Moira A. Szilagyi Biography

Dr. Szilagyi is a primary care pediatrician, professor of pediatrics, interim division chief of general pediatrics and section chief of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at University of California, Los Angeles. From 1990-2013, she was medical director of an integrated-care medical home for children in foster/kinship care in Rochester, N.Y. She has worked in a suburban private practice, precepted/taught residents and students in continuity clinics for decades, and led collaborative partnerships across multiple systems to improve care for vulnerable children. Her research focuses on evidence-based screening and services integration (including mental health) into primary care and on identifying/managing adverse childhood experiences.

Dr. Szilagyi has held numerous AAP leadership positions, chairing the AAP New York District II Task Force on Foster Care and the national Council on Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship Care Executive Committee. She is editor of Fostering Health (a manual for providers and systems) and has authored several AAP policy statements and clinical and technical reports on children involved with child welfare. A dedicated child advocate, she is proudest of her 20-plus years of advocacy work done with the AAP Washington office. She is project investigator of an AAP case-based online educational program to help pediatricians integrate trauma-informed care into practice.

Dr. Szilagyi sees patients in Los Angeles County’s foster care system.