About Our Surgeons

Dr. Steve Chen has been in the Los Angeles area since 1987.
Prior to establishing BHPS as the medical director, he held the position as Director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Recognized for his contribution toward pediatric surgical care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Chen was the inaugural holder of the Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in Pediatric Surgery until 2013.

Dr. Chen has been board certified in pediatric surgery, general surgery, and surgical critical care by the American Board of Surgery.  He has special interests in minimally invasive surgery for neonates and children and has earned high recognition for his in-depth skills in laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery in our medical community at large.  With the establishment of the Pectus Surgical Institute at BHPS, Dr. Chen provides his vast experience dedicated in surgical management of chest wall deformities for children and adults.

Hospital Medical Staff Privileges:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
City of Hope Medical Center
Huntington Hospital
Providence Cedar-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center
Queen of the Valley Medical Center
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Saint John’s Health Center
Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center

Dr. Emami is a board-certified pediatric surgeon with experience in a variety of pediatric surgical diseases and congenital neonatal conditions. She specializes in both open as well as minimally Invasive surgeries for common pediatric conditions specifically laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a passionate advocate for children's health both locally and nationally. She is currently involved in leadership and advocacy roles at multiple national surgical organizations including American Pediatric Surgical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the American College of Surgeons.

She is a graduate of USC-Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She received her general surgery residency training at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. Subsequently, she completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric surgery at McGill University Children's Hospital in Montreal, Canada. During a sabbatical from her residency, she finished a three-year research fellowship at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Her research focused on pathophysiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating neonatal disease. She is the author of multiple scientific papers on the subject and has given national and international presentations. She has won multiple awards for her research and work on NEC. She speaks multiple foreign languages including Farsi, Spanish, and French.

Hospital Medical Staff Privileges:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
City of Hope Medical Center
Huntington Hospital
Providence Cedar-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center
Queen of the Valley Medical Center