Skip to main content
Christopher Giza, MD, Pediatrics, Los Angeles, CA

ChristopherGizaMD

Pediatrics • Los Angeles, CA

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Child Neurology, Sports Medicine

Professor, Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery, UCLA School of Medicine

Join to view full profile

Dr. Giza is on Doximity

As a Doximity member you'll join over two million verified healthcare professionals in a private, secure network.

  • Connect with other colleagues in the same hospital or clinic
  • Search all U.S. specialist profiles and refer a patient
  • Read the latest clinical news and earn CME/CEU credits

See Dr. Giza's full profile

Already have an account?

Summary

  • I graduated from Dartmouth College, got my M.D. from West Virginia University and completed training in Adult & Child Neurology at UCLA. I then worked on the Yosemite Search and Rescue team before joining the UCLA Brain Injury Research Center in 1998. I founded and direct the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT program, and also serve as Medical Director for the Operation MEND-Wounded Warrior Project mild TBI program. In 2011 I had the privilege to travel to Afghanistan as part of the U.S. military’s Grey Team III to review implementation of mTBI protocols in the field. I contributed to concussion/mTBI guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology, the Centers for Disease Control and the International Consensus Conference for Concussion in Sport (Berlin guidelines).
    I'm currently a Professor of Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Mattel Children’s Hospital-UCLA. When I'm not rockclimbing or traveling into war zones, I like to cycle steep mountains on my road bike or backcountry camp in places with no cellular signal!

    • Episode 1 Part A: Concussions in football | Earl Watford

    In UCLA BrainSPORT Podcast Episode 1, Earl Watford, NFL veteran, & Dr. Giza, Director of the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT program discuss football with Dr. Rafie

    Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries in Football: What We Know We Don't Know

    “Better studies should make the front pages & they don’t” Giza said. “They’re hard, expensive & don’t make for dramatic outcomes, as we learn incrementally"

    Are Youth Football Programs Doing Enough To Prevent Concussions?

    LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Dr. Christopher Giza says parents have a lot to consider when deciding whether or not their kids should play contact sports.

    UCLA neuroscientist offers game plan to understand sports concussions

    3 critical points for interplay between basic & clinical TBI neuroscience: accurate diagnosis, individualized approach & translational research.

    The UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program - Diagnosis, Treatment, Sport Concussion

    At the UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, our goal is to establish the most advanced program to understand the neuroscience of sports & physical activity.

Education & Training

  • UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center
    UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterFellowship, Child Neurology, 1994 - 1996
  • UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center
    UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterResidency, Neurology, 1991 - 1994
  • University of Pennsylvania Health System
    University of Pennsylvania Health SystemInternship, Internal Medicine, 1990 - 1991
  • West Virginia University School of Medicine
    West Virginia University School of MedicineClass of 1990
  • Dartmouth College
    Dartmouth CollegeAB, Biochemistry, 1986

Certifications & Licensure

  • CA State Medical License
    CA State Medical License 1992 - 2024
  • PA State Medical License
    PA State Medical License 1990 - 1991

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Regional Top Doctor Castle Connolly, 2014
  • Zackery Lystedt Angel Award Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, 2014
  • CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification EpicCare Ambulatory EMR, Epic Systems Corporation, 2013
  • Join now to see all

Clinical Trials

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Children  
    Christopher C Giza, Stanley A Herring, Heather T Keenan, James M Callahan, Richard G Ellenbogen, Gary Gronseth, David W Wright, Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, Margot Putukia..., JAMA
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children  
    Gerard A Gioia, Stacy J Suskauer, Barbara Holshouser, John Ragheb, Barbara Weissman, David W Wright, Mark Halstead, Andrew Gregory, James M Callahan, Gary Gronseth, Wa..., JAMA
  • Electrographic seizures after convulsive status epilepticus in children and young adults A retrospective multicenter study  
    Sanchez Fernandez IS, Sanchez SM, Arndt DH, Carpenter JL, Chapman KE, Cornett KM, Dlugos DJ, Gallentine WB, Giza CC, Goldstein JL, Hahn CD, Lerner JT, Loddenkemper T, ..., J Pediatr, 1/1/2014
  • Join now to see all

