Our Medical Team

Your Interdisciplinary Treatment Team

When your child begins treatment at the St.Vincent Pediatric Rehabilitation Center, you can expect that an interdisciplinary team of pediatric –trained staff members will be formed to develop a treatment plan, set realistic goals for your child, and help them achieve those goals. This team, led by a physician, may include:

• Case Manager
• Chaplain
• Child Life Specialist
• Nurses-RNs, LPNs, CNAs
• Pharmacist
• Psychologist
• Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists
• Respiratory Therapists
• Social Worker

The medical care of each child in the St.Vincent SPIRIT program is managed by a pediatrician or pediatric sub-specialist based in the area to which the child is admitted. Other pediatric physician specialists are available for consultation at any time. Some may function as attending physicians as well.

Our core staff of attending physicians include:

Laura Wilner, M.D., FAAPM&R (Fellow, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation), Medical Director

As medical director, Dr.Wilner has chief medical responsibility for the SPIRIT program. She provides care to patients in the Acute Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program and consults with other patients in other programs as needed.

As an undergraduate at Northwestern University, Dr. Wilner studied speech and language pathology. She went on to earn a medical degree from Finch University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School. She completed a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation and a fellowship in pediatric rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago/Northwestern University. Dr. Wilner is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Dr.Wilner’s special interests include neuronmuscular diseases, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury and spasticity/movement disorders management.

Shivika Jain, M.D., Board Certified Pediatrician

Dr. Jain provides daily care for our inpatient infants and children in the Complex Medical Program and consults on patients in other programs as needed. She holds an undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College and a medical degree from the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University. Dr. Jain completed her residency training in pediatrics at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Fernando Escobar, M.D., M.S., Neonatologist and Geneticist

Dr. Escobar earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from San Carlos University of Guatemala. He completed his residency training at Indiana University Medical Center in pediatrics, neonatology and genetics. He is an active candidate for the American Board of Pediatrics, neonatal-perinatal medicine and clinical genetics. Dr. Escobar’s special interests include newborn follow-up, pediatric genetics, birth defects (also known as dysmorphology), oral facial genetics and hypoxic-ischemic cell injury (a type of brain injury).

Raminder Sufi, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonologist

After earning his medical degree at Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Dr.Sufi completed his pediatric residency and pulmonary fellowship at the University of California at Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Sufi is board certified in pediatrics and board eligible in pediatric pulmonology.

Dr. Chuanpit Moser, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonologist

Dr. Moser comes to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital from Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach, California, where she was assistant director of the Pediatric Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center. She was also assistant clinical professor of Pediatrics and assistant director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Program at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). A graduate of Prince of Songkla University in Songkla, Thailand, Dr. Moser completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma and her fellowship in pediatric pulmonology at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and UCI Medical Center.

Dr. Leyla Akanli, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonologist

Prior to working at St.Vincent, Dr. Akanli was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Pulmonology at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Brunswick New Jersey and at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in Loma Linda California. She attended medical school at the Istanbul University School of Medicine in Turkey.  She completed her pediatric residency at New York Medical College and her Pediatric Pulmonary fellowship at New York Medical College at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. When not at the hospital, Dr. Akanli enjoys ballroom dancing, traveling and spending time with her family.