Shaista Safder, MD

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Get to know Pediatric Gastroenterologist Dr. Shaista Safder, who serves patients in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Safder is a board certified pediatric gastroenterologist who is affiliated with Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition in Orlando, Florida. Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children has provided compassionate care to the children, teenagers, and young adults of central Florida for more than 25 years. Led by dedicated doctors, specialists, and caregivers, Arnold Palmer Hospital offers a wide range of advanced pediatric services in an environment built just for kids.

Dr. Safder has been with the Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition since 2009 and currently serves as Director of the Motility Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital. She also leads the Healthy Living Program at Arnold Palmer Hospital. In 2015, Dr. Safder became a Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She is a member of the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, as well as the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Association.

Dr. Safder is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The ABP is an independent, nonprofit organization whose certificate is recognized throughout the world as a credential signifying a high level of physician competence. It is one of the 24 certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Dr. Safder earned her medical degree from the Deccan College of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India. She completed her pediatric residency training at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where she also served as chief resident. During her residency, she was awarded membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She then went on to complete her fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pediatric gastroenterology developed as a subspecialty of pediatrics and gastroenterology. It is concerned with treating the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas of children from infancy until age eighteen. If a child has a digestive system, liver or nutritional problem, a pediatric gastroenterologist has the expertise to treat him or her. Dr. Safder’s interests include motility disorders, eosinophilic esophagitis, allergic gastro enteropathies, defecation disorders, obesity medicine, and medical education.

Dr. Safder attributes her success to hard work. Her favorite professional publication is the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. In addition to English, she speaks Hindi and Urdu. In her spare time, Dr. Safder enjoys cooking and taking spin classes.

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