Why Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
- Le Bonheur has been verified as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV). Le Bonheur is the first hospital in Tennessee to achieve this designation.
- We do more minimally invasive surgeries on children for a broader range of conditions than any institution in our region. Our surgeons use minimally invasive techniques when appropriate, which means less pain and quicker recovery for your child.
- Our pediatric chest wall care team brings together experts from many specialties to support your child’s health at every step. Pediatric surgeons, nurse practitioners, cardiologists, nurses, physical therapists and child life specialists work closely together to create a personalized care plan for your child. By combining our expertise and experience, we deliver coordinated, compassionate care that supports successful chest wall repair and helps children achieve the best possible long-term outcomes and quality of life.
Conditions We Treat

- Pectus Excavatum: sometimes called "sunken chest," is a condition where the breastbone (sternum) grows inward, creating a dip or hollow in the middle of the chest. Some children are born with it, and it often becomes more noticeable as they grow, especially during the teenage years.
- Pectus Carinatum: sometimes called "pigeon chest," is a condition where the breastbone (sternum) and ribs grow outward, causing the chest to stick out more than usual. It often becomes more noticeable during growth spurts in late childhood or the teenage years.
Unique Services
- Non-surgical options include Vacuum Bell Treatment, which is a non-invasive therapy that slowly corrects pectus excavatum over time, and the dynamic compressor bracing system, which is used for pectus carinatum.
- Minimally invasive surgery options include the Nuss procedure, which is a minimally invasive procedure for pectus excavatum that places one or more curved metal bars behind the breastbone through small incisions on the sides of the chest. The bars gently push the breastbone outward into a more typical position.
- We use the most up-to-date pain management techniques, such as cryotherapy, in which our surgeons briefly freeze small nerves between the ribs. This temporarily stops those nerves from sending pain signals to the brain.
- Le Bonheur’s Hybrid MRI and Cardiac Catheterization Suite lets us assess chest wall malformations in exceptional detail, often reducing the need for multiple CT scans and additional radiation exposure.
What to Expect
While every patient’s journey is different, you and your child can expect a supportive and comprehensive visit that may include:
- Testing, if needed
- Time with a nurse to help guide your visit
- A physical exam, when appropriate
- A visit with your provider to discuss your individualized plan of care
Arriving at your appointment:
Please arrive 15 minutes early for your child's appointment. Most of our patients will have a coordinated radiology appointment to complete before their appointment. If so, you will go to radiology first. If not, please come straight to your appointment.
At your appointment:
At your first visit, you will meet with one of our chest wall surgeons and a nurse. During this visit, we will review any recent testing your child has completed, such as X-rays. We will also complete a physical exam of your child's chest wall deformity.
Because every child’s experience is unique, you and your family may meet several members of our multidisciplinary team during this visit and in future appointments, as we work together to support your child’s ongoing care and needs. We will work closely with our team, your child, and your family to develop a personalized care plan for your child, and we will take time to review it together before your visit ends.
Chest Wall Clinic Locations
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center
51 N. Dunlap St.
Memphis, TN 38105
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center - East Memphis
100 N. Humphrey's Blvd.
Memphis, TN 38120
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center - Jonesboro
800 South Church Street, Suite 104
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center - Tupelo
942 Commonwealth Blvd.
Tupelo, MS 38804
Schedule an Appointment
If you would like to schedule an appointment with the Chest Wall Center, schedule directly online by following the instructions below or email us at info@lebonheur.org.
New Patients
Schedule online today by clicking the button below. Once you are on the scheduling site, please scroll down and click the Pediatric Surgery button and answer the questions to help direct you to the correct surgeon’s schedule.
Existing Pediatric Surgery Patients
Please request an appointment through your MyChart account. Don’t have a MyChart account? Register today by clicking the button below.
Meet Our Chest Wall Center Team
Director
Tim Jancelewicz, MD, MA, MS, FACS, FAAP, is a pediatric surgeon at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He serves as Director of the Le Bonheur Chest Wall Center and has particular expertise in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), neonatal surgery, minimally invasive and robotic surgery and chest wall disorders.
