The division is a regular contributor to undergraduate and postgraduate medical education through teaching sessions and electives. Postgraduate trainees in pediatrics; rheumatology, allergy and immunology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation rotate through the clinical service on a regular basis and on electives. We are also involved in broader education projects in pediatric rheumatology, such as the development of educational materials for trainees and for patients and their families.

At McMaster Children’s Hospital, our multidisciplinary team consists of pediatric rheumatologists, pediatric immunologists, nurses, a physical therapist, a physiotherapy practitioner, child life specialists, a social worker, and a dietician. Our team shares the hospital’s vision of advancing health and integrating care of children and youth through excellence, innovation and partnerships.

We provide comprehensive diagnoses and management for children and teenagers with acute and chronic rheumatic diseases. We have a general rheumatology clinic and subspecialty clinics in neonatal lupus erythematosus and autoinflammatory diseases. We developed a specialized joint injection program for our patients and have also established transition clinics to help guide our patients through the transition of their care to our adult colleagues after 18 years of age.

Our research activities are predominantly clinical and we are involved in national and international collaborative studies of childhood rheumatic diseases. Knowledge translation, education, and quality improvement, including the role of morbidity and mortality rounds in patient safety are also areas of research interest for division members.