Aine Lynch, MBBCh, BAO, MSc

Dr. Taemin Oh is the Co-Director of Complex Pediatric Spinal Neurosurgery and the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgical Scoliosis. His primary focus is guiding young patients through their surgical journey and advocating for their care. As a pediatric neurosurgeon, he has an active practice offering contemporary treatments for common neurosurgical conditions such as hydrocephalus, brain cysts/tumors, aneurysms/arteriovenous malformations, and craniosynostosis. In addition, he has specialized expertise on managing pediatric spinal pathologies, including pediatric scoliosis and spinal deformity, spina bifida, tethered cord, cerebral palsy, spasticity, Chiari malformation, and cervical deformity. He is well-versed in both traditional open surgery and minimally invasive, fusionless surgeries, including vertebral body tethering. After graduating with honors from Yale University, Dr. Oh earned his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He is one of the few pediatric neurosurgeons in the country, and the sole one in New York City, who has dual training in pediatric neurosurgery and pediatric spine surgery, completing two highly regarded fellowships at the University of Utah and Shriner's Hospital for Philadelphia. This comprehensive training has equipped him to address pediatric patients' unique challenges. Reflecting on his expertise in pediatric spine surgery, he has a dual appointment with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia.Dr. Oh is actively involved in research on motion-preserving alternatives to spinal fusion, such as vertebral body tethering, minimally invasive pediatric spine surgery, and spinal column shortening to relieve tension on the spinal cord in patients with tethered cord syndrome. With more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and an H-index of 32, his research is widely recognized and frequently cited in the field. His work has helped shape the direction of pediatric scoliosis care, vertebral body tethering, and other innovative surgical approaches. By combining his research with his surgical expertise, Dr. Oh is expanding access to fusionless alternatives that improve recovery and preserve mobility for children across New York and beyond. His goal is simple: to make surgery safer, recovery faster, and outcomes better for every patient he treats.

I became a pediatric endocrinologist because of my desire to make a difference in the lives of children with obesity. The subspecialty training gave me tools to understand the complex systems of hormones and environmental influences on weight control, to better help my patients. My journey took me to Boston Children’s Hospital followed by return to New York and my current position at Columbia University. I provide care for children of all ages with obesity and type 2 diabetes. In addition, I have expertise in other endocrine conditions, such as thyroid disease, growth hormone disorders, adrenal disorders, and bone related abnormalities. I enjoy working at Columbia West Side Pediatrics on 86th Street with a close-knit group of clinicians and staff who care deeply about the health and well-being of children and their families. There are many ways to manage endocrine conditions, and input from the family is one of the key pillars of care. I believe in empowering patients and their families with knowledge about their conditions so that they can share in decision making. Working together, we make it easier to navigate tough decisions and challenging paths. My research is focused on the genetic causes of early onset severe weight gain in children and adults. We are aiming to identify novel genetic causes of excessive weight gain, with a special focus on children from diverse backgrounds. We invite families to join in research efforts that require a large number of participants. Additionally, we are studying a rare condition called ROHHAD (rapid onset obesity, hypothalamic dysregulation, hypoventilation and autonomic dysfunction) syndrome, where children have severe weight gain early in life and a variety of other issues. My work extends into the study of physiological changes after weight loss surgery in adults and adolescents. The long-term goal of this work is to improve our understanding of weight gain and loss, to allow development of new therapies. Aside from clinical practice and research, I teach doctors in training, students from Institute of Human Nutrition, and students from the Mailman School of Public Health. I coach children from middle and high school in science and scientific methods. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and teenage children exploring the woods and mountains in New York and New England.

Dr. Meyer Kattan is Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University and Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Division at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. He has been Principal Investigator of several National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported projects focused on the control of asthma among inner-city minority children. He was a Principal Investigator of an NIH-sponsored project on the clinical use of a Chinese herbal remedy for asthma and a multi-center study of Pediatric Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Complications of HIV Infection sponsored by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He has served on Data and Safety Monitoring Boards for NIH-sponsored asthma trials. Prior to Columbia, Dr. Kattan served as Professor of Pediatrics, Chief of the Pediatric Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, and Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.