Primary Office

Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida 6535 Nemours Parkway Orlando, FL 32827 Appointment: (407) 650-7715

Other Offices

Get to Know Me

Growing up in Costa Rica, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. Later while I was in medical school in the United States, I decided to specialize in pediatrics so I could help children with kidney problems. I like that Nemours is an environment where there’s lots of collaboration to help patients and lots of support for their families.

Why I Treat Children

It makes my day when I can make children feel better, make them smile and interact with them. Working with children and their families is so rewarding.

What I'm Passionate About

Helping children with very severe kidney problems get all the way to transplantation and then seeing them through the process. I love watching them do so well and feel so much better afterwards. It’s very motivating.

How I Try to Make A Difference

It’s important to me that our patients have access to the most innovative care possible. For my patients’ sake, I try to practice in the most evidence-based way possible and to stay actively involved with the dialysis and kidney transplant community.

Education & Training

Fellowship

  • Pediatric Nephrology - University of Florida College of Medicine, 2007

Internship Residency

  • Pediatrics - Miami Children's Hospital, 2004

Medical/Dental School

  • MD - Universidad Autonoma de Centro America, 1999

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics/Pediatric Nephrology
  • American Board of Pediatrics/General Pediatrics

Awards & Recognition

  • 2014 Best Doctors in America
  • 2013 Best Doctors in America
  • 2012 Best Doctors in America
  • 2002 American Society of Nephrology Travel Award, Philadelphia
  • 2010 Best Doctors in America
  • 2007 Children’s Miracle Network Fellows Travel Award
  • 2007 Henry A. Kokomoor Award, University of Florida College of Medicine
  • 2006 Pediatric Academic Societies Young Investigator’s Travel Award, San Francisco
  • 2006 The Fundamentals of Dialysis in Children Fellows Case Forum Award, San Francisco
  • 2005 University of Miami Pediatric Nephrology Seminars Travel Grant Award
  • 2016 Orlando Magazine Best Doctors 2016
  • 2015 Best Doctors in America

Insurance Accepted

  • Aetna Better Health FL Medicaid and Healthy Kids
  • Aetna HMO/POS/PPO/EPO
  • Alabama Medicaid/Patient First
  • AmeriHealth Caritas Florida (FKA Prestige Health Choice)
  • AvMed
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield HMO
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield Non HMO
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida Blue Select
  • Cigna & Great West HMO/POS Open Access
  • Cigna & Great West PPO/EPO
  • Community Care Plan Medicaid
  • Employers Health Network PPO
  • Evolutions Healthcare
  • First Health Aetna PPO/EPO
  • Florida Community Care
  • Florida Medicaid
  • Florida Medicare
  • Health First Health Plans
  • HealthSmart Health Plans PPO
  • HUMANA HEALTHY HORIZONS (FKA HUMANA MEDICAID)
  • Humana HMO/POS
  • Humana PPO/EPO
  • Molina Healthcare Medicaid
  • Multiplan PPO
  • Olympus Managed Healthcare PPO ORL
  • Prime Health Services PPO Specialty Florida
  • Seminole Tribe of Florida
  • Simply Healthcare Healthy Kids
  • Simply Healthcare Medicaid HMO
  • Star Healthcare Network
  • Sunshine SMI/CMS 19 & 21
  • Sunshine State Health Plan Medicaid
  • Three Rivers Provider Network
  • Tricare/Humana Military Health Services/CHAMPVA
  • United Healthcare Commercial Products
  • United Healthcare Community Plan Medicaid
  • Volusia Health Network PPO/EPO

Research Activities

  • Dialysis
  • Kidney transplant

Medical Interests

  • Dialysis
  • Glomerulonephrititis (inflammation of the kidney filters)
  • Hematuria (red blood cells in urine)
  • Hypertension
  • Kidney failure
  • Nephrotic syndrome (a disorder that affects the filtering ability of the kidneys)
  • Proteinuria (protein in urine)
  • Urinary tract infections

  • Ambulatory hypertension in a pediatric cohort of sickle cell disease; Journal of the American Society of Hypertension; (2018).

