A Strong Foundation
Innovation and collaboration have been the cornerstone of Pediatric Associates since its inception. Our "Fab Five" founding pediatricians, Eddie Saltzman, Bud Tanis, Bob Pitell, Phil Levin, and Jed Jacobson, took a leap of faith and combined their individual practices with a shared goal: accessible, compassionate care for families in South Florida. In 1955, the first Pediatric Associates location opened its doors in Hollywood, Florida. Since then, our clinicians have cared for generations of families, with many of our first patients now bringing their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to our practice.
A Vision for the Future
With a proven formula built on ease of access, value-based care, and quality, Pediatric associates sets its sights on bringing our brand of loving care to children across the country. In 2020, a new chapter began as we started acquiring practices in other regions of Florida and expanded into Texas and California. Growth into New York, New Jersey, and Arizona soon followed, along with deeper roots in Texas, California, and Florida, and the Pediatric Associates Family of Companies was born. Today, we care for millions of families across seven states, and we continue to welcome new practices into our family.
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS
250+
NUMBER OF CLINICIANS
1,000+
ACTIVE PATIENTS
1.6 million+
Our Team
Our team members bring outstanding care and genuine enthusiasm to everything they do. The people who thrive here do not see this as just a job. They see it as a chance to make a real difference in the lives of the children and families we serve. The compassion carries through everything we do and shows up in every interaction. It is what the Pediatric Associates Family of Companies stands for.
Scott Powers
Chief Executive Officer
Scott Powers joined PAFC in August 2025, bringing with him a visionary commitment to meaningfully enhancing the lives of children, families, and caregivers. His leadership and vision are rooted in the use of proven, innovative, and transformative approaches to care. Before joining PAFC, Scott served as CEO at Elara Caring, a leading multi-state home health provider. During his six-year tenure, he led significant growth both organically and inorganically while introducing award-winning technology that elevated the clinical experience and built a culture of high-quality patient care, innovation, energy, and accountability.
Amanda Root
Chief Marketing Officer
Hakan Kardes
Chief Operating Officer
Hakan Kardes is the Chief Operating Officer of Pediatric Associates Family of Companies, where he leads operations, technology, AI, and enterprise transformation. His focus is on building a next-generation, AI-native pediatric platform — a trusted companion to children, families, and pediatricians — while driving scalable, personalized, and compassionate care.
Before joining Pediatric Associates, Hakan served as Chief Technology & Experience Officer at Alignment Health, where he led enterprise data, technology, AI, Medicare Stars, and consumer operations. He architected the AVA platform and spearheaded data-driven initiatives that fueled 60% year-over-year growth, industry-leading Star ratings, and best-in-class member experience — helping the company scale nationally and succeed through IPO and beyond.
Prior to Alignment, Hakan held technology and strategy leadership roles across healthcare and digital innovation, including at Cambia Health Solutions and Intelius.
Hakan was named one of Business Insider’s “30 Leaders Under 40 Transforming Healthcare” for his work at the intersection of AI and care delivery. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Nevada, Reno and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Bogazici University. He has authored over 15 peer-reviewed publications and holds several patents in data, artificial intelligence and healthcare technology.
April Andrews-Singh RN, ALM, JD
Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer / General Counsel
April Andrews-Singh has been General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer since 2022, after serving as the Vice President of Risk and Compliance since December 2020. Prior to Pediatric Associates, she served as the General Counsel and Senior VP of Legal and Governmental Affairs for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, FL. She also previously served as the Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Cleveland Clinic Hospital. April holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wright State University, starting her career as a neurosurgical critical care nurse. She went on to earn a law degree from Capital University Law School and a Master’s in International Relations from the Harvard Extension School.
Charlene Wong, MD, MSHP
Chief Clinical Officer
Dr. Charlene Wong is the Chief Clinical Officer for Pediatric Associates Family of Companies (PAFC), the nation's largest pediatric primary care organization, serving more than 1.6 million children annually. Dr. Wong is a nationally recognized leader in pediatric value-based care and innovations in child health and well-being. She brings experience as a practicing primary care pediatrician and as a leader in health care transformation, public health, and public policy across state and federal health ecosystems.
As Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Wong oversees clinical strategy across PAFC, guiding the continued evolution of PAFC’s care models and strengthening its commitment to delivering high-quality care across its 250+ clinics in seven states. Her leadership focuses on translating evidence into practice, accelerating value-based care, and building integrated systems that support children and families across the continuum of care.
Dr. Wong brings a unique combination of frontline clinical experience and leadership across local, state, and federal health systems. She has served as Senior Advisor for Health Strategy to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director, the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at the North Carolina Health and Human Services, and Executive Director of NC Integrated Care for Kids.
Barbara Alexander, D.O., FAAP
Regional Medical Director, East
Dr. Barbara Alexander is a board-certified pediatrician and has been practicing General Pediatrics since the year 2000. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Florida International University in 1992 and went on to earn her Osteopathic Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1996. From there, she completed an Osteopathic Internship at Palmetto General Hospital and followed that with the completion of her residency training in Pediatrics at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. Dr. Alexander is a long-time Florida resident and was a patient of Pediatric Associates from the age of 1, so it was a natural progression for her to return to practice at our flagship office in Hollywood, FL, the very one where she received her own care. She spent most of her 20+ years caring for patients in the Hollywood office and throughout that time also served in several leadership roles and as the Chair of the Quality Committee for 10 of those years. In 2019, she transitioned into medical directorship for FL which ultimately led her to her current position as Senior Regional Medical Director of the East Region, which she has held since 2022.
Sara Silvestri, MD
VP, Senior Regional Medical Director
Lisa Engel, MD
VP, Senior Regional Medical Director
Ravinder Khaira, M.D. MBA. MPH, FAAP
Senior Medical Director, Northern California
Dr. Ravi Khaira is currently the Medical Director of the Northern California region, (NorCal). He was the founding Medical Director of Capital Pediatrics in the Greater Sacramento area, prior to partnering with Pediatric Associates. Dr Khaira is a board-certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Khaira attended the University of California at Davis graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences in 1990, he then attended St.George’s University School of Medicine and completed his clinical cores at Yale and Cornell Medical Centers. Dr. Khaira completed his post-doctoral training in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Dr. Khaira also holds a Master’s in Public Health from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at John Hopkins University and a Masters of Business Administration, honors designation, with certification in Health Finance and Organizational Management from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with patient care Dr. Khaira is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, Public Health and the Director of the Pediatric Clerkship at the California Northstate University College of Medicine.
Zaineth Yancy, MD, FAAP
VP, Senior Regional Medical Director
