Pamela Okada, M.D.

Pamela J. Okada, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P., F.A.C.E.P., is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Dr. Okada received her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1990, and completed her pediatric residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical School (1990-1993), and her pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (1993-1996). In 2016, Dr. Okada completed a Master of Science in Clinical Science at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and in 2018, completed a Certificate for the Alliance of Medical Management Education at the University of Texas at Dallas.

She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Texas Pediatric Society, and on the Editorial Board for the Pediatric Society of Greater Dallas. Dr. Okada is the Medical Director and Service Chief of the Plano Children's Emergency Department. She has served as the President of the Children’s Health Plano Medical Staff and Chair of the Credential’s Committee. Dr. Okada is one of the Associate Program Director’s for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Health Pediatric Residency Program. She has a passion for mentoring the next generation of pediatricians and cultivating relationships with practicing pediatricians in the Greater Dallas Fort Worth community. Her research interests include neurologic emergencies from traumatic brain injury, infection, and seizures.

Medical School

Tulane University School of Medicine (1990)

Residency

Harbor - UCLA Medical Center (1993), Pediatrics

Fellowship

Harbor - UCLA Medical Center (1994), Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Fellowship

Children's Health Dallas (1996), Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Graduate School

UT Southwestern Medical School (2011), Clinical Science

• Neurologic Emergencies
• Pediatric Seizures
• Pediatric Trauma Outcomes Research
• Traumatic brain injury

Featured Publications

Application of the Bacterial Meningitis Score for Infants Aged 0 to 60 Days.

Rees CA, Cruz AT, Freedman SB, Mahajan P, Uspal NG, Okada P, Aronson PL, Thompson AD, Ishimine PT, Schmidt SM, Kuppermann N, Nigrovic LE, J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2019 Dec 8 6 559-562

Randomized Trial of Three Anticonvulsant Medications for Status Epilepticus.

Kapur J, Elm J, Chamberlain JM, Barsan W, Cloyd J, Lowenstein D, Shinnar S, Conwit R, Meinzer C, Cock H, Fountain N, Connor JT, Silbergleit R, N. Engl. J. Med. 2019 11 381 22 2103-2113

Management of Pain After Pediatric Trauma.

Day LM, Huang R, Okada PJ Pediatr Emerg Care 2019 Jan

Objective Evaluation of a Simulation Course for Residents in the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Department: Breaking Bad News.

Yuan YY, Scott S, Van Horn N, Oke O, Okada P, Cureus 2019 Jan 11 1 e3903

Presenting Characteristics Associated With Outcome in Children With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Secondary Analysis From a Randomized, Controlled Trial of Therapeutic Hypothermia.

Rosario BL, Horvat CM, Wisniewski SR, Bell MJ, Panigrahy A, Zuccoli G, Narayanan S, Balasubramani GK, Beers SR, Adelson PD Pediatr Crit Care Med 2018 10 19 10 957-964

Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in Infants Undergoing Meningitis Evaluation.

Cruz AT, Freedman SB, Kulik DM, Okada PJ, Fleming AH, Mistry RD, Thomson JE, Schnadower D, Arms JL, Mahajan P, Garro AC, Pruitt CM, Balamuth F, Uspal NG, Aronson PL, Lyons TW, Thompson AD, Curtis SJ, Ishimine PT, Schmidt SM, Bradin SA, Grether-Jones KL, Miller AS, Louie J, Shah SS, Nigrovic LE Pediatrics 2018 Jan

Impact of Enteroviral Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing on Length of Stay for Infants 60 Days Old or Younger.

Aronson PL, Lyons TW, Cruz AT, Freedman SB, Okada PJ, Fleming AH, Arms JL, Thompson AD, Schmidt SM, Louie J, Alfonzo MJ, Monuteaux MC, Nigrovic LE J. Pediatr. 2017 Jul

Therapeutic Hypothermia after In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Children.

