COAST PEDIATRICS - Key Persons
Alicia is originally from the beautiful state of Utah, where she grew up among mountains, deserts, and wide open spaces. At the age of 8, she decided she would become a physician after she learned of her beloved grandfather's life being saved by his cardiac surgeon. In pursuit of a career as a physician, she completed an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science and Health at the University of Utah, followed by medical school in the wonderful city of Chicago at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine where she fell in love with pediatrics and her husband, Byron.
She went on to complete a residency in pediatrics at Primary Children's Hospital at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, followed by a chief residency year. Since then, she has worked in hospital-based pediatrics where she took part in pediatric resident education, hospital-based newborn care, and primary care pediatrics in a variety of settings.
Alicia moved to the San Diego area with her family in 2012 and feels fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. She is the mother of two wonderful children and finds motherhood to be the most rewarding and challenging gift in her life. She holds herself to the standard of "what type of care would I want for my own children" as a guide to care for her patients. Alicia is very excited to be part of the amazing team at Coast Pediatrics and is committed to provide excellent care to Coast Pediatrics families.
Alicia loves to travel and has lived in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, and Spain. She speaks near-fluent Spanish and always appreciates an opportunity to speak it with patients and families. In her free time, she loves to bake desserts, walk her dogs on the beach, attend her daughter's swim meets and son's basketball games. She especially loves every minute of unstructured time with her family.
Jamie grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and completed her undergraduate and medical school training at Harvard and Penn State before moving to San Diego in 2003 for her pediatrics residency training, serving as chief resident at Rady Children's Hospital. She has been practicing pediatrics in San Diego ever since, with extensive experience in the emergency room and the inpatient wards at Rady's.
Jamie loves providing care in a setting where she can nourish long-term relationships with families. She is driven by curiosity and humility, and she continues to pursue further education in order to better help her families raise healthy and happy children. As a Certified Lactation Educator, Jamie is delighted to provide specialized guidance to our breastfeeding families. She has extensive training in functional medicine through the Institute of Functional Medicine, with a strong emphasis on pediatric nutrition and preventive care.
During her third year of residency training, Jamie was working in a clinic and scuba diving in Roatan, Honduras, when she met a Canadian traveler named Chris Wood on a beach at sunset. Two years later, they married, and she imported him to San Diego from British Columbia. They now live in the Carmel Valley area with their two sons. Jamie enjoys watching her boys play hockey, as well as exercising, reading, cooking, and visiting beautiful places.
Kara grew in up in Escondido and after many years away, feels fortunate to be back in her hometown helping to care for her community. She attended UC Davis where she completed her bachelor's degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and graduated magna cum laude. She went on to get her medical degree from New York Medical College and is thankful to have a brother that still lives near NYC so she can visit as much as time allows!
Kara completed her residency at Children's Hospital Oakland, after which she stayed and worked as a Pediatric Hospitalist. Not only did she enjoy hospital medicine, she also appreciated the opportunity to teach and train the incoming pediatric residents. She returned to San Diego in 2010, in part to follow her husband who took a head coaching position at Cal State University San Marcos. Go Cougars! She worked as a hospitalist for Rady Children's Hospital until 2015, and then decided to move into primary care in the San Diego community.
Kara enjoys developing close relationships with her patients and believes family-centered care is key. She loves newborns - and their first time parents - and has special interests in child development, nutrition, and adolescent medicine. She is excited to work with Coast Families and have the opportunity to develop these relationships in a fresh new setting.
Kara has lived in Mexico and Costa Rica and also enjoys using her Spanish when needed. In her free time, Kara likes gardening, taking on house projects, walking her dog and raising two teenage daughters (it's true!). She also loves the arts and is so thankful that her family enjoys concerts and Broadway musicals as much as she does!
Lori Taylor grew up in Pennsylvania and Northern California, and completed her undergraduate education at USC (go Trojans!). She moved to San Diego to attend medical school at UCSD, and fell in love with both the Southern California climate and her husband Ken, a fellow medical student. She remained in San Diego to complete her pediatric residency, and has practiced pediatrics in the area ever since.