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  • Adrenocorticotropic hormone for childhood nephrotic syndrome: The ATLANTIS randomized trial; Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology; (2018).

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  • Management of Anemia in Children Undergoing Dialysis; Handbook of Dialysis Therapy: Fifth Edition; (2017).

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  • Complications of pediatric renal transplantation; Pediatric Nephrology, Seventh Edition; (2015).

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  • Missed viral surveillance testing visits associate with full blown viral diseases in children receiving kidney transplants; Pediatric Transplantation; (2013).

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  • Minimal change disease in graft versus host disease: A podocyte response to the graft?; Clinical Nephrology; (2013).

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  • CD80, suPAR and Nephrotic Syndrome in a case of NPHS2 mutation; Nefrologia; (2013).

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  • Serum from minimal change patients in relapse increases CD80 expression in cultured podocytes; Pediatric Nephrology; (2013).

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  • Use of contrast agents in children with chronic kidney disease; Pediatric Dialysis, Second Edition; (2012).

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  • Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder: The significance of central nervous system disease; Pediatric Transplantation; (2012).

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  • The BK virus in renal transplant recipients-review of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment; Pediatric Nephrology; (2011).

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  • Minimal change disease: A "two-hit" podocyte immune disorder?; Pediatric Nephrology; (2011).

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  • Minimal Change Disease: A CD80 podocytopathy?; Seminars in Nephrology; (2011).

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  • Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in pediatric patients: Case report and review of literature; Journal of Pediatric Urology; (2010).

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  • Urinary CD80 is elevated in minimal change disease but not in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; Kidney International; (2010).

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  • Leflunomide therapy for BK virus allograft nephropathy in pediatric and young adult kidney transplant recipients; Pediatric Transplantation; (2010).

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  • Comparison of generic tacrolimus and Prograf drug levels in a pediatric kidney transplant program: Brief communication; Pediatric Transplantation; (2010).

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  • Organ Toxicities; Pediatric Solid Organ Transplantation; (2009).

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  • Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease; Pediatric Nephrology; (2009).

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  • Treatment of systemic hypertension in children and adolescents; Current Opinion in Pediatrics; (2009).

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  • Urinary CD80 excretion increases in idiopathic minimal-change disease; Journal of the American Society of Nephrology; (2009).

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  • Acute interstitial nephritis; Pediatric Nephrology in the ICU; (2009).

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  • T regulatory cell function in idiopathic minimal lesion nephrotic syndrome; Pediatric Nephrology; (2009).

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  • Native kidney post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in a non-renal transplant patient; Pediatric Transplantation; (2009).

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  • Assessing the value of ureteral stent placement in pediatric kidney transplant recipients; Transplantation; (2008).

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  • Intermediate dose cidofovir does not cause additive nephrotoxicity in BK virus allograft nephropathy; Pediatric Transplantation; (2008).

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  • Diagnostic significance of clinical and laboratory findings to localize site of urinary infection; Pediatric Nephrology; (2007).

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  • Hemodialysis Catheter-Related Bacteremia in Children: Increasing Antibiotic Resistance and Changing Bacteriological Profile; American Journal of Kidney Diseases; (2007).

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  • Systemic Epstein-Barr virus infection associated with membranous nephropathy in children; Clinical Nephrology; (2006).

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  • Intermediate-dose cidofovir without probenecid in the treatment of BK virus allograft nephropathy; Pediatric Transplantation; (2006).

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  • Acute-onset hearing loss with renal failure: Differential diagnosis; American Journal of Kidney Diseases; (2006).

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  • A case of unfulfilled expectations. Cytokines in idiopathic minimal lesion nephrotic syndrome; Pediatric Nephrology; (2006).

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  • Sodium thiosulfate treatment for calcific uremic arteriolopathy in children and young adults.; Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN; (2006).

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  • Encephalitis and Acute Renal Failure Associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae: A Case Presentation; International Pediatrics; (2003).

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