Dr. Kushal Bhakta, Neonatology

Recognized for his leadership and expertise, Dr. Kushal Bhakta serves as medical director of the CHOC Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). He is board certified in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine. He received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed his pediatric residency and neonatal-perinatal fellowship training at Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals, Houston, Texas.

Subsequently, he joined the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital as assistant professor of pediatrics, where he also obtained an advanced certificate in teaching through the Educational Scholars Fellowship Program. He enjoys teaching at various levels, from medical students, pediatrics residents, and neonatal fellows to nurses and nurse practitioners.

Since joining the neonatalogy division at CHOC, he has continued his role as physician educator, as well as assuming the medical director positions in the Neurocritical NICU and the Small Baby Unit/Extremely Low Birth Weight Program.

Locations

CHOC Hospital
1201 W. La Veta Ave.
Orange, CA 92868

St. Jude Medical Center
101 E. Valencia Mesa Dr.
Fullerton, CA 92835

Western Medical Center
1001 N. Tustin Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705

Pomona Valley Hospital
1798 N. Garey Ave.
Pomona, CA 91767

Hoag Memorial Presbyterian Hospital
One Hoag Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92663

Education

• Medical School
  Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
• Neonatology Fellowship
  Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals, Houston, TX
• Pediatrics Residency
  Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals, Houston, TX

Administrative Appointments

Medical Director, NICU, CHOC
Neonatology, CHOC Specialists

Book Chapters

Bhakta KY “Respiratory Distress Syndrome” in The Manual of Neonatal Care (7th Edition), Editors: John P. Cloherty, Eric C. Eichenwald, Anne R. Hansen, and Ann R. Stark. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011.

Honors and Awards

• America’s Top Pediatricians, Consumers’ Research Council of America, 2011
• Baylor Pediatric Teacher of the Year Award For Excellence in Teaching
• President’s Circle Award, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, June 2014
• Super Doctors 2014 Southern California Rising Stars, January 2014
• Super Doctors 2015 Southern California Rising Stars, January 2015

Presentations

“Pain Management in the Neonate,” presentation at the 24th Annual Perinatal Symposium for the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, April 30, 2014

“Pain Management in the Neonate: A View from Palliative Care,” presentation at the Modified ELNEC Conference at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, February 25, 2014

“An Update on Therapeutic Hypothermia in the Asphyxiated Neonate,” presentation at the Maternal/Child Conference at Hoag Hospital, October 4, 2013

“Enhancing Compliance with Oxygen Saturation Targets in Extremely Premature Infants,” presentation on how to develop and implement a quality improvement project at the Advanced Quality Improvement Course at Texas Children’s Hospital (November 5, 2009; June 3, 2010)

Professional Organizations

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Orange County Medical Association

Publications

1. Lack of Evidence for Time or Dose Relationship between Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate and Intestinal Injury in Extremely Preterm Neonates. Mikhael M, Bronson C, Zhang L, Curran M, Rodriguez H, Bhakta KY. Neonatology. 2019 Apr 9;115(4):371-378. doi: 10.1159/000497412. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30965340

2. Three-hourly feeding intervals are associated with faster advancement in very preterm infants. Chu E, Freck S, Zhang L, Bhakta KY, Mikhael M.
Early Hum Dev. 2019 Apr;131:1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.01.021. Epub 2019 Feb 2. PMID: 30721843

3. Bhakta KY Respiratory Distress Syndrome in The Manual of Neonatal Care (7th Edition), Editors: John P. Cloherty, Eric C. Eichenwald, Anne R. Hansen, and Ann R. Stark. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011.

4. Lowry AW, Bhakta KY, and Nag PN (Editors) Texas Children’s Hospital Handbook of Pediatrics and Neonatology. McGraw-Hill Professional, e-Book version published December 2010, paper print edition April 2011.

Research Focus

Improving outcomes for Extremely Low Birth Weight infants, Improving neurologic outcomes in the NICU

Our neonatologists commonly treat the following conditions in newborns and babies:

• Apnea
• Bradycardia
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
• Coarctation of the aorta
• Gastroschisis
• Heart valve abnormalities
• Hypoglycemia
• Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)
• Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)
• Jaundice
• Macrosomia
• Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
• Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
• Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
• Sepsis
• Septal defects
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Transposition of the great arteries
• Trouble keeping warm