Books/Book Chapters

  • Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice. 
    Chapter: Pediatric Neurocritical Care: Special Considerations 
    Guilliams K, Madikians A, Pineda J and Giza CC.Editors: Zasler ND, Katz D, Zafonte R.Demos Medical, New York, NY2012
  • Chronic Complex Diseases of Childhood: A Practical Guide for Clinicians 
    Chapter: Neurological Disorders 
    Giza CC and Sankar REditors: Yazdani S, McGhee SA, and Stiehm ER.Universal Publishers, Brown Walker Press2011
  • Management of Traumatic Brain Injury 
    Chapter: Pediatric Considerations in TBI Care 
    Shrey D and Giza CC.Editors: Zollman FS.Demos Medical Publishing, New York, NYEdition 1st,2011
  • Join now to see all

Abstracts/Posters

  • Monitoring the Injured Brain: From Coma to Sports Concussions
    Giza CC, Symposium on Engineering, Medicine and Biology Applications (SEMBA), 1/1/2014
  • Acute care clinical indicators associated with discharge outcomes in children with severe TBI.
    Vavilala MS, Kernic MA, Wang J, Kannan N, Mink RB, Wainwright MS, Groner JI, Bell MJ, Giza CC, Zatzick DF, Ellenbogen RG, Boyle LN, Mitchell PH, Rivara FP., J Neurotrauma, 1/1/2014
  • Factors associated with clinician adherence to pediatric TBI guidelines: A qualitative study
    Brolliar SM, Vavilala MS, Whiteside LK, Thompson JH, Mink RB, Wainwright MS, Groner JI, Bell MJ, Giza CC, Zatzick DF, Ellenbogen RG, Boyle LN, Mitchell PH, Rivara FP, J Neurotrauma, 1/1/2014
  • Join now to see all

Lectures

  • The Pass Machine General Pediatrics MOC Course 
    American Physician Institute for Advanced Professional Studies, Rosemont, Illinois - 8/21/2013
  • How dangerous are concussions? 
    Mattel Children’s Hospital - UCLA - 1/1/2011
  • ICU Management of Traumatic Brain Injury 
    Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Roscoe Campus - 1/24/1999
  • Join now to see all

Other

  • A trial of intracranial pressure monitoring in traumatic brain injury. NEJM 2012;367:2471-2481 
    Huard L, Giza CC, Kelly RB. Critical appraisal of: Chesnut RM, Temkin N, Carney N, Dikmen S, Rondina C, Videtta W, Petroni G, Lujan S, Pridgeon J, Barber J, Machamer J..., PedsCCM Evidence-Based Journal Club
    http://pedsccm.org/view.php?id=850
    1/13/2013

Authored Content

  • More Hard Knocks: TBI and Concussion at the American Academy of Neurology Annual MeetingApril 2018
  • More Hard Knocks: TBI and Concussion at the American Academy of Neurology Annual MeetingApril 2018

Press Mentions

  • URMC Part of Collaboration Awarded $10M for Pediatric Concussion Research
    URMC Part of Collaboration Awarded $10M for Pediatric Concussion ResearchOctober 11th, 2021
  • NINDS Awards $10 Million for Pediatric Concussion Research
    NINDS Awards $10 Million for Pediatric Concussion ResearchOctober 7th, 2021
  • UCLA-Led Group Receives $10M Grant for Study of Concussions in Children
    UCLA-Led Group Receives $10M Grant for Study of Concussions in ChildrenOctober 7th, 2021
  • Join now to see all

Professional Memberships

External Links

Dr. Christopher Giza, Dr. Christopher Giza, MD, Dr. C Giza