Dr. Jancelewicz leads Le Bonheur’s multidisciplinary CDH team and is actively involved in advancing the care of infants and children with complex surgical conditions through clinical research. He is a nationally and internationally recognized CDH researcher and is co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded NoNO Trial, a multicenter study seeking to improve the care of newborns with CDH.
Surgeons
Jason S. Frischer, MD, is Surgeon-in-Chief at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and Professor & Chief of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He also directs Le Bonheur’s multidisciplinary Colorectal Center and holds the Bob and Paula McEniry Endowed Chair of Pediatric Surgery and the St. Jude Chair of Excellence in Pediatric Surgical Oncology.
Dr. Frischer earned his medical degree from SUNY Downstate and completed his general surgery training at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He completed an ECMO/research fellowship and pediatric surgery fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of New York/Columbia University Medical Center.
Dr. Saunders Lin is a board-certified pediatric surgeon and Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. He completed his pediatric surgery fellowship at the University of Chicago and holds a Master of Public Administration in Health Policy Analysis from New York University.
With expertise spanning clinical surgery, healthcare research, and public policy, Dr. Lin has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals, including JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgery, and Health Affairs. His background includes healthcare policy research, legislative experience, and advocacy through the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Lin's main clinical focus is chest wall surgery and minimally invasive surgical procedures, with a commitment to improving surgical care and healthcare outcomes for children.
Trey Eubanks, MD, FACS, is president of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Eubanks is a pediatric surgeon and has served Le Bonheur for more than 20 years. Eubanks holds a bachelor’s of science in Pharmacy from the University of Mississippi, and he attended medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Eubanks completed a general surgery residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center followed by a pediatric surgery fellowship at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Eubanks has served in several leadership roles at Le Bonheur, including Trauma Medical Director from 2004-2018. Among his many accomplishments, Eubanks was instrumental in Le Bonheur earning the American College of Surgeons Level I Pediatric Trauma designation. He held the role of surgeon-in-chief from 2015 to 2025 and previously served as chief of the medical staff for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. A native Mississippian, Dr. Eubanks is the father of five and grandfather to three.
Dr. Williams is director of Pediatric Burn Services and assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She is certified by the American Board of Surgery with special qualifications in pediatric surgery. Her clinical interests include neonatal surgery, general and thoracic pediatric surgery, trauma surgery and burn care.
Nurse Practitioners
K. Nikki Freeman, DNP, FNP-C, is a pediatric surgery nurse practitioner with more than 25 years of surgical nursing experience. She specializes in gastrostomy tube management, chest wall deformities, outpatient surgical services, and postoperative care. She is committed to evidence-based, family-centered care and patient education. Nikki also serves on the Physician Informatics Council and is passionate about improving care and outcomes for children and their families.
Nicole Parnell is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with Pediatric Surgery at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. With over a decade of experience caring for children at Le Bonheur, she provides individualized care for pediatric surgery patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, from initial evaluation and treatment planning through postoperative recovery and long-term follow-up. As the dedicated Nurse Practitioner for the Chest Wall Clinic, Nicole has a special focus on expanding access to specialized care, enhancing patient and family education and advancing evidence-based care for children with chest wall deformities. She is passionate about creating a patient-centered experience and helping children achieve the best possible functional and quality-of-life outcomes.
Cardiologists
Dr. Ranjit Philip is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Philip completed his fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He has expertise in general pediatric cardiology and non-invasive imaging and serves as director of the Pediatric Cardiology Outpatient Clinic in the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Dr. Philip is also team cardiologist for the University of Memphis.
Dr. Johnson is the co-director of the Heart Institute and chief of Cardiology at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. He is the St. Jude Endowed Chair of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Research. He is a professor with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Johnson is also the director of the cMRI program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. His research and clinical areas of focus are non-invasive imaging including advanced echocardiography, procedural echocardiographic support, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI). Dr. Johnson is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty.
Dr. Merlocco is the director of the cMRI program at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. He completed his Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital at Harvard Medical School and his advanced Cardiac Imaging and cMRI fellowship subspecialty training at Children's National Medical Center at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a cardiology subspecialty. Dr. Merlocco is also an associate professor with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in the Heart Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.