The 20 Best Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) Doctors in Delaware, US

Dr. Aaron C. Chidekel is division chief of pulmonology, co-medical director of the sleep program and director of the hospital's cystic fibrosis program. He's an associate professor of pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, author of medical journal articles and books, invited lecturer and active researcher. How can you not love kids and want to do all you can to help them? After all, they are our future. If you can positively impact the life of a child, you also impact a little bit of our future. I became a doctor because I wanted to help people. One of my mentors in medical school was an early pioneer in the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF), and I picked up on his passion for helping those with the disease. Since his early work to today, kids with CF are living longer and better. That's very exciting and led to my wanting to help kids with CF, too — as well as those with asthma and other pulmonary conditions. I'm passionate about working with the whole family. It's the best way for each child to have the best possible outcome, and helps the whole family feel ownership of and contribution to the child's health. I like to help the kids and their families deal with the challenges they are facing. This can be challenging for me as well, but it's ultimately very rewarding when I can make a positive difference for a child and family.I'm also passionate about teaching kids and their families about asthma, CF and other conditions and how they can take care of themselves and live as healthy a life as possible.Learning is very important to my own practice as a doctor as well. I find it crucial to stay up to date on the very latest regarding conditions and treatments. I believe that caring and contributing my skills as a physician can help make a difference for a child and family. Also, a positive attitude can help people get through tough challenges and sometimes serious health concerns. I believe my patients pick up on this and gain confidence from it — although they're often incredibly positive already, no matter what life has thrown at them. Dr. Chidekel is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). His top areas of expertise are Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Hypochondroplasia, and Subglottic Stenosis.

Dr. Vandna Passi is a pediatric pulmonologist at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She's an author of peer-reviewed medical journal articles, an invited presenter and an active researcher. I always wanted to work with children, and knew I wanted to be a pediatrician since I finished college. Then, in medical school, I spent a lot of my fourth year in pediatric subspecialties. Now, I get a lot of satisfaction seeing my patients over the long term — I can see their progress and development, and watch them as they grow. Children are such fun to work with and it can be simpler to approach their health issues than with adults. It's very fulfilling.One reason I chose pediatric pulmonology was because I liked the mix of being able to see and help children on an outpatient basis (helping kids on well and sick visits in our clinic) and also provide inpatient care to children who are acutely sick and admitted to the hospital. In my residency, I saw a lot of inner-city children. Many became seriously ill simply because their asthma wasn't being cared for, they hadn't been diagnosed properly, or they (and their families) hadn't been properly educated on how to manage their care. This was way more common than it should have been. I knew I wanted to help these kids, as well as all those who had other pulmonology issues, too. I'm passionate about working with patients and families to educate them on the conditions they’re dealing with, and how to prevent serious episodes and achieve the best possible quality of life. I'm also passionate about our hospital and staff continually setting best practices for treating children with pulmonology conditions and following those procedures routinely. I'm especially interested in these procedures being followed in our intensive care unit (ICU), as well as in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and outpatient clinic. A big part of what I do is educate families on what they need to know regarding their child's condition and health, including proper medication and care. I can't be with their child at all times, so it's really about empowering each family to help their child's quality of life. In children with asthma, for instance, I feel they should never be limited. Together with their family, I want to help them do whatever they want to do in life. Dr. Passi is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Subglottic Stenosis, Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, Thanatophoric Dysplasia, and Kozlowski Warren Fisher Syndrome.

Lauren Greenawald is a Pulmonary Medicine provider in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Greenawald has been practicing medicine for over 38 years and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Trisomy 13, Subglottic Stenosis, Cystic Fibrosis, and Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome.

Even in the face of adversity and medical challenges, children show remarkable resilience. My patients inspire me on a daily basis to be the best physician I can be. I chose to specialize in pediatric pulmonary medicine and sleep medicine because these conditions affect a large amount of the general population, and I wanted to help children with a wide variety of disorders to live happy and healthy lives. I am passionate about helping each family learn to understand their child’s condition. By working with my patients to help them understand their underlying condition, triggers and treatments, my goal is to enable families to manage their children’s condition at home and stay out of the hospital as much as possible. I enjoy getting to know my patients and what activities they like to do when they are well. My proudest moments are seeing my patients doing what they love when healthy.   Some of the conditions I’m especially interested in with my practice include: aerodigestive tract disorders asthma pulmonary conditions related to cerebral palsy ventilator dependency. Dr. Strang is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Hypochondroplasia, Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Kozlowski Warren Fisher Syndrome, and Posterior Fossa Decompression.

Elena Stekolchik is a Pulmonary Medicine provider in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Stekolchik is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Trisomy 13, Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, Subglottic Stenosis, and Bronchogenic Cyst.