Moler FW, Silverstein FS, Holubkov R, Slomine BS, Christensen JR, Nadkarni VM, Meert KL, Browning B, Pemberton VL, Page K, Gildea MR, Scholefield BR, Shankaran S, Hutchison JS, Berger JT, Ofori-Amanfo G, Newth CJ, Topjian A, Bennett KS, Koch JD, Pham N, Chanani NK, Pineda JA, Harrison R, Dalton HJ, Alten J, Schleien CL, Goodman DM, Zimmerman JJ, Bhalala US, Schwarz AJ, Porter MB, Shah S, Fink EL, McQuillen P, Wu T, Skellett S, Thomas NJ, Nowak JE, Baines PB, Pappachan J, Mathur M, Lloyd E, van der Jagt EW, Dobyns EL, Meyer MT, Sanders RC, Clark AE, Dean JM N. Engl. J. Med. 2017 01 376 4 318-329

Interpretation of Cerebrospinal Fluid White Blood Cell Counts in Young Infants With a Traumatic Lumbar Puncture.

Lyons TW, Cruz AT, Freedman SB, Neuman MI, Balamuth F, Mistry RD, Mahajan P, Aronson PL, Thomson JE, Pruitt CM, Shah SS, Nigrovic LE Ann Emerg Med 2016 Dec

Pediatric Fractures Secondary to Trampoline Injury: A Prospective Analysis of User Circumstances and Injury Severity with Respect to American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement

Ho C, Phelps J, Evans N, Okada P, Wilson P. J Pediatr Emerg Intensive Care Med 2016 3 1-10

 Featured Books

The Adolescent Pregnant Patient. In Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Just the Facts, 2nd edition, G. Strange, W. Ahrens, R. Schafermeyer, R. Wiebe, H. Prendergast, V. Dobiesz, eds.

Okada PJ, Rodriguez AM, Sheffield JS (2012). McGraw-Hill

Dysmenorrhea and Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding. In Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Just the Facts, 2nd edition, G. Strange, W. Ahrens, R. Schafermeyer, R. Wiebe, H. Prendergast, V. Dobiesz, eds.

Okada PJ, Uribe M (2012). McGraw-Hill

Submersion Injury. In Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22nd edition, C. Rudolph, A. Rudolph, G. Lister, A. Gershon, eds.

Okada PJ, Baker MD (2011). McGraw-Hill

Nontraumatic Surgical Emergencies. In APLS: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Resource, 5th edition, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, eds.

Okada PJ, Hicks B (2011). Jones & Bartlett Learning

Approach to the Acutely Ill Patient: Seizures. In Pediatric Emergency Medicine, 1st edition, J. Baren, S. Rothrock, J. Brennan, L. Brown, eds.

Marr J, Okada PJ (2008). Philadelphia, Saunders Elsevier

Reduction of Common Joint Dislocations and Subluxations. In Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Procedures, 2nd edition, C. King, F. Henretig, B. King, J. Loiselle, R. Ruddy, J. Wiley, eds.

Johnson FC, Okada PJ (2008). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Gastrointestinal Emergencies. In Current Diagnosis & Treatment Pediatric Emergency Medicine, C. Stone, R. Humphries, D. Drigala, M. Stephan, eds.

Okada PJ, Minkes RK (2015). McGraw-Hill Education; 413-442.

• UT Southwestern Leaders in Clinical Excellence, Patient and Family Recognition Award
  (2019)
• Alpha Omega Alpha
  (1989)
• Family Medicine Teaching Award
  

• Ambulatory Pediatric Association (1997)
• American Academy of Pediatrics (1997)
• American College of Emergency Physicians (2003)
• Co-Director Pediatric Trauma Course, Istanbul Turkey (2012)
• Dallas County Medical Society (2003)
• Pediatric Society of Greater Dallas, Editorial Board (2010)
• PEMQBook Board Review Course 2019 Course Co-Director, Dallas, Texas (2018-2019)
• PEMTalks Course Director, Plano Children's Medical Center (2017)
• Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (1998-2006)
• Texas Pediatric Society, Section of Emergency Medicine and Child Abuse (2003)