Embedded in one of the most research-intensive universities in the world, research activities are a core pillar of the academic Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. Clinical and pre-clinical scientists work collaboratively to enhance the health of the children we care for in our local communities and those around the world.

Many of our researchers are doctors and health-care workers at McMaster Children’s Hospital and are immersed in the daily mission of child wellness. Areas of research excellence address diverse chronic health conditions in children and youth including childhood disability, neuromuscular disease, childhood cancer, obesity and metabolic disease, and the consequences of premature birth, among others. Though the conditions we address are diverse, our focus is to undertake innovative discovery-based research with the goal of improving the lives of kids and their families.

To achieve this goal, close collaboration with our partner organizations, including McMaster Children’s Hospital and our affiliated research centres CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, Offord Centre for Child Studies, and the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research is fundamental.

As an academic centre, trainee education is central to our purpose – and so, the training of the next generation of research scientists is at the core of our mandate. Undergraduate and graduate students from diverse faculties at McMaster are integral contributors to our child health research enterprise and clinical trainees including medical students, residents and fellows have the opportunity to engage in a rich, research environment. Faculty members value mentorship of this next generation of researchers.

The Department of Pediatrics is investing in the career growth of our faculty members through mentorship and the development of communities of practice. Our research teams work in a culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary inquiry, enhanced by opportunities for sharing our work through biweekly research rounds, our annual Child Health Research Day and research focused gatherings of our partners.

We invite you to learn more about our work. If you are interested in partnering with us, we would be delighted to share more details relating to the work we do to enhance the health of the community we serve. We welcome you to contact us.

To explore opportunities to collaborate in child health research at McMaster, please contact the Research Office, Department of Pediatrics at pedsresearch@mcmaster.ca or the Office of the Associate Chair of Research, Department of Pediatrics at pedsacr@mcmaster.ca.

Gita Wahi
Associate Chair, Research