Dr. Richard Schmidt went to medical school at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. He attended Thomas Jefferson University for his internship and residency in otolaryngology before being called to a pediatric fellowship here at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware. Having a family of his own, Dr. Schmidt empathizes with parents of children with health problems, so his care for a patient also includes caring for the family. After treating adults for seven years in a general otolaryngology practice, I began a fellowship in pediatrics. During this time, I found my calling and a stronger connection to my work by treating children. I'm passionate about providing the highest quality care to patients. I understand the unique challenges of treating children and believe that specialized care requires a specialized facility designed to handle those unique challenges. This is what led me to Nemours Children’s Hospital. I take my time with my patients and their families. I make a difference by personally being “in the moment” with a family and treating them like my own. I strive to emulate the values of my role model, my own childhood pediatrician. Dr. Schmidt is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). His top areas of expertise are Enlarged Adenoids, Otitis, Ruptured Eardrum, Adenoidectomy, and Myringotomy.

Dr. Jodi E. Gustave is a pulmonologist and sleep physician at Nemurs/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She's been a member of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), a peer-reviewed medical journal author and an invited presenter. This is a no-brainer. Children are amazing little beings and the future of our world. I love children's optimism and resilience and their simple, forgiving ways. They are just so precious and deserve the best of care. I practice medicine because of my curiosity about the human body and how we can help to make it work in the best way possible. When it comes to my work, I am passionate about thoroughly treating my patients and trying not to over-treat or over-study them. I am passionate about getting things right — and if I don’t know the answers, finding the person who does. I would love one day to be able to dedicate much of my time to volunteer work — to helping local or international communities in need. I have not been able to volunteer much in the medical field yet, but I was able to volunteer my time as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking families in the past and at a homeless shelter. Both experiences were so unbelievably rewarding and humbling. On the day-to-day, I try to make a difference by being humble and open to sharing any knowledge and time that I can. Dr. Gustave is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Hypochondroplasia, Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, Subglottic Stenosis, and Irregular Sleep-Wake Syndrome.

Diane Hemingway is a Pediatrics provider in Dover, Delaware. Dr. Hemingway has been practicing medicine for over 11 years and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Obesity in Children, Delayed Growth, Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, and Viral Gastroenteritis.

Allison Blackwell is an Otolaryngologist in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Blackwell has been practicing medicine for over 9 years and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Hypochondroplasia, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), Short Stature (Growth Disorders), and Hearing Loss.

Dr. Robert A. Heinle is a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep physician. He's director of the hospital's Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship, medical director of the Pulmonary Function Laboratory and co-director of the neuromuscular clinic. He's also assistant professor of both internal medicine and pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. I grew up in a big family. There were always kids around, so I had a lot of practice interacting with, and looking out for, children who were younger than me. As a result, I learned early on that I'm good with kids and enjoy working with them. Growing up, I decided that becoming an aerospace engineer would be fun and exciting, so I actually became one and worked at NASA. But, after spending all day, every day staring at computer screens and not interacting with people, I began to rethink my decision. It occurred to me that the perfect combination of my affinity for science, math and physics, and love for working with children would be to become a pediatrician. So, I went back to school. I'm more than glad I did. I love being a pediatrician. I think I appreciate even more the opportunity of working with kids and helping them because of the extra work and commitment it took to go back to school to become a doctor. I love helping children get better if they are sick, and watching them develop from babies to toddlers, then to being big kids and teens. I love working with their families, too. I absolutely love to teach. I teach my own children, and I thoroughly enjoy educating the next generation of physicians as the program director for our hospital's pediatric pulmonary fellowship and as an assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. I assist in the education of our hospital's general pediatrics residents and medical students. I also like to help educate my patients and their families about the medical conditions they're facing and about their treatments and home care. I feel that the best tool in health care is, very often, education. I really want to make sure that each patient and family is taken care of — completely. So I make sure that I spend the time each one needs in our appointments together. For this reason, I may run a little late, especially as the day goes on. I turn that into a promise that I make to all of my patients and families: I may not be on time for our appointment, but I will always give you all the time that you need. In addition to making sure each patient's medicine and treatment is squared away, it’s my goal to make sure each patient — and their family — leaves with a better understanding of asthma or whatever pulmonary condition they’re dealing with. Dr. Heinle is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). His top areas of expertise are Subglottic Stenosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Hypochondroplasia, Osteotomy, and Adenoidectomy.

Ambika Shenoy is a Pediatric Pulmonologist in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Shenoy is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). Her top areas of expertise are Cystic Fibrosis, Secondary Immunodeficiency (SID), Newborn Jaundice, and Congenital Unilateral Pulmonary Hypoplasia.