Dr. David C. Herz, MD is a pediatrician in Carlsbad providing care for infants, children, and adolescents at Scripps Coastal Medical Center on Salk Avenue. His pediatric scope coordinates early oral health assessments with the pediatric dental specialists at CarlsbaDDS Pediatric Smiles, establishing fluoride-varnish and caries-prevention timelines starting at age one. A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, he completed his pediatric residency at UC Irvine Medical Center and is affiliated with Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas for inpatient admissions. His adolescent medicine subspecialty addresses the transition from pediatric to adult care, covering sports physicals, vaccination schedules, and acute illness triage — a continuity model that interfaces with the after-hours pediatric capabilities at Coastal Family Urgent Care when same-day evaluation falls outside standard scheduling. Complex case management includes neonatal growth-curve tracking, multi-dose immunization sequencing per CDC and AAP guidelines, and developmental milestone screening using validated ASQ-3 and M-CHAT-R instruments.