Pediatric Emergency Medicine

We pride ourselves on providing the best care for the sickest children.  Our pediatric emergency medicine specialists excel in cutting edge care and contribute broadly to research in our field, and the education of the physicians of the future.

Learn more from our system Chief

Resident Education: Highly experienced, fellowship-trained attending physicians comprise the faculty of our pediatric curriculum. They teach, supervise, and provide our residents with a well-rounded exposure to pediatric emergency care for children of all ages, in a diverse community that also includes patient transfers from Mount Sinai Health System hospitals located throughout the metropolitan area. Residents from Pediatrics, Medicine-Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, and Family Medicine form the core of our training program.

Throughout the Emergency Medicine (EM) residency, several rotations are dedicated to pediatric emergency medicine which include EM shifts in the Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Mount Sinai's Pediatric ED sees many subspecialty patients from the transplant, hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, metabolic, cardiology, surgical, and endocrinology services, providing our residents with the opportunity to manage patients requiring complex care. These interactions are essential to developing our residents' expertise in treating acutely ill pediatric patients through all stages of their illnesses.

Rotations in Pediatric Anesthesiology and Orthopedics are part of the PGY-1 curriculum. Seniors do a rotation in the Pediatric ICU as well.  Small group sessions and simulation augment the core curriculum in pediatric emergency medicine for our residents.  A pediatric emergency elective in the second and third post graduate years is available to pediatric residents from Elmhurst Hospital in Queens and a senior Specialty Track are also available to interested EM residents. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification is provided by a dedicated staff of PALS instructors, which includes both Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) faculty and all PEM fellows.

For Medical Students

We offer many opportunities for students from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to hone their history and physical exam skills, as well as further develop differential diagnoses and management plans. We currently instruct medical students in all stages of their training through the following programs and rotations: Art and Science of Medicine 1 and 2, Third Year Pediatric Clerkship, Third Year Emergency Medicine Clerkship, Fourth Year Pediatric Sub-Internship, and Fourth Year EM Sub-Internship Faculty-mentored research electives.  Our faculty also teach a variety of other student electives and courses.

Students rotating in our Department for clinical rotations assess children presenting with a broad range of urgent and emergent medical complaints, and together with the attending physicians, develop and implement management plans for those patients. Additionally, there are opportunities to perform procedures, including laceration repair, foreign body removal, IV line placement, and more. Students also attend pediatric-focused conferences and review cases with the attending coordinator for their respective rotations.

The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Division is actively engaged in research in order to advance knowledge and improve the care of children. Research is supported by a robust Research Associate Program and faculty have been successful in obtaining funding from multiple sources to support their work. Our research areas are broad and include topics such as abdominal pain, injury/fractures, respiratory illnesses, medical education, ultrasound, and stimulation. In addition, research has been focused on new and innovative uses of technology, such as a pediatric resuscitation mobile app, using alerts in electronic medical records to improve documentation, and telemedicine.

The Fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine is an ACGME-accredited training program where physicians with backgrounds in pediatrics or emergency medicine can learn to provide compassionate, evidenced-based, and up-to-date emergency care for children. Since the program’s inception our trainees have gone on to accept academic positions across the United States. We pride ourselves in producing clinically savvy and academically productive fellows who look forward to becoming leaders in the field.

Our fellows spend the majority of their time at The Mount Sinai Hospital but also have rotations at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Elmhurst Hospital Center, and the New York City Poison Control Center. In addition to these four sites, all of the other centers within the Mount Sinai Health System are available to our fellows. These include Mount Sinai West, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai Queens, Mount Sinai Brooklyn, and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. The Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai is the epicenter for pediatric care within the Mount Sinai Health System and is the referral center for all Health System hospitals.

The Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellows work very closely within both the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics. Our fellows provide both lectures, workshops, and bedside teaching to pediatric, emergency, and family medicine residents throughout their training. Research mentors can be found within the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine as well as throughout the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics.

Learn more about the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship at Mount Sinai

Our Section is an active and integral part of the Division of Emergency Medicine. The Division is active in teaching and provides ultrasound education to medical students and residents as part of their curriculum, and supports rotation, didactic, and bedside ultrasound teaching to Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatric Residents. The faculty also provides educational and research support to the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellows.

