Susan Wu, MD

Chief Medical Director, Quality and Clinical Effectiveness
Associate Division Head, Director of Clinical Programs
Attending Physician
Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Wu works in close partnership with the chief medical officer to optimize, implement and track the clinical effectiveness of inpatient care. She oversees the unit medical directors and, in collaboration with the vice president of Quality and hospital-supported performance improvement resources, identifies opportunities for improvement and implement changes. She supports an enterprise-wide focus on quality and operational performance and involves close collaboration with house staff, nursing and faculty.

Dr. Wu is a pediatric hospitalist at CHLA and associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is associate division head of Clinical Programs for Hospital Medicine, and also co-director of the Pediatric Residency IMPACT Advocacy Track, which includes a three-year longitudinal program in quality improvement and patient safety. She is co-chair of the Multidisciplinary Action Plan committee, which develops and monitors adherence to evidence-based guidelines. 

Dr. Wu has served as physician champion for multiple institutional quality and safety projects, and has participated either as champion or physician representative on several Children’s Hospital Association quality-improvement collaboratives. She is currently co-director of the Quality Improvement core curriculum for CHLA fellowship trainees, and previously served as director of the Quality and Safety curriculum for pediatric residents.

Clinical Interests

Hospital medicine, Quality improvement

Education

Medical School

Northwestern University, Chicago

Internship

Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland

Residency

Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, Residency and Chief Residency

Accomplishments

Certification

American Board of Pediatrics

Memberships

American Academy of Pediatrics, Society of Hospital Medicine, Academic Pediatric Association

Publications

Wu S, Baker C, Lang ME, Schrager SM, Liley FF, Papa C, Mira V, Balkian A, Mason WH. Nebulized Hypertonic Saline for Bronchiolitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA Pediatr. 2014 May 26. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.301. [Epub ahead of print]

Zipkin R, Schrager SM, Keefer M, Marshall L, Wu S., J Asthma. 2013 Aug;50(6):664-71. Improving home management plan of care compliance rates through an electronic asthma action plan. doi: 10.3109/02770903.2013.793708. Epub 2013 May 28. 

Chamberlain LJ, Wu S., Lewis G, Graff N, Javier JR, Park JS, Johnson CL, Woods SD, Patel M, Wong D, Blaschke GS, Lerner M, Kuo AK; California Community Pediatrics and Legislative Advocacy Training Collaborative. Acad Med. 2013 Mar;88(3):314-21. A multi-institutional medical educational collaborative: advocacy training in California pediatric residency programs. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182806291

Research

Research Topics

  • Childhood respiratory disorders

  • Viral bronchiolitis

  • Quality improvement and safety

Research Overview

Bronchiolitis is a respiratory infection common in infants and young children, which results in approximately 150,000 hospitalizations each year. Infants who have fragile lungs and immune systems are more susceptible to severe forms of the infection. While there is currently no good cure, we have found that infants with bronchiolitis who were treated with inhaled hypertonic saline in the emergency department were less likely to require admission to the hospital compared to infants treated with normal saline. 

In The News-Press Releases

Funding

  • Department of Pediatrics Mentored Junior Facult Career Development Award
  • Thrasher Research Fund
  • First 5 Los Angeles
  • Southern California Clinical Translational Research Institute