Anita Shah, DO, MMS, MPH

I love being a pediatrician working directly with children and their families. I care for children in the hospital and it is my joy to connect with families and be a part of their inpatient care team.

I am a child advocate. Before I began my medical training, I learned about the health disparities children face within our healthcare system in terms of access and equity in care. While I interned with the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care, I learned about the disparities across the state and how that impacted health outcomes. From these experiences, I became incredibly passionate about advocacy and incorporating this into my career. I work closely with my colleagues, community members and professional organizations to deliberately improve the health and well-being of children.

I was a Pediatric Learning Health System (PEDSnet) K12 Scholar, supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). My research focuses on the association of social adversity and health-related social needs with outcomes after pediatric discharge. I’m on the American Pediatric Association (APA) Health Policy Scholars Program Executive Committee and I serve as a lead for the Healthcare Channel within Joining Forces for Children (a collective impact group centered around building child and family resilience in Greater Cincinnati).

My research interests include resilience, adverse childhood experiences, social determinants of health and trauma-informed care. I use methods that meaningfully include the authentic voices of families and children. My hope is that inpatient hospitalization is an "optimal healing environment" for children and families, meaning the medical team not only works to treat the child’s diagnosis, but also ensures that treatment fits within the context of adversities families have faced in order to improve their resilience.

I am honored to have received several awards during my career, including:


• Community Advocate Award from the University of Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) (2019)
• Presidential Scholarship Award for Child Health Policy, Academy Health (2016)
• Valya E. Visser Award for the Humanities in Pediatric Medicine, Levine Children's Hospital (2011-2014)
• Pediatric Resident Award for compassion and humanitarianism inpatient and family care, Carolinas Medical Center