Kathleen Marie Vazzana, DO - Pediatric Rheumatology

Kathleen M. Vazzana, DO, MSc, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric rheumatologist at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. She evaluates and treats children with rheumatic diseases, which are chronic autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions affecting growth, development and quality of life.

Care for Rheumatic Diseases

Dr. Vazzana is dedicated to caring for children with chronic and life-threating rheumatic diseases such as Kawasaki disease, scleroderma, systematic lupus and more. These conditions involve joints, muscles, bones and connective tissue causing pain, swelling, stiffness and deformity. They also may impact other organs and systems in the body, requiring collaboration with other specialists.

To determine a child’s specific rheumatic disease, Dr. Vazzana performs any number of diagnostic and monitoring procedures, including:

• Imaging studies
• Joint aspiration
• Laboratory studies
• Respiratory function
• Skin or muscle biopsy

Dr. Vazzana’s Training

Dr. Vazzana attended the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine and a master’s degree in neuromusculoskeletal sciences, graduating with distinction. She then completed a residency in pediatrics at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, followed by a fellowship in pediatric rheumatology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and a clinical fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

About Dr. Vazzana

In addition to certification by the American Board of Pediatrics, Dr. Vazzana is active in her profession as a member of the American College of Rheumatology, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance, and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Throughout her education and career, she has volunteered time as a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Arthritis Foundation and Team for Kids.