About the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine provides highest-quality, technologically advanced emergency medical care to ill and injured children in the Triangle area and throughout the state. We operate a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center at UNC Hospitals, offering a full range of primary, tertiary and quaternary subspecialty care 18 hours a day, seven days a week. This trauma center is among only 6 percent of emergency departments nationwide that have all the specialized equipment needed to treat children and adolescents and offers child-friendly features and amenities to ease the fear and anxiety typically associated with an emergency room visit.

Our Pediatric Emergency Department is a component of the Emergency Department at UNC Hospitals, which treats about 65,000 patients annually, nearly 14,000 of which are children and adolescents under the age of 18. About one-third of all inpatient admissions to North Carolina Children's Hospital enter via the Emergency Department, making it a true gateway for patients with acute medical, surgical and traumatic conditions from all across North Carolina to received the specialize care they require at the Children's Hospital.

Our physicians and other clinical staff treat infants, children and young adults with urgent and emergent medical, surgical and traumatic conditions with compassion and professionalism. They work in close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of care providers and ancillary staff from throughout UNC Hospitals, including:

• Medical and surgical doctors representing a broad range of pediatric subspecialties;
• Social work professionals; and
• Foreign language interpreters.

From the time they walk through the door and throughout the child's stay—and even following admission or discharge—families can expect to be kept at the center of their child's care.

Our Physicians and Staff

Because children are not merely pint-sized adults, pediatric patients require not only specially-sized equipment but also specialized clinical care. The Division has six physicians who are expert subspecialists in pediatric emergency medicine, making us the second largest pediatric emergency medicine group in the Triangle area. Our specially-trained physicians are:

• Capable of diagnosing and treating children and adolescents of all ages and sizes with acute illness and injuries, as well as those with complex medical conditions and special needs; and
• Able to provide age appropriate analgesia and sedation for a wide range of acute traumatic and medical conditions.

These physicians do not only provide specialized patient care to children with complex medical problems requiring emergent tertiary care. They are also faculty members of UNC Chapel Hill's School of Medicine, actively involved in the education of resident physicians from the Departments of Pediatrics, Family Medicine and Anesthesia.

Like our physicians, our nursing staff is specifically trained in pediatric emergency medicine, providing expert care to acutely ill and injured children.