Alan L. Nager, MD, MHA

Director, Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine
Attending Physician
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Dr. Alan L. Nager is Division Director of Emergency and Transport Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Nager has lectured extensively on a variety of emergency medicine topics. In addition, he has appeared numerous times in the media, published extensively on such topics as dehydration, trauma, mental health, and disaster preparedness. His current research pursuits include anxiety reduction, self-instruction of CPR for waiting patients, ethics of termination of resuscitations, and antibiotic administration for cancer patients. Dr. Nager has published two children’s books entitled “Angels in Action” and “Sleep Tight Hoopy Doopy".

When Dr. Nager is not working (which is rare), he likes to travel, exercise, and eat kosher food!

Clinical Interests

Patient education

Education

Medical School

University of Minnesota

Internship

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, General Pediatrics

Residency

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, General Pediatrics

Fellowship

Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh, Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Accomplishments

Certification

Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics: American Board of Pediatrics

Memberships

American Academy of Pediatrics
LA County Emergency Medical Directors
Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Los Angeles Pediatric Society
AAP Injury and Poison Prevention

Medical Awards

Individual Awards:

John Phillips Sousa Award, Outstanding Musical Performance, 1975-76
Use of Transillumination to Assist Placement of Intravenous Catheters in the Pediatric Emergency Department, Willis A. Winger Award, AAP, San Francisco, CA, 1992
Controlled Trial of Oral Prednisone in the Emergency Room Treatment of Acute Asthma in Children, Ambulatory Pediatric Association/Society for Pediatric Research Award, Baltimore, MD 1992
Mead Johnson Teaching Award, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
Community Service Award, Entitled, These Three Words (Hope, Faith And Love). Given to an Exceptional Community Leader in Death Education, April 2006
Honor Award for Teaching, California State University, Long Beach School of Nursing, May 2006
Kids on the Run, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Emergency Department Event to Promote healthy lifestyles. Award Given for Assistance in Development, Sponsorship, and Mentorship, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
Trauma Hero, Award Given by CHLA for Trauma Leadership, Advocacy, and Tireless Effort, 2008
Master of Health Administration, Class Award
Greatest Success in a Health Care Setting, 2008
Divisional awards as director:

Best Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Unit, Award Given to the Emergency Department, 1997
Los Angeles County Honor Award to CHLA Emergency Department Assistance to North Valley Jewish Community Center Shooting Victims, 2000
Morris and Mary Press Humanism Award to CHLA, Emergency Department, 2000
CHLA, Excellence Award to Emergency Medicine, November 2002
CHLA, Best Nurses Award: Given to the Emergency Department Nurses
Voted best unit by the CHLA House staff, 2004
Best Overall Quality of Care, CHLA ED (National Comparison), Professional Research Consultants (PRC), 2007
First Place Team, Hospital Disaster Olympics, May 22, 2008
"Disaster Education Leader," Given by CHLA for Leadership Role, September 2009
Dodgers Baseball League and State Farm Insurance, Good Neighbor Award Demonstrating Outstanding Commitment to the Community, June 9, 2010

Publications

Heilbrunn BR, Wittern RE, Lee JB, Pham PK, Hamilton AH, Nager AL. Reducing Anxiety in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Comparative
Trial. The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2014 Dec;47(6):623-31. (PMID: 25271180)

Pade K, Johnson L, Nager AL. An Analysis of Intravenous Catheter Placement Among Patients in a Pediatric Emergency Department. Pediatric Emergency Care. DOI: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000000315

Nager A, Kobylecka M, Pham P, Johnson L, Gold J. Effects of Acupuncture on Pain and Inflammation in Pediatric Emergency Department Patients with Acute Appendicitis: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2015;21(5):269-272. (PMID: 25875844)

Nager AL, Pham PK, Grajower DN, Gold JI. Mental Health Screening Among Adolescents and Young Adults Seeking Medical Care in a Pediatric Emergency Department. Pediatric Emergency Care. On-line, 2015 Sept. (PMID: 26414635)

Nager A, Pham P, Grajower S, Gold J. March of the Living, a Holocaust Educational Tour: An Assessment of Anxiety and Depression. Journal of Religion and Health. 2015; Nov. (PMID: 26525210)

Research

  • Traumatic injuries
  • Dehydration
  • Urinary tract Infections
  • Subspecialty diseases
  • Mental health issues
  • Pain management