Staff Report

Cottage Children’s Medical Center has opened a new pediatric surgery clinic led by Dr. Robert C. Kanard, who has been appointed chief of pediatric surgery.

The new clinic, at 5333 Hollister Ave. in Goleta, provides expertise in gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, thoracic, congenital anomaly, trauma, emergency, endocrine, oncology, and outpatient surgeries.

“I believe pediatric surgery can be painless and scarless,” Dr. Kanard said. “My philosophy for treating children is rooted in being a parent. I treat every child as I would want my children to be treated.”

With minimally invasive laparoscopy used in many procedures, recovery times can be faster and children can go home sooner than before.

Dr. Kanard is among fewer than 1,000 pediatric surgeons in the United States, according to the American Board of Surgery. He earned his medical degree from Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, followed by a general surgery residency at University of Louisville Medical Center, research fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and a pediatric surgery fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

For more information, visit www.cottagehealth.org/childrens.