Dr. Yasmin Akhtar is a Clinical Associate of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the department of Pediatric Endocrinology. Dr. Akhtar completed her undergraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago. She went to medical school at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency at Rush Medical Center in Chicago. She worked as a general pediatrician at a FQHC in Pittsburgh for 1 year then moved to Baltimore in 2014 where she completed her pediatric endocrinology fellowship at Johns Hopkins. After fellowship, she spent a year working for Kaiser Permanente as a general pediatrician and also caring for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and endocrine diagnoses. Dr Akhtar’s clinical activities include both diabetes and pediatric endocrinology. Dr. Akhtar is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Short Stature (Growth Disorders), Precocious Puberty, Familial Short Stature (FSS), and Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS).

David Fenig is an Urologist in Columbia, Maryland. Dr. Fenig is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). His top areas of expertise are Male Pseudohermaphroditism with Gynecomastia, Eunuchoidism Familial Hypogonadotropic, Testicular Failure, Hypogonadism Primary Partial Alopecia, and Ureteroscopy.

Elizabeth Jenkins is an Endocrinologist in Columbia, Maryland. Dr. Jenkins is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Hirsutism in Women, Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), Hypothyroidism, and Hyperthyroidism.

Emily Dunn is a Pediatric Radiologist and a Radiologist in Columbia, Maryland. Dr. Dunn is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Exstrophy of the Bladder, Rhabdoid Tumor, PHACE Syndrome, Femur Fibula Ulna Syndrome, and Bladder Reconstruction.

Mark Sivieri is a primary care provider, practicing in Family Medicine in Columbia, Maryland. Dr. Sivieri is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). His top areas of expertise are Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Light Chain Deposition Disease (LCDD), Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus Infections, and IgG4-Related Disease.

Lisa Keithley is a primary care provider, practicing in Family Medicine in Elkridge, Maryland. Dr. Keithley is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Cirrhosis, Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia, Xanthoma, and Hypertension. Dr. Keithley is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Julie Hoover-Fong is a Professor of Genetic Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Greenberg Center for Skeletal Dysplasias at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hoover-Fong holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition from The Ohio State University, where she also completed her medical degree. She received her Ph.D. in the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Hoover-Fong completed a pediatric internship and residency at Washington University in St. Louis and a fellowship in medical genetics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She joined the Johns Hopkins University faculty in 2002 and progressed to Professor of Genetic Medicine and Pediatrics in 2019. She practices and oversees the clinical operations, research and educational ventures for the patients, families and healthcare providers served by the Greenberg Center. Her clinical team develops and improves diagnostic and treatment guidelines for comprehensive care of patients with all types of bone conditions including dwarfism, orofacial clefting, craniosynostosis and more. Dr. Hoover-Fong also mentors and teaches medical students, residents and genetic medicine trainees. As an active clinical researcher, Dr. Hoover-Fong is the Principal Investigator of multiple global clinical trials for achondroplasia, the first multi-center, investigator-initiated natural history study for achondroplasia, and multiple clinical studies for patients with orofacial clefting, hypophosphatasia and other conditions. She is also a co-investigator on the ELSI and Phenotype Review Committees for the Mendel Project, a whole exome sequencing venture to identify the genetic cause of Mendelian conditions. From an institutional service perspective, Dr. Hoover-Fong serves on the Johns Hopkins Associate Professor Promotions Committee and the Advisory Committee for the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation. She serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Little People of America, is a member of the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins University and is a charter member of the International Skeletal Dysplasia Management Consortium, publishing best practice guidelines for patients with skeletal dysplasias. Dr. Hoover is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Achondroplasia, Rhizomelic Syndrome, Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia Strudwick Type, Adenoidectomy, and Myringotomy.

Debra Counts is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and an Endocrinologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Counts is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS), Short Stature (Growth Disorders), Klinefelter Syndrome, and Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency. Dr. Counts is currently accepting new patients.

Mari Groves is a Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon who cares for children with brain and spinal cord tumors (benign and cancerous), skeletal dysplasia, and spinal deformities such as neuromuscular and early scoliosis. She also sees patients diagnosed with Chiari malformations, spasticity and epilepsy. She specializes in treating patients with all types of spina bifida, including myelomeningocele. As part of the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy, she is an expert in prenatal closure techniques such as minimally invasive fetoscopic repair of myelomeningocele (when the spina bifida defect is repaired before birth). Offering a transitional practice model of care, she follows patients diagnosed with spina bifida from birth to adulthood. Dr. Groves chose to pursue neurosurgery because it allows her to treat patients with complex conditions and help improve the quality of children’s lives. Her research interests focus on pediatric spinal disease and how surgical intervention can impact growth and neurological function during a child’s life. She is committed to building programs that support patients with congenital disorders as they age. Pediatric patients often age out of existing programs and have difficulty locating physicians and treating teams that understand their conditions. At Johns Hopkins, we have a unique ability to provide this type of comprehensive care. Dr. Groves earned her medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2007. She completed residency training in 2014 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she remained for a neurosurgery fellowship, which she finished in 2015. She also completed a spinal deformity fellowship at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia. Dr. Groves is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Spinal Tumor, Myelomeningocele, Tethered Cord Syndrome, Osteotomy, and Laminectomy.