Lori was a faculty member at UCSD for nearly 10 years, during which time she pursued research interests in multi-cultural medicine and early childhood education. She then spent several years providing pediatric care to families in North San Diego County, working with a large pediatric group. San Diego Magazine recognized Lori as a "Top Doctor" in their annual rankings 2003 through 2005, 2010, and 2013 through 2022.
In 2010, Lori moved with her family to New Zealand where her husband worked as a physician. The Taylor family then returned to San Diego in 2011 ready for change. For Lori, this meant creating the type of pediatric practice that would allow her to take the time to really get to know each child and family. Now, with Coast Pediatrics Del Mar, she is thrilled to once again partner with parents to support a healthy and active lifestyle for babies, children and teens.
Lori lives in Solana Beach with her husband Ken, who is Director of the Sports Medicine program at UCSD, and their rescue dog Brownie. In her free time she enjoys visiting her sons Griffin and Gavin in college at Cal Poly and University of Michigan, as well as reading, yoga, traveling, cooking, pickleball and trying not to fall off of her stand-up paddleboard.
Mona Bagrodia grew up in Tennessee and graduated from the University of Tennessee summa cum laude with a degree in Biochemistry and Psychology. She went on to get her medical degree from the University of Tennessee and completed pediatric residency at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. Her first position was as lead physician at a pediatric health center in Texas; she later moved to Tribeca Pediatrics in New York City where her husband Aditya completed his medical training as a urologic oncologist. She is an authority on the best restaurants in NYC! Mona and her husband moved back to familiar turf in Dallas after her husband's training was completed, and she joined Lake Ray Hubbard Pediatrics.
Mona has a special interest in the diagnosis and management of children and teens with ADHD, anxiety and depression. She has participated in specialized training in these areas from the REACH Institute, and really enjoys helping her patients who are struggling with these issues to thrive.
In 2021, the Bagrodia family relocated to San Diego for employment opportunities and "75 & sunny" weather. Mona lives with her husband and two very active sons, and has been working as a pediatrician in the San Diego area since the family's move. She is happy to have joined our Coast Pediatrics team and partner with families in taking excellent care of their children. She enjoys reading fiction, crafts, yoga, traveling and exploring her new city!
Rob grew up in the Oakland Hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Seeking the experience of going away to a big university, he attended The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and now bleeds Maize and Blue. Rob stayed in the Midwest for medical school at Loyola University-Chicago, but returned to California for good shortly after. He thanks Children's Hospital Los Angeles for his residency training and for introducing him to his wife, Chris, who was a nurse there. Upon finishing residency, the former Major Warner was the Chief of Pediatrics for 3,500 kids on a remote US Army base near Barstow, CA, to repay a scholarship for medical school. After four busy years of providing pediatric emergent, intensive, and neonatal care for the base (including way too many late night helicopter transports to surrounding medical centers), Rob traded the uniform for flip-flops.
Rob and Chris moved to Del Mar six years ago and immediately knew they would never leave. Chris is a Labor and Delivery nurse at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, so she gets to meet many of Rob's newborn patients before he does. They have a son, Jackson who attends Canyon Crest High School, and a daughter, Andie who attends Earl Warren Middle School; both are avid soccer players. Rob served on the Board of Directors for his kids' preschool, The Hanna Fenichel Center in Solana Beach, for five years. Rob has practiced outpatient pediatrics since arriving in San Diego, and most enjoys helping parents raise good sleepers, healthy eaters, and active (but not over-extended) kids. He has been recognized as a "Top Doctor" by San Diego Magazine annually 2012 through 2018, and 2021-2022.
A sports fan-martyr of sorts, Rob faithfully follows all Oakland and San Diego pro sports teams in addition to those of the University of Michigan. He enjoys running half marathons and can often be found in the early mornings running along the beach in Del Mar. As soon as his Vizsla puppy "Juno" grows up, he'll take her with him.