr Clin North Am. 2014 Aug; 61(4):653-61. . View in PubMed
Care of children with medical complexity in the hospital setting Pediatr Ann. 2014 Jul; 43(7):e157-62. . View in PubMed
Pediatric medical complexity algorithm: a new method to stratify children by medical complexity Pediatrics. 2014 Jun; 133(6):e1647-54. . View in PubMed
Risk factors for first cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection: findings from a multi-center prospective cohort studyJ Pediatr. 2014 Jun; 164(6):1462-8. e2. . View in PubMed
Few Patient, Treatment, and Diagnostic or Microbiological Factors, Except Complications and Intermittent Negative Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Cultures During First CSF Shunt Infection, Are Associated With Reinfection J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2014 Mar; 3(1):15-22. . View in PubMed
Use of quantitative 16S rRNA PCR to determine bacterial load does not augment conventional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures among children undergoing treatment for CSF shunt infection Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2014 Feb; 78(2):188-95. . View in PubMed
Evaluation of microbial bacterial and fungal diversity in cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection PLoS One. 2014; 9(1):e83229. . View in PubMed
Quality improvement research in pediatric hospital medicine and the role of the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings (PRIS) network Acad Pediatr. 2013 Nov-Dec; 13(6 Suppl):S54-60. . View in PubMed
Outcomes of CSF shunting in children: comparison of Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network cohort with historical controls: clinical article J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2013 Oct; 12(4):334-8. . View in PubMed
How best to design surgical comanagement services for pediatric surgical patients? Hosp Pediatr. 2013 Jul; 3(3):242-3.. View in PubMed
Medical complexity and pediatric emergency department and inpatient utilization Pediatrics. 2013 Feb; 131(2):e559-65. . View in PubMed
The Strategic Planning Committee report: the first step in a journey to recognize pediatric hospital medicine as a distinct discipline Hosp Pediatr. 2012 Oct; 2(4):187-90. . View in PubMed
The Joint Commission Children’s Asthma Care quality measures and asthma readmissions Pediatrics. 2012 Sep; 130(3):482-91. . View in PubMed
Revision surgeries are associated with significant increased risk of subsequent cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2012 Jun; 31(6):551-6. . View in PubMed
Pediatric hospital medicine and children with medical complexity: past, present, and future Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2012 May; 42(5):113-9. . View in PubMed
Hyponatremia with intracranial malignant tumor resection in children J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2012 May; 9(5):524-9. . View in PubMed
Center effect and other factors influencing temporization and shunting of cerebrospinal fluid in preterm infants with intraventricular hemorrhage J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2012 May; 9(5):473-81. . View in PubMed
Association of intraventricular hemorrhage secondary to prematurity with cerebrospinal fluid shunt surgery in the first year following initial shunt placement J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2012 Jan; 9(1):54-63. . View in PubMed
The challenge of pediatric hospital medicine research Hosp Pediatr. 2012 Jan; 2(1):8-9. . View in PubMed
The economic impact of ventriculoperitoneal shunt failure J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2011 Dec; 8(6):593-9. . View in PubMed
Treatment and microbiology of repeated cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections in children Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2011 Sep; 30(9):731-5. . View in PubMed
A standardized protocol to reduce cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection: the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network Quality Improvement Initiative J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2011 Jul; 8(1):22-9. . View in PubMed
Children with medical complexity: an emerging population for clinical and research initiatives Pediatrics. 2011 Mar; 127(3):529-38. . View in PubMed
Children with complex chronic conditions in inpatient hospital settings in the United States Pediatrics. 2010 Oct; 126(4):647-55. . View in PubMed
Reinfection following initial cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2010 Sep; 6(3):277-85. . View in PubMed
Pediatrics. 2009 Nov; 124(5):1431-7. . View in PubMed
Infection rates following initial cerebrospinal fluid shunt placement across pediatric hospitals in the United StatesClinical article. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2009 Aug; 4(2):156-65. . View in PubMed
A multicenter retrospective comparison of conversion from temporary to permanent cerebrospinal fluid diversion in very low birth weight infants with posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2009 Jul; 4(1):50-5. . View in PubMed
Quality of care for children hospitalized with asthma Pediatrics. 2008 Nov; 122(5):1055-63. . View in PubMed
Latino families report lower child injury rates than white families Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2008 Sep; 15(3):141-50. . View in PubMed
Hospital care for children with hydrocephalus in the United States: utilization, charges, comorbidities, and deaths J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2008 Feb; 1(2):131-7. . View in PubMed
Pediatric hospitalist comanagement of spinal fusion surgery patients J Hosp Med. 2007 Jan; 2(1):23-30. . View in PubMed
Less anticipatory guidance is associated with more subsequent injury visits among infants Ambul Pediatr. 2006 Nov-Dec; 6(6):318-25. . View in PubMed
Emergency department visits among pediatric patients for sports-related injury: basic epidemiology and impact of race/ethnicity and insurance status Pediatr Emerg Care. 2006 May; 22(5):309-15. . View in PubMed
Pernio in pediatrics Pediatrics. 2005 Sep; 116(3):e472-5. . View in PubMed
External causes of pediatric injury-related emergency department visits in the United States Acad Emerg Med. 2004 Oct; 11(10):1042-8. . View in PubMed

Tamara Simon

Overview

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