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Thomas K. Shimotake

MD

  • Professor, Pediatrics
  • Medical Director, Intensive Care Nursery

Biography

Thomas Shimotake, MD is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Medical Director of the Benioff Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Nursery at Mission Bay in San Francisco.

Dr. Shimotake earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago after completing a research assistantship at the National Institute of Mental Health in the Division of Neuroscience. He subsequently completed his pediatric residency and fellowship training in Neonatal–Perinatal Medicine at the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital. During this period, he investigated mechanisms of airway inflammation in premature infants receiving mechanical ventilation and received multiple awards from residents and students in recognition of excellence in teaching.

Dr. Shimotake joined the UCSF Department of Pediatrics faculty in 2003, where his research focused on the role of surfactant proteins in neonatal lung homeostasis. He currently holds the appointment of HS Clinical Professor of Pediatrics. He has played a longstanding role in resident and fellow education and served as Fellowship Director of the Neonatal–Perinatal Medicine Training Program at UCSF from 2007 to 2016. From 2008 to 2016, he was Co-Director of the UCSF Neuro–Intensive Care Nursery, the first unit of its kind in the world. He has served as Medical Director of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Nursery since 2018.

Dr. Shimotake is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and holds membership in several professional medical societies. He was elected to the Executive Board of the California Association of Neonatology in 2020 and served as its President from 2022 to 2024. He currently serves on the PQUIP Committee of the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC). Dr. Shimotake has played an active role in developing statewide resources and standards for the implementation of therapeutic hypothermia following birth asphyxia and has delivered numerous presentations to regional hospitals and organizations involved in neonatal care and transport. His contributions to clinical care and education have been recognized with multiple honors, including the UCSF Exceptional Physician Award in 2023.

Education & Training

  • University of Illinois School of Medicine

Publications

  • Blauvelt CA, Chiu C, Donovan AL, Prahl M, Shimotake TK, George RB, Schwartz BS, Farooqi NA, Ali SS, Cassidy A, Gonzalez JM, Gaw SL. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in a Preterm Pregnant Patient With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Obstet Gynecol. 2020 07; 136(1):46-51. PubMed (PMID: 32384385)
  • Glass HC, Ferriero DM, Rowitch DH, Shimotake TK. The neurointensive nursery: concept, development, and insights gained. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2019 04; 31(2):202-209. PubMed (PMID: 30720542)
  • Cornet MC, Pasupuleti A, Fang A, Gonzalez F, Shimotake T, Ferriero DM, Glass HC, Cilio MR. Predictive value of early EEG for seizures in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy undergoing therapeutic hypothermia. Pediatr Res. 2018 09; 84(3):399-402. PubMed (PMID: 29895836)
  • Wusthoff CJ, Clark CL, Glass HC, Shimotake TK, Schulman J, Bonifacio SL. Cooling in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: practices and opinions on minimum standards in the state of California. J Perinatol. 2018 01; 38(1):54-58. PubMed (PMID: 29048405)
  • Mrelashvili A, Bonifacio SL, Rogers EE, Shimotake TK, Glass HC. Outcome After Therapeutic Hypothermia in Term Neonates With Encephalopathy and a Syndromic Diagnosis. J Child Neurol. 2015 Oct; 30(11):1453-8. PubMed (PMID: 25762585)
  • Akula VP, Joe P, Thusu K, Davis AS, Tamaresis JS, Kim S, Shimotake TK, Butler S, Honold J, Kuzniewicz M, DeSandre G, Bennett M, Gould J, Wallenstein MB, Van Meurs K. A randomized clinical trial of therapeutic hypothermia mode during transport for neonatal encephalopathy. J Pediatr. 2015 Apr; 166(4):856-61.e1-2. PubMed (PMID: 25684087)
  • Shue EH, Soares B, Courtier J, Hogue J, Shimotake T, MacKenzie TC. Type IV intestinal atresia, congenital bilateral perisylvian syndrome, and chronic pulmonary hypertension secondary to multiple vascular disruption syndrome in a monochorionic twin. J Pediatr Surg. 2012 Oct; 47(10):1938-42. PubMed (PMID: 23084212)
  • Glass HC, Bonifacio SL, Shimotake T, Ferriero DM. Neurocritical care for neonates. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2011 Dec; 13(6):574-89. PubMed (PMID: 21874296)
  • Hogeling M, Meddles K, Berk DR, Bruckner AL, Shimotake TK, Cohen RS, Frieden IJ. Extensive subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn associated with therapeutic hypothermia. Pediatr Dermatol. 2012 Jan-Feb; 29(1):59-63. PubMed (PMID: 21906137)
  • Glass HC, Bonifacio SL, Peloquin S, Shimotake T, Sehring S, Sun Y, Sullivan J, Rogers E, Barkovich AJ, Rowitch D, Ferriero DM. Neurocritical care for neonates. Neurocrit Care. 2010 Jun; 12(3):421-9. PubMed (PMID: 20066514)
  • Baldán A, Tarr P, Vales CS, Frank J, Shimotake TK, Hawgood S, Edwards PA. Deletion of the transmembrane transporter ABCG1 results in progressive pulmonary lipidosis. J Biol Chem. 2006 Sep 29; 281(39):29401-10. PubMed (PMID: 16887795)
  • Shimotake TK, Izhar FM, Rumilla K, Li J, Tan A, Page K, Brasier AR, Schreiber MD, Hershenson MB. Interleukin (IL)-1 beta in tracheal aspirates from premature infants induces airway epithelial cell IL-8 expression via an NF-kappa B dependent pathway. Pediatr Res. 2004 Dec; 56(6):907-13. PubMed (PMID: 15496610)
  • Yanagihara J, Nakamura K, Shimotake T, Deguchi E, Iwai N. An association of multiple intestinal atresia and biliary atresia: a case report. Eur J Pediatr Surg. 1995 Dec; 5(6):372-4. PubMed (PMID: 8773232)
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