CHOC wants community providers to get to know its physicians. Today, meet Dr. Charles Golden, a board-certified pediatrician and executive medical director, Primary Care Network, CHOC.
What is your education and training?
I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at University of California, Riverside. After completing my undergraduate studies, I attended Western University of Health Sciences College of Allied Health and earned a certificate as a physician assistant. I worked at Southern Orange County Pediatric Associates (SOCPA) as a physician assistant until I started medical school at Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, in Pomona. I completed my internship and residency, including a year as chief resident, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
How long have you been at CHOC?
Just over a year.
What are your special clinical interests?
I love all aspects of clinical medicine, but get energized when I have the opportunity to teach. I believe that every encounter with a patient is an opportunity to teach them something about the body and explain why we make the decisions that we do in medicine. I’m also passionate about teaching medical students and residents, as they continually challenge me to stay up to date with new research. I love the feeling I get from contributing to the development of their careers as physicians.
Are there any new programs or developments within CHOC’s Primary Care Network?
In the near future, we plan to open an after-hours clinic for the entire community. By the end of summer, we’re planning on implementing a single electronic health record (EHR) through Cerner for all our primary care offices so that all of our providers chart on patients in the same record, and a patient’s medical information can securely be available to whoever they see in our group. This will continue to improve communications within the practices.
We’re also growing our comprehensive adolescent medicine services. We will be hiring another adolescent medicine specialist to address this unique, complex patient population. Additionally, we’re working on the use of digital vision screening devices to look for problems with vision in children younger than 4 years old, who are often too young to read a visual acuity chart.
In addition, we’re working closely with CHOC’s chief psychologist, Dr. Heather Huszti and her team to provide a mental health professional in each of our primary care offices to help the medical team screen for and address mental health issues. This is a component of CHOC’s mental health initiative, including the mental health inpatient center opening this spring.
What would you like specialists to know about primary care at CHOC?
I would want the specialists to know about the high-quality care that our physicians provide on a daily basis, as well as the breadth of our network – from central and north Orange County to the most southern part of the county in San Clemente – and the broad diversity of the patients that we care for.
I’d also like them to know that they can feel comfortable collaborating with our pediatricians, and that they can count on us to provide evidence based care to our patients, consistent with what we know their divisions to do. Lastly, I’d want them to see CHOC primary care as a trusted partner in our health system, where we are keeping children healthy through regular examinations, screening, education and integration, and strive to treat our patients and their families holistically rather than simply by disease process.
What would you like patients and families to know about your division at CHOC?
For many people, bringing your child to seek medical care can be a stressful event. There are many sources of information out there regarding children’s health, and in some cases those sources may contribute to more confusion and anxiety. I would like patients and families to know that when they choose a CHOC pediatric provider, they can trust that the care being delivered is state of the art, up to date and based on clinical and scientific evidence, combined with years of expertise. They will be greeted by empathic staff who are skilled in making children feel comfortable, and providers who are not only skilled at diagnostics, but bring a warm and compassionate touch to the visit.
Further, our pediatricians are partners with our specialists, and through this partnership they share knowledge, collaborate in patient care, and help to create a sense of calm for patients and their families.
What inspires you about the care being delivered at CHOC?
Every day pediatricians, pediatric specialists, nursing staff, technicians and so many other professionals come to CHOC to make a difference in the lives of children in need. It’s a calling, and they’re passionate about it. You can feel it when you walk through the door, whether it’s from the smiles and greetings from the folks at the information desk, or when you see a security guard assist a family. Perhaps it’s when you see an associate go out of their way to offer hospitality to a random person in an elevator, or the cutting edge surgical and medical treatments that are happening every day. To try to answer what inspires me most about the care being delivered by CHOC would do a disservice to every little thing that occurs on our campus that makes CHOC a special place. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of it!
Why did you decide to become a doctor?
I fell in love with science as a teenager. Around the same time, my father had a heart attack. I remember going to the hospital and learning about his heart and how the medicine was working to provide care for him. I was fascinated by it all and never looked back.
If you weren’t a physician, what would you be and why?
I would probably be a general contractor. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love spending time with my wife and children. I also enjoy cycling and mountain biking, and being involved in my kids’ sports.
To refer a patient, please call 1-855-212-6740.
