- Home
- About Us
- Divisions
- Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine
- Allergy and Immunology
- Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapies
- Cardiology
- Child Advocacy
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
- General Academic Pediatrics
- Genetic and Genomic Medicine
- Health Informatics
- Hematology-Oncology
- Infectious Diseases
- Nephrology
- Neurology and Child Development
- Newborn Medicine
- Paul C. Gaffney Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine
- Pulmonology
- Rheumatology
- Centers & Institutes
- Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism
- Center for Rare Disease Therapy
- Children's Neuroscience Institute
- Cystic Fibrosis Research Center
- Institute for Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity in Children
- Pediatric Asthma Center
- Pediatric Institute for Heart Regeneration and Therapeutics
- Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research
- Pittsburgh Vaccine Trials Unit
- The Pittsburgh Study
- Research
- Diversity
- Education
- Faculty Affairs
- News
- People
- Podcasts
Robert A. Safier, MD
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics
- Clinical Director, Division of Child Neurology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Dr. Robert Safier joined the University of Pittsburgh in September 2005 to serve as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology in the Division of Child Neurology at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Penn State University in 1991. He received his MD degree from Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1999. He completed his training in Pediatrics at MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, OH in 2002. At the completion of his Pediatric Residency, he was awarded the resident Good Fellow Award, which is selected by junior residents for being an outstanding senior resident for dedication and service towards his colleagues. He completed his training in Child Neurology at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in 2005. During his final year, he was awarded the Child Neurology Society Outstanding Junior Member Award, which is chosen by the Scientific Selection Committee as an outstanding junior member presenting an abstract. Dr. Safier had two abstracts presented during that annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA in 2005. In July 2019, Dr. Safier was appointed Clinical Director for the Division of Child Neurology at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. It was at this time that Dr. Safier was promoted to Associate Professor.
Dr. Safier is highly skilled as an educator. Dr. Safier is committed to teaching and mentoring medical students. On the graduate medical education level, Dr. Safier is involved in the clinical education of child neurology residents. As an active member on the Child Neurology Education Committee, he developed new Clinical Neurosciences Clerkship structures within the Division of Child Neurology. His mentorship directly influenced medical students to choose the field of child neurology at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and nationally. Dr. Safier is recognized as an excellent general clinical child neurologist and regularly receives high praises from his patients and their families. In 2020, Dr. Safier was award the UPMC Excellence in Patient Experience Award. His main research interest is studying the clinical and radiological presentation of hemiplegic migraine of childhood to better understand the pathophysiology.
Professional and Scientific Society Memberships
- American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999-2006
- American Medical Association, 1999-2002
- Northern Ohio Pediatric Society, 1999-2002
- American Academy of Neurology, 2002-Present
- Child Neurology Society, 2003-Present
- Pittsburgh Pediatric Society, 2006
- Allegheny County Medical Society, 2006
- Pennsylvania Medical Society, 2006
Education & Training
- BA, Liberal Arts, Penn State University, 1991
- Post-Baccalaureate, University of Pittsburgh, 1994
- MD, Sackler School of Medicine Tel Aviv University, 1999
- Residency in Pediatrics, MetroHealth Medical Center Case Western Reserve University, 1999-2002
- Residency in Child Neurology, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2002-2005
Selected Publications
Ortolani EK, Safier R, Mitchell EB, Cleves-Bayon C. Non-Syndromic Craniosynostosis Mimicking Primary Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome. Headache 2019 Feb; 59(2): 264-265. PubMed PMID: 30474204
Cobb-Pitstick KM, Munjal N, Safier R, Cummings DD, Zuccoli G. Time Course of Cerebral Perfusion Changes in Children with Migraine with Aura Mimicking Stroke. Am j Neuroradiol 2018 Sep; 39(9):1751-1755. PubMed PMID: 29903927
Safier R, Cleves-Bayon C, Vaisleib I, Siddiqui A, Zuccoli G. Magnetic Resonance Angiography Evidence of Vasospasm in Children with Suspected Acute Hemiplegic Migraine. J Child Neurol June 2014 vol. 29 no. 6 789-79. PubMed PMID: 23594822
Sathanoori M, Hu J, Murthy V, Byrnes A, Vockley J, Safier R, Bedoyan J, Jalal SM, Huber H, Surti, U. Cryptic Duplication of 12q24.33 qter in a Child with Angelman Syndrome - Simultaneous Occurrence of Two Unrelated Cytogenetic Events. Am J Med Genet A. 2007 May 1; 143A (9):985-94. PubMed PMID: 17394213
Safier R, Alper G. A Child with Transient Neurological Deficits and Headache Associated with CSF Pleocytosis. J Child Neurol 2005 May; 20(5): 439-41. PubMed PMID: 15968929
Academic and Research Interests
- Hemiplegic Migraine