Yonca Bulut, MD

Dr. Yonca Bulut is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

She attended medical school at the University of Ankara, Turkey, completed her pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio, and fellowship in pediatric critical care at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

Prior to joining the PCCM division at UCLA, Dr. Bulut was a faculty member at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, later she served as the Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center.

Dr. Bulut’s research interests include the role of iron and the iron-regulatory hormone Hepcidin in bacterial infections. Her translational work focused on the utilization of Hepcidin as a biomarker and a therapeutic agent. Her research accomplishments have been recognized by national and private institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the Today’s and Tomorrow's Children's Fund and the Oppenheimer Foundation. Dr. Bulut’s work on iron metabolism in infection has been published in several prestigious scientific journals, including Blood, Cell Host and Microbe, Journal of Immunology, Infection and Immunity.

Dr. Bulut’s clinical interests include Anemia and Iron Deficiency, Transfusion practices in ICU settings, Pediatric Acute Liver Failure and Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness.

Dr. Bulut is one of the Educators for Excellence faculty at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is the recipient of the UCLA Pediatric Residency Faculty Teaching Honor Roll for Academic Year 2022-2023 and Robert C. Neerhout Faculty Award for Academic Year 2020-2021 in appreciation for excellence in teaching. She is the recipient of Golden Apple Teaching Award from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in 1999. Dr. Bulut is the PICU elective chair for the 4th year medical students at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA since 2014.

Dr. Bulut is a member of the Board for the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Southern California Chapter.

Dr. Bulut is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care.