Dr. Alan L. Nager, MD, MHA

Expert Publications

• Jaundice as an early diagnostic sign of urinary tract infection in infancy.
• The utility of safety counseling in a pediatric emergency department.
• Pediatric fingertip injuries: do prophylactic antibiotics alter infection rates?
• Emergency department surge: models and practical implications.
• Pediatric disaster preparedness in the medical setting: integrating mental health.
• Pediatric myocarditis: presenting clinical characteristics.
• Pediatric traumatic brain injury: the utility of beta-natriuretic peptide.
• Teaching residents established guidelines and standards of care to strengthen
• Diagnosing pediatric appendicitis: usefulness of laboratory markers.
• Delayed diagnosis of injuries in pediatric trauma: the role of radiographic ordering practices.
• Intravenous rehydration in paediatric gastroenteritis.
• An upsurge in pertussis: epidemiology and trends.
• Dehydration treatment practices among pediatrics-trained and non-pediatrics trained emergency physicians.
• Use of an emergency medical pictorial communication book during simulated disaster conditions.
• Traditional nurse triage vs physician telepresence in a pediatric ED.

Media Releases

Get to know Pediatric Emergency Physician Dr. Alan L. Nager, who serves patients in California.

Dr. Nager is a pediatric emergency physician who specializes in providing care for critically ill and injured children. He has spent his over three decade career at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; one of the largest and most prestigious children’s hospitals in the nation, where he is the Division Director of Emergency and Transport Medicine.

His specialty focus includes emergency medical services, legal medicine, injury, acute care, newborn, health administration, medical record review, trauma, and child abuse.

Among his academic appointments, he serves as a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. 

A 1987 graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School, Dr. Nager went on to perform his internship and residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He also completed a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh, and received his Master of Health Administration degree from the University of Southern California in 2009.

With years of experience, the doctor is board-certified in pediatric emergency medicine and pediatrics 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.  

On a professional level, Dr. Nager is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics – Emergency Medicine Section, the Los Angeles Pediatric Society, the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, LA County Emergency Medical Directors, the American Academy of Pediatrics – Chapter 2, Pediatric Academic Societies, and the Society for Pediatric Research. He is also a part of the Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine and AAP Injury and Poison Prevention.

Specializing in community health, 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. 

For over two decades, Dr. Nager has been a well-known, highly experienced and longstanding Expert Witness for Pediatric and Pediatric Emergency Medicine medical malpractice and personal injury cases, for plaintiff and defense. Past cases include pediatrics, trauma, critical care, pediatric subspecialty diseases, and child abuse. Generally, his work is focused on hospital-based emergency medicine cases, office-based practices, theme park injuries, and commercial/industrial injuries. 

Well regarded nationally, he has been qualified in the federal courts. Attorneys have described him as, “the best expert I have ever seen.”

Emergency medicine, also known as accident and emergency medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. A pediatric emergency physician is a doctor who specializes in the initial management of children presenting with a wide range of undifferentiated conditions. They need to make pragmatic and rapid decisions using a wide breadth of knowledge across a vast range of pediatric presentations.

Throughout his line of work, Dr. Nager has lectured extensively on a variety of emergency medicine topics. He has also appeared numerous times in the media, and published extensively on such topics as dehydration, trauma, mental health, and disaster preparedness. He is the author of two children’s books entitled “Angels in Action” and “Sleep Tight Hoopy Doopy”, and has published several poems.

Among his individual awards include: 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; and Greatest Success in a Health Care Setting, 2008.

His Divisional Awards as Director include: 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; and Dodgers Baseball League and State Farm Insurance, Good Neighbor Award Demonstrating Outstanding Commitment to the Community, June 9, 2010.

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

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