We Believe that Children Are Our Future

There are 16 subspecialty divisions within our department.

• The Division of Adolescent Medicine provides clinical care for adolescents from 12 to 21 years of age in a variety of clinical settings, such as the hospital-based adolescent clinic and school-based clinics.
• The Division of Allergy/Immunology/Rheumatology provides care for a diverse group of patients with special emphasis on immune deficiency diseases. The department is nationally recognized for its HIV evaluation and treatment program.
• The Division of Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics is a division that provides evaluation and treatment services both at the tertiary center and in community sites throughout the state. Care is provided for families with dysfunctional behavior and developmental problems, disabilities or handicaps. Consultation is provided to a number of local schools.
• The Division of Cardiology provides exercise testing, Holter monitoring, pacemaker implants, and two-dimensional echocardiography color flow. A dedicated pediatric catheterization laboratory is the site for state-of-the-art therapeutic interventions. Comprehensive fetal echocardiographic services make the department a leader in the field.

• The Division of Child Protection is involved in clinical activities, teaching, research and advocacy in the field of child abuse and neglect (maltreatment).  Clinical activities include the prevention of child maltreatment, the evaluation of children who may have been abused or neglected, and the mental health treatment of abused children and their families.  Faculty teaches a wide range of topics related to child abuse and neglect - within the University of Maryland in the Baltimore metro area, state and nationwide.  Research focuses on the prevention of child maltreatment as well as understanding what contributes to this problem and what influences the different outcomes in maltreated children and youth.  The division is engaged in advocacy at the city, state and national levels to improve policies and programs that strengthen families and protect children.

• The Division of Emergency Medicine has a multidisciplinary staff of critical care specialists to meet the special medical, emotional and social needs of the sickest children and their families with great compassion and skill. Many patients come to the pediatric intensive care unit via our highly respected Maryland Express Care for kids, the largest nurse-led pediatric critical care transport team in the state.
• The Division of Endocrinology is an internationally recognized division for both its research program and clinical endocrine diagnostic unit. The pediatric diabetes program has joined the Joslin Center for Diabetes at University of Maryland, a world renowned program in diabetes care.
• The Division of Growth and Nutrition is a resource for children with hard-to-diagnose gastrointestinal problems. This is the country's first center for diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease. The division partners with the Center for Vaccine Development to do research on infectious diarrhea and vaccine development.
• As an affiliate of a major national cancer network, the Division of Hematology/Oncology affords patients expert information, hard-to-get experimental drugs, and state-of-the-art test and treatment regimens. A team of physicians, nurse clinicians, social workers and child life specialists provides sensitive medical care for children and emotional support for families.
• Through the Division of Human Genetics, genetic, pediatric and obstetric expertise is integrated to provide clinical and laboratory services for diagnosing and managing genetic disorders. We offer comprehensive genetic evaluations, genetic testing, and prenatal diagnosis and counseling.
• Unique in the United States is the Division of Infectious Disease and Tropical Pediatrics. The mission of this division includes ongoing consultation with the Agency for International Development, the World Health Organization and the Pan-American Health Organization. Many of the faculty are also members of the School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development.
• The Division of Neonatology provides advanced tertiary care for the smallest and sickest newborns. The state-of-the-art, 40-bed NICU is the largest in the state. The division collaborates with its counterpart at Johns Hopkins Hospital in providing transport of critically ill neonates from community hospitals to a tertiary center for intensive care.
• Within the Division of Nephrology, a multidisciplinary team composed of a physician, social worker, dietitian, child life specialist, teacher and psychologist work together as a team. They strive to help patients with chronic renal disease maintain a lifestyle as similar as possible to that of healthy children.
• Clinical care in the Division of Neurology focuses on developmental disabilities, progressive degenerative disorders and epilepsy. The Pediatric Headache Clinic is one of only two such clinics in the United States.
• The Division of Pediatric Medicine is comprised of a group of academic generalists committed to primary patient care, education and clinical research. The faculty within this division precept the residents for their longitudinal continuity clinic experience. In addition, the Community Practice Program, spearheaded by a member of this division, provides a complementary continuity experience in the community. A major area of expertise in the division is child abuse and neglect. Faculty act as child advocates in the courts as well as advocating on state and national levels.
• The PhD faculty within the Division of Pediatric Research have a primary mission to conduct bench research. These scientists collaborate extensively with clinicians. The focus of this division is to conduct studies in developmental biology with a special emphasis on mental retardation and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. In addition to the work in this division, each of the other specialty divisions does research within its own area of expertise. The department ranks among the top 10 of all public university pediatric departments in federal research grant awards, with more than $7.5 million in funding to the department independently and in collaboration with other departments. Grants and contracts total more than $16 million.
• The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Pediatric Sleep Disorders Institute combines research and therapeutic services for infants at risk for SIDS. For older children at risk for obstructive sleep apnea or narcolepsy, overnight sleep studies are conducted and interpreted.

In addition, the department has a program in international health. Faculty at University and Mercy Medical Center who have experience and ongoing interest in this area have developed liaisons in both Chile and Uganda. Residents interested in taking advantage of this opportunity can learn first-hand the interaction and impact of social, economic, cultural and biological factors on health and disease.

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