Dr. Kristin M. Arcara completed her undergraduate studies at SUNY Buffalo, and received her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. She then completed her residency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, spending an additional year serving as Chief Resident. She also completed a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Arcara has been a faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Johns Hopkins since 2014. After her fellowship, Dr. Arcara spent one year as a Pediatric Endocrinologist at Children’s National Medical Center before returning to Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Arcara’s clinical activities include heading a multidisciplinary Pediatric Diabetes clinic at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, consisting of certified diabetes educators, registered dietitian and a team of psychologists with extensive training and expertise in the unique issues surrounding management of diabetes in children. She also has general pediatric endocrine clinics in which she evaluates and treats a variety of disorders including short stature, abnormal pubertal development, thyroid disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, pituitary adenoma, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and disorders of sexual differentiation, Turner syndrome and Prader Willi syndrome among others. Dr. Arcara is a member of Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital’s multidisciplinary Prader Willi Syndrome clinic. Dr. Arcara is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Turner Syndrome, Mixed Gonadal Dysgenesis, and Short Stature (Growth Disorders).

Talia Hitt is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her clinical practice focuses on all endocrine issues, with a particular focus in pediatric diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity. Dr. Hitt received her undergraduate degree from Colby College, after which she performed research in genetics at the Children’s Hospital of Boston. Dr. Hitt then attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where she obtained a dual M.D./M.P.H. (Master of Public Health) degree. She completed her pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, followed by a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During her fellowship, Dr. Hitt was awarded a prestigious grant from the Pediatric Endocrine Society to support her research in type 2 diabetes. Dr. Hitt also received a second clinical research master’s degree (Master of Science in Health Policy Research) from the University of Pennsylvania during her fellowship. Dr. Hitt’s research focus is on pediatric type 2 diabetes: its development, progression and innovative therapies. She is studying the relationship between insufficient sleep and type 2 diabetes in adolescents. In 2021, Dr. Hitt was awarded a supplemental award to a 2018 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases R01 award studying cardiometabolic risk among South Asian adolescents compared with African American and white peers. Dr. Hitt has additionally studied the clinical implementation of new therapeutics in pediatric diabetes care. Dr. Hitt is affiliated with the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the Endocrine Society, and the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Hitt is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Short Stature (Growth Disorders), Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), and Low Blood Sugar.

Dr. Janet L. Crane is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Crane is the Director of the Pediatric Bone Health Program, which focuses on the care of children with rare metabolic bone diseases and osteoporosis/skeletal fragility syndromes. Dr. Crane received her bachelor’s degree in nutritional science from the University of Missouri. She completed her medical degree at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, residency in pediatrics at Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri and fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Johns Hopkins University in 2013. Dr. Crane is a faculty member of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research. Her research is focused on bone modeling and remodeling factors that result in proper bone growth and strength. The goal of her studies is to identify diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets to enhance bone strength in children who have recurrent fractures. Dr. Crane also participates in industry sponosored clinical studies to investigate the safety and efficacy of medications for metabolic bone disease and skeletal fragility. Dr. Crane is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Juvenile Primary Osteoporosis, Short Stature (Growth Disorders), and Noonan Syndrome.

Dr. Rebecca Ruebner is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She provides care for children with kidney problems of any type including hypertension, hematuria, proteinuria, kidney stones, chronic kidney disease, dialysis, and kidney transplant. She is the medical director of pediatric dialysis. Dr. Ruebner received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency at Boston Children’s Hospital where she also served as chief pediatric resident. She completed her fellowship in pediatric nephrology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During her fellowship, she received a Master's Degree in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Ruebner became a faculty member at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 2012 before joining the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2016. Dr. Ruebner's clinical research is focused on clinical care and outcomes of children with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease. Dr. Ruebner is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), Chronic Kidney Disease, Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome, D-Plus Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, and Kidney Transplant.

Dr. Meredith Atkinson is an associate professor of pediatrics in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She provides care for children with kidney problems of any type, including patients on dialysis; patients with proteinuria, hematuria and chronic kidney disease; and kidney transplant. Dr. Atkinson's clinical research interests focus on chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease in children. Her specific interests include mechanisms and treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease and racial disparities in patient outcomes. She is the recipient of numerous research grants and awards, including a K23 Patient Oriented Research award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases/NIH, and young investigator grants from the National Kidney Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, the Thrasher Research Fund and Amgen Inc. She is currently the PI of the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) trial. She received her undergraduate degree in biology from Mount Holyoke College. She earned her M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She completed a residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, followed by a fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Hopkins, completed in June 2007. During her fellowship training, Dr. Atkinson received a master’s degree in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Atkinson joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2007. Dr. Atkinson was elected to the Society for Pediatric Research in 2014. She is a member of several professional organizations including the American Society of Nephrology, and is the president of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology for 2024-2026. Dr. Atkinson is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Potter Syndrome, Lupus Nephritis, Glomerulonephritis, Anemia, and Kidney Transplant.

