Andrew Costandi, MD, MMM, Named Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has appointed Andrew Costandi, MD, MMM, as Anesthesiologist-in-Chief and Department Chair of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine (ACCM), effective Aug. 1. In this leadership role, Dr. Costandi will oversee multiple clinical divisions at CHLA, including the Divisions of Clinical Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, Palliative Care, and Critical Care Medicine, which includes the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. In addition to ensuring high-quality clinical care across these teams, he will be responsible for advancing research and education programming; guiding strategic growth and quality improvement; leading recruitment and faculty development; managing financial priorities; and strengthening interdisciplinary partnerships with other teams across the enterprise. Dr. Costandi also serves as Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

“Since joining CHLA in 2015, Dr. Costandi has taken on progressively significant leadership roles within the Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine. Significantly, while leading the Pediatric Liver Transplant Anesthesia Program, he established enhanced recovery pathways that have contributed to CHLA’s nation-leading liver transplant outcomes for the fourth year in a row,” says Children’s Hospital Los Angeles President and CEO Paul S. Viviano. “I thank him for the institutional knowledge, clinical expertise, and clear commitment he brings to advancing CHLA’s mission and look forward to working in close partnership with him as a member of CHLA’s enterprise leadership team.”

Most recently, Dr. Costandi served as Executive Vice Chair of the Department of ACCM and Division Chief of Anesthesiology—first as interim and then full-time. As Division Chief, he led numerous initiatives that have strengthened clinical operations in the operating rooms, workforce planning and faculty development. He has overseen anesthesia staffing redesign, perioperative operations, quality improvement initiatives, and strategic growth across multiple service lines.

A Board-certified and internationally recognized pediatric anesthesiologist, Dr. Costandi’s expertise is in pediatric abdominal solid organ transplantation; acute perioperative pediatric pain management; and perioperative systems improvement. He graduated with honors from Cairo University School of Medicine in Egypt before completing pediatric residency at the National Research Center and Cairo University Children's Hospital. He subsequently completed an anesthesiology residency at Brookdale University Hospital in New York and a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and later earned a master’s degree in Medical Management from the USC Marshall School of Business. As a research, educator, mentor, and scholar, he authored or contributed to a wide array of studies, peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, national presentations, invited lectures, and professional society work. Beyond CHLA, Dr. Costandi is an active member and leader in several national organizations, including the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia, American Society of Anesthesiology, Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Society for the Advancement of Transplant, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest provider of hospital care for children in California. In the 125 years since its founding in 1901, CHLA has delivered a level of pediatric care that is among the best in the world. Ranked one of the top ten children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides comprehensive and compassionate care to one of the largest and most diverse pediatric patient populations in the country. The hospital is the top-ranked children’s hospital in California and the Pacific U.S. region for 2025-26. A leader in pediatric research, CHLA is among the top ten children’s hospitals for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles supports the full continuum of research, translating scientific discoveries into life-changing treatments for patients around the globe. As a pediatric academic medical center, CHLA is also home to the Chuck Lorre Pediatric Health Education Institute, which encompasses education programs throughout the institution. The hospital’s commitment to building stronger, healthier communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to enhance health education and literacy, introduce more people to careers in health care, and fight food insecurity. To learn more, follow CHLA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X, and visit CHLA.org.