About Dr. Keene
Dr. Keene has been practicing pediatrics for more than 25 years. He has been in private practice since 1998 and has been on the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since 1986.
Dr. Keene grew up in Seattle, Washington, graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio and then received his M.D. from the University of Washington School of Medicine. He continued on to residency training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the University of Washington Children's Medical Center in Seattle, and is board-certified in Pediatrics.
Pursuing a special interest in neurodevelopmental pediatrics, Dr. Keene later completed a mini- fellowship with Dr. Mel Levine at the Center for the Study of Development and Learning at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Prior to entering private practice, he worked with CIGNA Healthplan, later renamed Friendly Hills Medical Group, in Culver City and in Inglewood.
"I'm still interested in the areas of brain development, behavior and school issues, along with pretty much anything that has advanced our ability to treat illness in children, from keeping asthma and diabetes patients out of the hospital to the in-patient care of premature newborns," Dr. Keene says.
"My father was struck with polio at the age of 3, and that informs my appreciation of immunizations along with a continuing interest in infectious disease," he continues.
This website has a whole page on the benefit of immunizations, which you can see here.
In the late 1970s, Dr. Keene spent six weeks in the outback of Guatemala, learning Spanish and helping people cope with the aftermath of their huge 1976 earthquake. He enjoys speaking Spanish, and is always happy to learn some new vocabulary. He is now a confirmed Angeleno, having kayaked the LA River and spent many an evening at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
"What I love about Los Angeles is that it's the most successful multi-cultural city in the most successful multi-cultural country in the world," Dr. Keene says. "It's also the city where I live and have been privileged to raise my family, while helping you take care of yours."
Dr. Keene and his wife Joelle, a high school teacher, have three children, all in their 20s. He also enjoys reading the newspaper, playing the violin, carpentry, making waffles, and going to the synagogue.