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Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, MD

About Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, MD

Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, MD, is a pediatric neurologist in the Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She specializes in helping children with epilepsy.

Dr. McDonnell had a personal reason for choosing her specialty.

“My sister had epilepsy when she was a child, which made me want to help children and families with neurologic conditions,” she says. “I later developed an interest in science and particularly in how the brain works.”

She notes that although epilepsy affects just 1% of the population, it’s morbidity is quite high. Fortunately, many tools are available to help control the disorder.

A native of Argentina, Dr. McDonnell enjoys working with Spanish speakers who may otherwise have trouble accessing appropriate care due to language barriers. She is involved in the implementation of a neurology clinic where care will be provided in Spanish.

Dr. McDonnell is also Medical Co-Director of the Department of Global Medicine at CHOP.

Along with her clinical work, she is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. McDonnell is enthusiastic about new developments in genetics that may one day allow doctors to predict the course of epilepsy and target treatments accordingly.

When caring for children, Dr. McDonnell is reminded of her sister and the comfort of knowing medical professionals were helping to manage her epilepsy.

“I am always inspired by the doctors that helped our family,” she says. “And as your doctor, I care about your child and your family as if they were my own. I hope that is an experience that can be taken from every visit at CHOP.”

Titles

Attending Physician

Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Certifications

Child Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Epilepsy – American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Awards and Honors

2022, Main Line Today Top Docs, Neurology
2015, American Epilepsy Society - Fellows Program/AES
2015, American Academy of Neurology Anual Meeting Resident Scholarship Program/ AAN

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in Professional Organizations

2014-present, Child Neurology Society
2014-present, American Epilepsy Society
2012-present, American Academy of Neurology

Education & training

Graduate Degree

MS in Physiology and Biophysics - Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Medical Degree

MD - Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

Child Neurology - Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 
Pediatrics - Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA

Fellowship

Clinical Neurophysiology - Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 

Team affiliations

View fewer all team affiliations View all all team affiliations

Publications

Publications

2016

McDonnell, Pamela Pojomovsky and Dougherty, Michelle. Dietary Therapies for Epilepsy. Practical Neurology, March 2016:46-8.

Books

Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, edited by Maria Rodriguez. Original authors Christina Bergqvist et al.: El manual de la Dieta Cetogenica (Spanish translation of the Ketogenic Diet Manual). The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Department of Neurology 2017.

Patient experience rating

(based on 87 submissions)

  • Clear Explanation
    4.9 of 5
  • Showed Concern
    4.9 of 5
  • Would recommend
    4.9 of 5
  • Discussion of Proposed Treatment
    4.9 of 5
Learn about the patient experience rating system

Comments

  • Very good GOD bless you

    5 of 5
    Nov 11, 2024
  • Dr Pamella is one of the best doctor and we are happy with consultation and progress! Thank you for all your efforts !

    5 of 5
    Oct 17, 2024
  • Dr. Pamela was very kind, she explained to me in a very understandable way the process we are going through, happier because it was in Spanish, she was very nice, very kind and very respectful.

    5 of 5
    May 23, 2024
  • Great provider! She is always easy to talk to and covers everything.

    5 of 5
    Jan 19, 2024
  • La doctora y el equipo espectacular. Nos sentimos acompa?ados y con la informaci?n a cabalidad, excelente experiencia.

    5 of 5
    Jan 04, 2024
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About the Patient Experience Rating System

The Patient Experience Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown above from our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score. We are committed to true transparency. However, to ensure the comments are fair and correctly attributed, we review each one before posting to the website. We exclude entire comments that disclose patient’s protected health information, are off-topic, or include other confidential or inappropriate content. Comments will appear on provider bios only if providers have a minimum number of comments. Comments are shared internally for education purposes to ensure that we are doing our very best for the patients and families for whom we are privileged to care. The comments are submitted by patients and families and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not reflect the views of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

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