The faculty is prolific in research and publications involving point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric emergencies, with interests in its application for detection of appendicitis, pneumonia, angioedema, fractures, and applications for limited resource settings. The Division also actively participates in regional, national, and international conferences by providing workshops and lectures in Pediatric Emergency Ultrasound.

The PEM Division has a robust simulation program. Experiential learning and deliberate practice are essential components of medical education. We use simulation to teach procedures such as airway management and more complex concepts like resuscitation, teamwork, and communication skills. Three high-fidelity wireless pediatric mannequins provide unmatched, interactive learning opportunities for students, residents, and fellows.

Our PEM fellows practice in regular simulations throughout the year and learn how to teach using the simulator. They help teach medical student simulations as well as our residents. Our EM residents receive regular simulation instruction (both pediatric and adult medicine).  Some fellows choose to do a month long elective on medical simulation in the STAR Center. Christopher Strother, MD, the PEM Division Chief, also serves as the Medical Director for the STAR Center and the Director of Undergraduate Simulation for the Icahn School of Medicine.  Simulation is an essential part of our PEM education program.

At Mount Sinai Beth Israel our PEM simulation program focuses on nursing education.  Our curriculum utilizes high-fidelity pediatric mannequins to perform monthly in situ resuscitations.  Our goal is to provide supplemental education that focuses on teamwork, management strategies, medication dosing, and hone critical skills utilizing pediatric specific equipment.

We have a robust Child Life program at Mount Sinai and in the Pediatric ED, we have dedicated child life specialists to meet your needs.

Our Child Life Specialists provide preparation and support for stressful procedures utilizing developmentally appropriate language. They create a child friendly environment, with medical play to normalize equipment and activities to help distract children. They work with children and families to offer non-pharmacological pain management and individualize a plan for coping for each patient. 

Our music therapist provides children, families, and medical staff with procedural, environmental, and emotional support, utilizing individualized music therapy interventions.

Just a few of their services include:

• Providing individualized support to patients and families before, during, and after medical procedures
• Providing coping and pain management techniques such as breathing exercises, distraction, and diversion
• Advocating for patients and their families and supporting their needs
• Promoting a supportive child friendly environment that acknowledges and celebrates milestones including birthdays and holidays
• Training volunteers, students, physicians, and staff

Our Child Life and Music Therapy team helps patients and families adjust and understand their health care experiences.  In order to dispel fears and anxieties, education is provided to you and your child about what to expect regarding any necessary procedures during your visit to the Pediatric ED.

The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai is deeply invested in remaining an integral part of the vibrant communities which we serve and strives to set the standard for local engagement throughout the Mount Sinai Health System and the New York metropolitan area. As such, our community outreach efforts have been focused on developing sustainable and long-lived relationships with local leaders and other stakeholders regarding the needs of our communities.

Following is a summary of our most recent outreach activities:

• We regularly participate in small group meet-and-greet events at local community centers as well as community health fairs providing free blood pressure screenings, promoting preventative health information, and making connections with other programs that provide health services to the community.
• We provided first aid training to early childhood educators in local preschools.
• Our faculty remain in close communication with practitioners in local practices to facilitate smooth transitions of care from the office to the emergency department.
• We remain in close contact with community leaders and local representatives regarding the health of our communities, support local fundraisers, and attend functions that celebrate cohesiveness of the community.
• We host an annual Children’s Holiday Party, sponsored by a long time benefactor of Pediatric Services at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, welcoming families of patients previously admitted to the Pediatric Short Stay Unit and families from the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation.
• We have undertaken initiatives to improve our visibility within the community and provide  linkage  services  to primary  care  and  specialties  within  the  Mount  Sinai  Health
• Throughout the year, health educators have held regular events to increase awareness of services to treat addiction and have distributed naloxone rescue kits and trained individuals on their use.

We continue to work with the Latino Commission on AIDS on initiatives to reduce new HIV diagnoses and provide services to those living with HIV/AIDS.

The Pediatric Emergency Department faculty practice sees patients from throughout the New York metropolitan area, the United States, and the world. Our physicians are board certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and have trained at leading academic institutions throughout the United States. Our faculty have a variety of academic interests including simulation training, bedside ultrasound, wellness, and debriefing.

Meet our team