Dr. Nara Lygia De Macena Sobreira is an assistant professor at the McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her area of expertise is rare Mendelian phenotypes, analysis of next-generation sequencing, and functional testing of candidate causative variants. She earned her M.D. at the University of Pernambuco in Brazil. She finished her Ph.D. in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins followed by a one-year postdoc also at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. During her Ph.D., she worked with Dr. David Valle using next-generation sequencing to elucidate the molecular basis of rare Mendelian phenotypes and in 2010 she discovered PTPN11 as the gene responsible for metachondromatosis by using whole-genome sequencing. She completed residencies in clinical genetics at both Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo and Johns Hopkins. Her main clinical and research focus is on identifying the genetic bases of rare phenotypes, mainly, phenotypes associated with cartilage tumors and vascular anomalies (including Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome), and on understanding the physiopathology of these phenotypes to identify pharmacological strategies to treat them. She has worked extensively on developing strategies to better analyze the variants identified by next-generation sequencing and on novel strategies for data sharing. She participated on the development of PhenoDB, a phenotypic and genomic database, and created PhenoDB Variant Analysis Tool used worldwide. She is also one of the creators of GeneMatcher, VariantMatcher, and one of the co-founders of the Matchmaker Exchange, all intended to share next-generation sequencing data. She has also worked extensively on functional studies that evaluate the possible pathogenic effects of the candidate causative variants. Recent News Articles and Media Coverage Living the Hopkins Mission Honorees, Johns Hopkins Medicine Successes in Characterizing Genes through GeneMatcher with Nara L. M. Sobreira, MD, PhD, Ambry Genetics (April 30, 2018) Enfermedades raras: el desafio es encontrar otros pacientes que tienen el mismo mal, Lun (26 de septiembre de 2019) 2021 Science Writers' Boot Camp, Johns Hopkins Medicine (June 7, 2021) Making the Perfect Match, Johns Hopkins Medicine (February 1, 2020). Dr. De Macena Sobreira is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia Strudwick Type, Greenberg Dysplasia, Blepharophimosis, and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.

Dr. David W. Cooke is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Cooke’s clinical activities include both a general pediatric endocrine clinic and a pediatric diabetes clinic. His clinical interests include all endocrine disorders in children and adolescents, including short stature, abnormal pubertal development, growth hormone dysregulation, thyroid disorders, hormone deficiencies, hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidis, pituitary adenoma, prolactinoma, goiter, Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and disorders of sexual differentiation, Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome, among others. He serves as clinical director of the division of pediatric endocrinology and director of the Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Training Program at Johns Hopkins. He is a member of the Johns Hopkins Klinefelter Syndrome Center. Dr. Cooke completed his undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and received his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency in pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he also completed a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology. He has been a faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins since 1993. After his fellowship, Dr. Cooke spent five years of additional research training in the Department of Biological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins, supported by an individual Physician Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Cooke’s past research interest was the molecular basis of insulin resistance and obesity, with studies examining the role the adipocyte plays in these conditions. He had received research funding for these studies from the NIH and from the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Cooke is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Institute for Excellence in Education award for Outstanding Achievement in Medical and Biomedical Education. He also has been recognized as a Top Doctor by Baltimore magazine. Dr. Cooke is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Diabetes Association, the Endocrine Society and Pediatric Endocrinology Society. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Cooke is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). His top areas of expertise are Klinefelter Syndrome, Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Precocious Puberty, and Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

Paul Ambush is a Pediatrics provider in Clarksville, Maryland. Dr. Ambush is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). His top areas of expertise are Herpangina, Croup, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Delayed Growth. Dr. Ambush is currently accepting new patients.

Jill Rosenstock is a primary care provider, practicing in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine in Laurel, Maryland. Dr. Rosenstock is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Obesity in Children, Food Allergy, Premature Ovarian Failure, and Obesity. Dr. Rosenstock is currently accepting new patients.

Soon Kim is a primary care provider, practicing in Internal Medicine in Elkridge, Maryland. Dr. Kim is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). Her top areas of expertise are Familial Hypertension, Hypertension, Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism, and Tracheitis.

Kevin Berger is a Radiologist in Catonsville, Maryland. Dr. Berger is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Short Stature (Growth Disorders). His top areas of expertise are Vertigo, Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS), Familial Porencephaly, and Choroid Plexus Cyst.