The Department of Pediatrics provides comprehensive diagnostic, evaluation and treatment services for children. Offering a complete range of medical subspecialties, the Department is divided into 14 subspecialty divisions and one general pediatrics division.

The Department is dedicated to providing technically excellent and highly personalized medical care to children of all ages, with continuing involvement of the family physician. The clinical strengths of the Department are enhanced by a strong commitment to research and training.

The subspecialty Divisions of the Department of
       Pediatrics include:

Cardiology
Critical Care Medicine
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics

 Endocrinology
Gastroenterology and Nutrition
General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Genetics
Hematology/Oncology
Infectious Diseases
Nephrology
Neurology
Newborn Medicine
Pulmonary and Allergy
Rheumatology

Cardiology
The Division of Pediatric Cardiology provides complete diagnostic and therapeutic services for children with congenital and acquired forms of heart disease.

Critical Care Medicine
The Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine offers multidisciplinary critical care services to all pediatric patients, including intensive care of all pediatric disorders, transport of critically ill patients and emergency medicine.
Critical Care Medicine physicians offer special expertise in vasoactive mediators and control of circulation, congenital heart disease, trauma and medical ethics.

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
The Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics endeavors to improve the lives of children and their families by focusing on variations in children’s development in a multidisciplinary way. The term "children’s development" incorporates attention to cognitive, communication, emotional, behavioral, social and physical aspects of a child’s functioning.

Clinical and academic pursuits are directed at promoting understanding among parents, professionals and the community of the variations, problems and disorders in children’s development. The Division also works to promote optimal development and successful adaptation among children with disabilities and their families. Faculty of the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics pursue teaching and research activities consistent with these goals.

Endocrinology
The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology is devoted to the care of children and adolescents with endocrine and metabolic disorders. Services include specialized inpatient and outpatient diagnostic evaluations, as well as management of acute and chronic endocrine and metabolic disorders. Special interests include growth problems, disorders of sexual differentiation and maturation, abnormalities of the thyroid gland, hypoglycemia and diabetes mellitus. Close liaison with the referring physician is maintained throughout the course of treatment.

Gastroenterology and Nutrition
The Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition offers inpatient and outpatient consultative services and long-term follow-up for all gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional disorders and obesity. These include esophageal disorders and reflux, chronic constipation and diarrhea, malabsorption syndromes, celiac disease, allergic gastroenteritis, chronic inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) and peptic ulcer disease.

The Division also diagnoses and treats neonatal liver disease, acute (e.g. hepatitis, drug hepatotoxicity) and chronic liver disorders, Wilson's disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, bile salt abnormalities, cholestatic syndromes, biliary tract and gall bladder disease, pancreatic disease, neonatal disorders of the liver and gastrointestinal tract, and failure-to-thrive.

An active liver transplant program is shared with the Transplant Service. Division physicians work closely with transplant surgeons in evaluating and managing pediatric patients before and after liver transplantation.

Diagnostic procedures such as esophageal, antroduodenal, colonic and rectal motility, esophageal dilation, lactose breath hydrogen test, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, small bowel biopsy, pancreatic function tests, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and liver biopsy may be scheduled following visits to the service. Biofeedback training for defacation disorders is provided.

Breath tests may be scheduled by referring physicians without requesting a consultation. Breath test results are relayed to the referring physician on the same day. At the discretion of the physician, patients with positive results can be given a lactose-free diet.

Nutrition services include evaluation and treatment of nutritional status and related growth failure, obesity, malnutrition, eating disorders and gastrointestinal disease. Programs include:

The Weight Control Program treats children over the age of two and adolescents who are overweight or obese.
The Growth and Nutrition Clinic provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluations of infants and children whose growth is below normal.
The Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders Program treats children over the age of seven and adolescents (and their families) who have eating disorders.

General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
The Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine offers comprehensive care to children up to 21 years of age. The Division provides a wide variety of services, ranging from primary care to the diagnosis and treatment of complex or unusual problems.

Genetics
The Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism offers comprehensive genetic diagnostic and consultative management services to children and their families. The Division’s diagnostic services include the presence of an on-site cytogenetics laboratory that provides state-of-the-art chromosome testing, including metaphase karyotype analysis, FISH studies (to diagnose DiGeorge and Prader-Willi syndrome, among others), and sub-telemetric FISH studies, which are indicated in the work-up of the child with mental retardation.

