The division is actively involved in educational initiatives of medical students, nurse practitioners, pediatric residents, and fellows. Clinical teaching is provided on the clinical teaching unit at the McMaster Children’s Hospital complex care unit, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton special care nursery, and resident continuity clinics in both hospital and community clinics.

At the postgraduate level, members of our division provide leadership as postgraduate program directors in the McMaster Pediatric Residency Program and for fellowship programs in general pediatrics and pediatric complex care. Members of our division also serve on the pediatric postgraduate residency program committee, and participate on national committees to promote resident education and scholarly activity.

Division members contribute to clerkship activities (including teaching sessions, tutoring, coordination on the clinical teaching unit), standardized examinations (OSCEs, STACER – long case exams), leading the innovative social pediatrics rotation for pediatric residents, and teaching during academic half days and longitudinal programs. Our regional annual practical pediatrics conference has been coordinated by the division since its inception in 2000.

Clinical excellence and innovation are cornerstones in the division. Our members provide care to over 5,000 infants, children, and youth admitted to the clinical teaching unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital and through consultative services to other medical and surgical sub-specialties.

General pediatrics supports specialized inpatient services including acute pediatric medicine, complex care, and special care nursery. To facilitate family involvement and enhance patient safety for inpatients, the division implemented family-centred rounds. In addition to consultative pediatric medicine clinics, the division has specialized outpatient services, such as pediatric rapid access clinic, HIV, complex care, pediatric vascular anomalies, neonatal abstinence clinics, as well as pediatric obesity and exercise medicine programs. Children with complex medical needs access remote specialized care through satellite clinics at Niagara Children’s Centre and Lansdowne Children’s Centre.

The division has been key in the implementation of patient safety and quality improvement initiatives within the Department of Pediatrics and McMaster Children’s Hospital. In collaboration with McMaster Children’s Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences, the division has led the implementation of the Hamilton pediatric early warning system. In addition, division members chair and participate in the Innovations for Quality Improvement Committee (iQI) which has developed new QI curriculum for faculty, allied health and pediatric learners at the local and regional level. Members of the division are also engaged in patient safety through morbidity and mortality committees and other hospital-based safety initiatives.

Research is an increasing focus within the division. Members of the division collaborate within the Department of Pediatrics, the Faculty of Health Sciences, as well as with provincial, national, and international partners in research. Researchers within the division have led and collaborated on studies related to childhood obesity, Indigenous health, social determinants of health, global and refugee child health, maternal-child and newborn health, concussion management, and clinical trials related to the management of common conditions among patients admitted to pediatric medicine (i.e., pleural effusions, bronchiolitis and urinary tract infections).

Research in pediatric complex care examines integrated service delivery, virtual care, and remote monitoring of children who are medically fragile and technology dependent. Research on educational initiatives and innovation have examined instructional design, resuscitation competencies, advocacy integration, novel tools for supporting scholarly work, and optimizing core curriculum components. Members of the division actively supervise research among undergraduate students, residents, fellows and participate on MSc and PhD committees.