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 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
  • 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

  • Wang, C.-S., Travers, C., McCracken, C., Leong, T., Gbadegesin, R., Quiroga, A., & Greenbaum, L. A. (2018). Adrenocorticotropic hormone for childhood nephrotic syndrome: The ATLANTIS randomized trial. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 13(12), 1859-1865. doi:10.2215/CJN.06890618

    View Full Publication
  • Moodalbail, D. G., Falkner, B., Keith, S. W., Mathias, R. S., Araya, C. E., Zaritsky, J. J., & Stuart, M. J. (2018). Ambulatory hypertension in a pediatric cohort of sickle cell disease. Journal of the American Society of Hypertension, 12(7), 542-550. doi:10.1016/j.jash.2018.04.005

  • Araya, C. E., & Zaritsky, J. (2017). Management of Anemia in Children Undergoing Dialysis. In Handbook of Dialysis Therapy: Fifth Edition (bll 1023-1033.e3). doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-39154-2.00088-6

  • Dharnidharka, V. R., & Araya, C. E. (2015). Complications of pediatric renal transplantation. In Pediatric Nephrology, Seventh Edition (bll 2553-2572). doi:10.1007/978-3-662-43596-0_67

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