Dr. James Van Decar
Siskin Children’s Institute announces that Dr. James Van Decar will join the team in the Siskin Center for Developmental Pediatrics beginning January 2019.
Dr. Van Decar is a neurodevelopmental pediatrician with more than 30 years of experience serving children with special needs and is an expert in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of developmental disabilities in children. He retired from the Air Force in 2015 after a 28-year career spanning medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., residency in pediatrics and fellowship in developmental disabilities in San Antonio, Texas, and then multiple assignments including Lakenheath Air Force Base in England, Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
In addition to the care he provided to thousands of military dependent children with special needs, he also established one of the Department of Defense first early intervention programs for children when their families were stationed overseas. He advocated for them through efforts to reform the DoD’s Exceptional Family Member Program, and worked to improve Tricare’s Autism Demonstration Program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Van Decar to Siskin Children’s Institute," said Institute President and CEO, Derek Bullard. “His vast experiences working in the field of developmental disabilities and his passion for serving children with special needs and their families make him a great fit for SCI. He will be a great addition to our team.”
Dr. Van Decar is a member of the planning committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Developmental Pediatrics board review course, and also consults with the Florida State University Autism Center. In addition, he was recently appointed by the governor of Tennessee to the State Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention Services.
For more information about Siskin Children’s Institute, visit siskin.org.