Dr. Dennis Stokes has been named the new chief of pulmonary medicine at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center.  As a physician, his interests include care improvement in cystic fibrosis and asthma - especially in Memphis.

"You can't live in Memphis and not tackle asthma as a problem. Asthma is a huge problem in large urban areas like Memphis," Stokes said. "Working collaboratively together with other caregivers to improve asthma outcomes is the right thing to do for this community." 

Stokes received his master's degree in public health in 2007, after working many years on epidemiology and quality improvement for chronic illnesses like asthma.

Memphis and West Tennessee are areas that Stokes knows well. He practiced at St. Jude from 1982-1990 and served at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital from 1990-2000. A native of western Kentucky, Stokes completed his pediatric training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was also a chief resident.

He completed his fellowship in pediatric pulmonary diseases at Children's Hospital Boston and has also worked at Riley Hospital for Children. Most recently, he served at Children's Hospital of Dartmouth in New Hampshire.