Dr Kilchevsky Named Chief Of Pediatric Sub-Specialty Program

DANBURY — Jack S.C. Fong, MD, chairman of the department of pediatrics at Danbury Hospital, announces the recent appointment of Eitan Kilchevsky, MD, as chief of the hospital’s Pediatric Sub-Specialty Program, in addition to his role as an attending neonatologist at the hospital.

Both Dr Kilchevsky and Dr Fong are Newtown residents.

Children in need of specialized care often must be taken to university medical centers to obtain treatment because of the availability of some specially trained physicians. In commenting on the new program, Dr Kilchevsky said, “Children in our community deserve ready access to treatment by qualified pediatric sub-specialists. The problem has been that demand is not high enough to have all such specially qualified doctors here full time.

“We are solving the challenge by developing a responsive program that involves some full-time sub-specialists and others who will have a part-time practice at Danbury Hospital,” he added.

The Department of Pediatrics at Danbury Hospital has maintained some full-time sub-specialists on staff for many years. Among those are Dr Gregory Dworkin, MD, chief of pediatric paleontology, who spearheads asthma management in the community; Dr Fong, who provides consults in clinical immunology; and five neonatologists who staff the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Pediatric sub-specialty practices in the community include: Edwin Cruz-Zeno, MD, in pediatric physiatry; Anna Alshansky, MD, in pediatric neurology; John Gelinas, MD, in pediatric psychiatry; and Barry Goldberg, MD, in pediatric dermatology.

Other sub-specialists currently affiliated part-time with Danbury Hospital are pediatric cardiologists and hematologist-oncologists. One member of Pediatrics is certified in pediatric endocrinology and another is certified in pediatric hematology-oncology. Both maintain practices in general pediatrics.

Other sub-specialist services are still needed in the community. Those include gastroenterologist (dealing with intestinal problems and nutrition), endocrinologists (dealing with hormonal problems), developmentalists, geneticists and pediatric infectious disease specialists. Filling those needs and facilitating the access to the complete corps of full- and part-time pediatric sub-specialists will be Dr Kilchevsky’s major focus.

Dr Kilchevsky has been working with community pediatricians to develop the program. He also has contacted major academic centers in the region to foster a collaborative relationship between these institutions and the Department of Pediatrics at Danbury Hospital.

“The goal is to meet the needs of our community and to create viable practices for each of these highly specialized doctors, whether full- or part-time,” said Dr Kilchevsky.

In his announcement Dr Fong said, “Dr Kilchevsky brings 20 years of experience including both his highly developed pediatric skills and his well-known compassion for the care of children. We know he will lead the development of a program that will improve access to high-quality pediatric specialty care and provide a high level of satisfaction to our patients and their families.”

Dr Kilchevsky earned his medical degree from Hadassah Medical School at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and his MBA from the University of New Haven. He arrived at Danbury Hospital in 1997 from Reading Hospital & Medical Center in Pennsylvania, where he was director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

He holds university teaching appointments at New York Medical College, Allegheny University and Pennsylvania State University. He has been published extensively in the field of neonatal medicine.

Dr Kilchevsky is a member of the Danbury Hospital Child Abuse Committee, medical director of the Center for Breastfeeding, and director of the OB/GYN Residency Research Program.