August 2025 Pediatric Pulse

Dr. Abdelrahman Alsherbini earned his medical degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. He began his journey in the United States at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, and later completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital.

His clinical training was enriched through a general pediatrics preliminary residency at Wayne State University, followed by a residency in child neurology at the same institution. He then completed a clinical fellowship in epilepsy at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Alsherbini's clinical and academic interests focus on pediatric epilepsy syndromes, including self-limited focal epilepsies (such as self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes and early-onset childhood occipital epilepsy), generalized epilepsies (such as childhood absence epilepsy, Juvenile Absence Epilepsy and Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy), and developmental and/or epileptic encephalopathies (such as West syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and Dravet syndrome).

Dr. Alsherbini specializes in pediatric epilepsy, with expertise in the diagnosis and management of epilepsy resulting from structural, genetic, infectious, metabolic, immune-mediated, and unknown causes. He is committed to evidence-based care, utilizing both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment approaches. Dr. Alsherbini is experienced in a range of advanced non-pharmacological therapies that have been shown to reduce seizure burden and improve quality of life for children with epilepsy. These include the ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Dr. Alsherbini has joined the Pediatric Neurology team at Yale New Haven Hospital, bringing with him strong enthusiasm for research, clinical care, and medical education. He is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based neurological care to the children of New Haven, Connecticut.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Alsherbini has a special passion for teaching. He provides tailored, case-based, and easy-to-digest educational sessions for medical students, residents, and fellows.

Dr. Fairchild completed her residency in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she then worked as an Emergency Department Pediatrician prior to completing fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Yale. She is dedicated to advancing quality improvement, delivering safer and more compassionate care, and fostering the teamwork that supports every child and family in the emergency department.

Dr. Kusulas is a native New Yorker who loves Broadway musicals, is obsessed with giant pandas, and enjoys traveling to explore new places and cultures. He is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School, Cornell University (BS), Drexel University (MD), and Hofstra University (MSEd). He completed a residency and was chief resident in pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM); a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at AI duPont Hospital for Children; and a fellowship in emergency ultrasound at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York/Columbia University Medical Center. Before joining the faculty at Yale, Dr. Kusulas was on staff at Cohen Children's Medical Center, and was assistant professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Northwell/Hofstra. At Cohen's, he served as associate fellowship director for the PEM fellowship, fellowship director for the ultrasound fellowship, coordinator of fellow simulation education, and coordinator of fellow ultrasound education. Academically, he is interested in curriculum development and assessment, the use of point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric emergency medicine practice, and the use of rapid-cycle/ deliberate-practice as a simulation method to teach clinical skills and procedures. Nationally, he is known for his teaching skills in emergency ultrasound, and has served as faculty for numerous workshops and training. He currently serves as co-chair of AAP PediSono Fest, and co-chair for the P2 Network Conference Committee.

Mahrukh Shah, MD is an assistant professor in the section of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy, Immunology and Sleep Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Shah received her medical degree from the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Pakistan. She completed her residency training in pediatrics at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center and pediatric pulmonology fellowship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Shah treats children of all ages with a range of lung problems including asthma, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung diseases and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. She has a special interest in childhood interstitial lung disorders, primary ciliary dyskinesia, bronchiectasis and airway metabolomics.

Dr. Yankova is a pediatric hospitalist in the Department of Pediatrics Section of Hospital Medicine and an associate program director for the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship. Her clinical and research interests are in safely providing high-value and family-centered care to children, limiting overuse, and learning how organizational structure plays into medical decision making. Her other interests are in mentorship, medical education, and incorporating point of care ultrasound (POCUS) into inpatient pediatrics.