MD – The University of Chicago Prtizker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Residency – Pediatrics, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA

Biography: Dr. Alisha Ranadive, a pediatrician, is interested in improving the response to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and unmet social needs. Specifically, she is interested in identifying gaps in screening and in developing systems of integrated care to address these issues. 

As a scholar, Dr. Ranadive partnered with Olive-View Medical Center and the Department of Health Services (DHS) in Los Angeles County to conduct two projects. Dr. Ranadive’s main research project was entitled “Screening and Referring is Not Enough: Parent Perspectives on Navigating Referrals for Adverse Childhood Experiences, Social Needs, and Developmental Delay.” The purpose of this study was to explore barriers encountered by parents and providers seeking resources to address ACEs and social needs. To address this, Dr. Ranadive worked with Drs. Shannon Thyne and Amy Shekarchi (Olive-View Medical Center) to conduct a qualitative analysis of parents participating in a novel, interdisciplinary referral navigation program. Dr. Ranadive conducted interviews with 19 parents and 12 DHS providers. Data analysis for this project is ongoing; study findings will be used by DHS to inform future quality improvement initiatives. 

Additionally, Dr. Ranadive conducted a project examining changes to pediatric emergency department utilization in the COVID-19 pandemic. This work, titled “Trends in the volume, acuity, and case mix of pediatric emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic,” was also conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS), and involved the analysis of over 400,000 patient encounters. This project was presented in oral sessions at two conferences, including a plenary session at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in May, 2021. A manuscript has been submitted and is under review.  

Throughout fellowship, Dr. Ranadive remained closely involved with medical education activities at UCLA. Her clinical time was conducted in the Olive View Medical Center pediatric clinic, where she precepted pediatric residents and medical students. She was also invited to teach four lectures to pediatric trainees on the social determinants of health and the US healthcare system. Additionally, she continued her involvement on the Pediatric Residency Recruitment Committee, interviewing residency applicants and participating in rank list meetings.  

Following fellowship, Dr. Ranadive worked for DHS as a general pediatrician, splitting time between the High Desert Regional Health Center in Lancaster, CA, and the South Valley Health Center, in Palmdale, CA. Clinically, she works in both urgent care and primary care clinics. Additionally, she will have protected time in her schedule to work on implementing screening and referral pathways for ACEs, as well as other quality improvement projects.