Hematology/Oncology
The Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology offers complete hematologic and oncologic services for children with all forms of malignant disease, and common and uncommon hematology problems. Staff physicians have developed novel protocols for the aggressive treatment of cancer, including autologous bone marrow transplantation and new approaches to improve the experience of receiving chemotherapy. The Division stresses the interdisciplinary nature of the management of pediatric cancer patients, and works closely with pediatric surgeons and radiation oncologists whenever appropriate. The Division has received grant-funding and national recognition for its novel patient and family support programs, such as a special Children's Cancer Center, which provides state-of-the-art cancer treatment emphasizing family-centered care.

The Division emphasizes a common-sense approach to the entire spectrum of hematologic disorders. Special expertise is offered for the care of anemia, coagulation problems, immune dyscasia, white cell disorders, thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies, manifestations of systemic disease, hemophilia and bone marrow failure.

Infectious Diseases
The Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases provides diagnosis and management of all types of infections ranging from meningitis and encephalitis to pneumonia and osteomyelitis, from suppurative lymphadentitis to Kawasaki disease and AIDS.

Nephrology
The Division of Pediatric Nephrology includes of a full-time Pediatric Nephrologist and nursing support. The Division provides an in-hospital service for diagnosis and management of patients with primary acute and chronic renal disease, as well as a consultation service for children whose illnesses are associated with or complicated by renal or fluid-related problems. The staff also provides services including percutaneous renal biopsies, acute and chronic dialysis as well as hemofiltration and renal transplantation. An active outpatient service is available for children with a wide variety of renal problems such as:
- Urinary tract infections, pyelonephritis and structural renal
  abnormalities
- Enuresis
- Acid-base, fluid and electrolyte disturbances
- Disorders of glomerular function such as proteinuria,
  hematuria, nephrotic syndrome, and glomerulonephritis
- Disorders of tubular function such as Renal Tubular
  Acidosis, Fanconi’s syndrome, metabolic alkalosis, polyuria
  and urine concentrating defects
- Hypercalciuria and nephrolithiasis
- Hypertension. This includes 24-hour ambulatory blood
  pressure monitoring
- Cystic Kidney Disease
- Renal failure

Neurology
The Division of Pediatric Neurology care for children of all ages with a full spectrum of neurological disorders, including those affecting development, learning, and behavior. Services provided include ambulatory and inpatient diagnostic evaluations, treatment of acute neurological disorders, and ongoing management of longer-term problems.

Special interests of the Division include:
-Seizures and epilepsy from newborns to young adults
- EEG - video monitoring for epilepsy and other paroxsymal
  disorders
- Neurology of the newborn
- Febrile convulsions
- Neurometabolic diseases
- Mitochondrial disorders
- Learning and attentional disorders
- Headaches, including migraine
- Cerebral palsy
- Hypotonia and neuromuscular disorders
- Developmental disorders, including cognitive,
  speech/language, motor, and psychosocial delays
- Head injuries and their sequelae
- Movement disorders, including Tourette syndrome
- Infectious diseases, including Lyme disease
- Neurogenetic diseases
- Behavioral disorders, including autism.

Newborn Medicine
The Division of Newborn Medicine offers comprehensive services to all newborn infants requiring intensive care or diagnostic evaluation. Our neonatologists work closely with specialists in Maternal/Fetal Medicine, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric and Cardiac Surgery, Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric Genetics, and other medical and surgical subspecialties to assure optimal coordination of care from prenatal consultation to discharge planning.

Pulmonary and Allergy
The Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy undertakes the diagnosis and management of both respiratory disease and allergy in children of all ages.
 The Center provides diagnosis and care for patients of all ages with cystic fibrosis.

The fully-equipped pulmonary function laboratory provides equipment for complete assessment of respiratory function including the following:

- Helium dilution lung volumes
- Body plethysmography
- Time-based spirometry
- Arterial blood gas sampling
- Flow volume curves
- Diffusing capacity
- Airway challenge
- Oximetry
- Capnography
- Exercise capability
Computerized results are available in chart form after medical interpretation, usually within one working day of laboratory testing.

Rheumatology
The Division of Pediatric Rheumatology provides comprehensive services in diagnosis and treatment for children with arthritis and related disorders.
The Division's multidisciplinary team includes pediatric rheumatologists, a clinical nurse specialist, an occupational therapist and a social worker. This team works together to provide optimal care for children with various rheumatic disorders including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, scleroderma, various vasculitic syndromes (including Henoch-Schonlein vasculitis and Kawasaki disease) and other conditions which raise the question of rheumatic disease.

Inpatient facilities and programs are available for the expert management of seriously ill or disabled children with rheumatic diseases.