Sheela Rao, MD, MACM, MPH

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatrician Dr. Sheela Rao, who serves patients in Los Angeles, California.

An academic pediatrician, Dr. Rao is an attending physician working within the Division of General Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The Division of General Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services that begin at birth and continue throughout childhood and adolescence. The expert physicians, nurses and support staff provide patients and their families with a wide range of well-child care, acute care and specialty services in a family-centered atmosphere. In addition, they have particular expertise caring for children with special health care needs and developmental disabilities, the economically underprivileged, and victims of child abuse and neglect.

Since beginning her career at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. Rao has worked in the interdisciplinary format of the CHLA Foster Hub clinic where pediatricians join with psychologists to complete initial health assessments of children entering the foster care system. 

Very committed to facilitating education and advocacy for vulnerable populations of children, she has conducted and published interdisciplinary research on populations traversing through child welfare systems. She has also served as a training presenter for training sessions for health professionals within the context of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health & the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services. 

A 2001 graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Rao went on to perform her internship and residency in pediatrics at Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children. She then went on to earn her Master of Academic Medicine degree and her Master of Public Health degree, both from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

An active member of the Academic Pediatric Association, the doctor is board-certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The mission of the ABP is to advance child health by certifying pediatricians who meet standards of excellence and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

A lifelong learner, educator, and mentor, Dr. Rao is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Clinician Educator) at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Since joining the faculty in 2006, she has taught pediatric residents at all levels of training in both inpatient and outpatient clinical settings.

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends individuals be under pediatric care up to the age of 21. Pediatricians provide medical care to people ranging in age from newborns to young adults. They are trained to examine, diagnose, and treat children with a wide variety of injuries and illnesses through all of their developmental stages, as they grow and mature.

Recommended Articles

• Is Mumps Preventable?

  Mumps is a highly contagious infection caused by a certain virus. It can easily be spread from one person to another; therefore, prevention is very important. The MMR vaccine is the surest way to prevent mumps. Common symptoms associated with mumps include painful inflammation on the cheeks or...

• What is World Autism Awareness Day?

  Just like everyone else, people with autism move through substantial life changes. Their quality of life depends on the foundation that was provided during their childhood. In addition, there is ongoing support revolving around their medical, educational, social and family needs. There is no single...

• Autism Is Not a Problem

  There is something which affects nearly everyone with autism. It is the thought, or other people’s words, that being on the spectrum is a bad thing. This is not so.Unfortunately, many people take the view that being on the spectrum is bad, that it makes the person less of a person, or that it is a...

• Medical Conditions That Are Associated with Lethargy

  What are The Symptoms of Lethargy?Lethargy symptoms include:• Sluggishness• Being moody• Decreased level of alertness• Low energy levels• Fatigue and lack of motivation• Depression• Weight loss• Sweating and diarrheaMedical conditions such as premenstrual syndrome and medicinal side...

• Does My Baby Have Acid Reflux?

  Spit out what they have just been fed; this is known as reflux or posseting. This is not vomiting. It is important to learn the difference between vomiting and reflux. In vomiting, the muscles contract to forcefully expel the contents of the stomach, whereas in reflux, it is a spontaneous expulsion...

• How to Protect Your Child from Getting Head Lice in School

  Head lice are grayish insects that feed on human blood extracted from the scalp. Female lice release sticky substances that attach all eggs to specific hair shafts. Eggs are laid a few millimeters from the shaft - an environment that offers the idyllic temperature for incubation.Everyone who comes...