Dr. Satya Gedela, Chief of Neurology, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida

Invest: spoke with Dr. Satya Gedela, chief of neurology at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, about building a leading pediatric neuroscience program in Central Florida and expanding access to timely, high-acuity care. “Nobody from Central Florida should be traveling. No patients should be traveling anywhere to get neurological care,” Gedela said.

Can you tell us about your background and what led you to your position at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida?

I trained in medical school and pediatrics in India, then went to the United Kingdom for further studies, where I completed my MRCP and worked in developmental pediatrics. After that, I moved to New York, where I completed pediatrics again, so I am board-certified in pediatrics across three continents. Neurology has always been my passion, so I trained in child neurology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh, and then in epilepsy and surgical epilepsy, which became my specialty.

I stayed in Pittsburgh for almost 10 years as chief of epilepsy. After that, I built an epilepsy surgery program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. From there, I built the neurosciences program from 2019 to 2023 at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I was then recruited to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida to build the neurosciences program in Orlando.

Obviously, I like building. I like expanding services in places that do not yet have comprehensive neurosciences or epilepsy surgical programs. I have always believed that the southern part of the country does not have the same level of healthcare access as some parts of the Northeast, where physicians are much more concentrated.

How has the growth of your division changed what Nemours Children’s can offer patients in Central Florida?

When I joined Nemours Children’s in October 2023, the neurology team had one to three providers. Now we are a team of 10 physicians and going to 12 by July 2026. That growth has been possible because of our strong leadership support. Once you have a critical mass of physicians and providers, more physicians will come. Otherwise, when there are only one or two people, burnout becomes a major issue and turnover follows. Having this many physicians in the last two years has changed our neurosciences program into one of the largest neurosciences centers in Florida and one of the largest epilepsy teams in Florida. That means more access for patients. My goal when I came here was very clear: No patients from Central Florida should be traveling anywhere to get neurological care. When there are not enough providers, access is low. Families may wait months or even years to see a physician for a neurological condition, and if some of those conditions are not treated in time, outcomes are worse. Today, we are able to see patients within two weeks. Timely care means better outcomes, and it also means better satisfaction for parents and patients.

How does new technology strengthen care for children with epilepsy?

Florida has a high number of patients with epilepsy compared with other states. In Central Florida, there was a major gap in epilepsy care, so one of the biggest priorities after I joined the team was addressing that gap. With strong leadership support, we built a six-bed epilepsy monitoring unit.

Many patients with epilepsy continue to have seizures despite multiple medications. At that point, you need to determine the best next option. Epilepsy surgery can be curative, but first you have to identify the seizure focus as precisely as possible. That is why the epilepsy monitoring unit is so important. It allows us to complete the presurgical workup needed to determine which patients are surgical candidates.

The ROSA robot helps the neurosurgeon and epilepsy team place electrodes in the brain exactly where we believe the seizure activity is coming from. We then capture seizures, identify their origin, and confirm that finding. We also stimulate that area of the brain to understand whether it controls an important function. If good and bad areas overlap, then we have to consider other options. If it is safe to remove that bad area, we will remove it and record that area of the brain in the operating room to confirm we got all the abnormal seizure making area.

We built the epilepsy monitoring unit in 2024, and within 2 years we achieved Level 4 accreditation from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. That is the highest level and means we are performing the most complex epilepsy surgeries. I am very proud of that accomplishment.

But technology alone is not enough. The people matter just as much. I have six epileptologists, epilepsy neurosurgeon, EEG technologists, nurses, and a full team around them. It takes a village to take care of a patient, and I have that village.

What attracted you to Nemours after your time in Atlanta?

During my time at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, I built one of the best neurosciences programs. By the time the Nemours Children’s opportunity came, that work was largely done. Usually, once I feel a program has reached a certain point, I am ready for the next challenge.

When I looked at Nemours, I saw a strong leadership vision, a real opportunity, and a clear gap in clinical care in the community. I came here with a purpose to serve this community and build something. I always tell my leaders that we want to build the Boston of the South here, so that the care has to be similar to top children’s hospitals.

Nemours has that kind of support to serve the community. It is more than a business for me. It is about serving the community. We have built several programs in the last two years, and we continue to build. With the support from leadership and my team, we are continuing to move forward with that vision.

Nemours focuses on the whole child. That means mental health, physical health, and comprehensive care of the child. That vision aligned with me, and that is what attracted me here.

How will building a child neurology residency program and expanding research strengthen your clinical program?

There is already a deficit of child neurologists in the country, and within a decade, a large percentage of them will retire.

That raises the question of who will take care of children with neurological conditions.

Where there is a residency program, there is a higher chance of sustaining the workforce. Residents are trained to become the next generation of child neurologists who can support clinical needs. In some states, there are many more residents coming out each year compared to Florida, even though patient volumes here are high.

Many of our patients face social and language barriers, and they cannot travel to other states for care. That makes it even more important to build programs locally. The first step is building strong clinical programs. Once that foundation is in place, the next step is academic training.

We are in the process of applying for a residency program to start in the next 1-2 years, and the next goal is to build fellowship programs as well in areas like epilepsy and other subspecialties. That will help sustain and expand the workforce.

Research is very important because it brings new methods of diagnosis, treatments, and innovation in patient care plans. If we do not have clinical trials here, patients have to go elsewhere. We are already doing some clinical trials, and we are planning to expand further. We recently received approval for a neuroscientist position, and that person will work closely with clinicians to do translational research and bring new ideas and treatments to patient care, connecting the bench to bedside.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Pediatric hospitals are not there to make money, but to serve the community. It is difficult to sustain these hospitals, especially when a large percentage of patients are covered by Medicaid and face social challenges.

Philanthropy plays an important role in supporting this kind of care. Many leading children’s hospitals have been built with strong philanthropic support. Providing high-level clinical excellence requires resources, and patients cannot always cover those costs.

Investing in children’s healthcare is important for the community. Healthy children become strong members of society, and that benefits everyone. Philanthropic support can help us continue to build and provide the best neurological care to the community.