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Pediatric Esophageal Center Q&A
Background
Shaun M. Kunisaki, M.D., MSc, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University and Associate Chief of Strategy and Integration in the Division of General Pediatric Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
Dr. Kunisaki's clinical practice spans the full breadth of pediatric general surgery, but he is recognized both regionally and nationally for this expertise in complex thoracic surgical problems in the fetus and young child. As Director of Pediatric Esophageal Surgery, he specializes in the management of long-gap esophageal atresia. In this role within the Johns Hopkins Children Center Fetal Program, he helps counsel parents with pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies.
Dr. Kunisaki's laboratory is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is largely focused on using novel scaffolds and stem cells derived from a patient's own tissues to better understand and treat several important pediatric surgical diseases. His team has developed techniques to reprogram tissues into pluripotent stem cells, and are working with collaborators to improve long-term outcomes for children with severe birth defects, including spina bifida and congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
A native of southern California, Dr. Kunisaki graduated from Harvard College, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Harvard Medical School. He completed general surgery residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School followed by a pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan.