Affiliated Section of Pediatric Surgery

The University of Cincinnati affiliate section of pediatric surgery offers innovative treatment for childhood and adolescent injuries and diseases, including bariatric surgery, chest wall deformities, colorectal surgery, complex esophageal procedures, in-utero fetal procedures, solid organ and small-bowel transplants and total pancreatectomy and islet auto-transplantation. Faculty in the division of pediatric surgery see patients at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the treatment and research of pediatric and adolescent diseases. The institution draws patients from 50 states and over 30 countries each year and is the only Level I pediatric trauma center in southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana.

Minimally invasive surgery is routinely performed and includes procedures for congenital anomalies, Hirschsprung’s disease, imperforate anus, inflammatory bowel disease, anti-reflux surgery, and lung resections.

The CCHMC colorectal program was one of the first centers established in the country focused on pediatric colorectal disease attracting national and international referrals. With a focus on imperforate anus, inflammatory bowel disease and motility disorders along with bowel management, they remain one of the busiest programs in the country.

The CCHMC Fetal program recently established a maternal delivery unit at CCHMC, making it one of the few programs in the country with this service line in a freestanding children’s hospital. The in-utero procedures offered include fetoscopic tracheal occlusion, myelomeningocele repair, EXIT procedures, and lung and tumor resections.

The CCHMC Solid Organ Transplant program is recognized as one of the premier pediatric liver and kidney transplant programs in the world, having transplanted over 750 and 700 liver and kidney transplant recipients, respectively. The Pancreas Care center, a collaborative program with the division of Hepatology and Gastroenterology provides comprehensive evaluation for patients with pancreatitis and offers the total pancreatectomy islet autotransplant procedure.

The CCHMC Comprehensive Weight Management Program provides clinical evaluation of significantly overweight children, emphasizing behavioral approaches to modify eating habits and physical activities. The Surgical Weight Loss Program for Teens provides minimally invasive and open surgical options to achieve weight loss in severely obese adolescents who have been unsuccessful with other approaches.

The CCHMC Chest Wall Deformity Center provides clinical evaluation of children and adults, as well as minimally invasive surgery (Nuss procedure) for pectus excavatum patients. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is one of the leading hospitals in the country to offer a non-surgical method to correct pectus carinatum.

The affiliate section of pediatric surgery continues to draw research funding from both intramural and extramural agencies. Several state and local grants fund injury prevention and trauma research programs. The annual extramural research funding for the section exceeds $2 million per year, with six investigators receiving NIH funding.

These unique capabilities have made the Pediatric Surgery Residency Training Program one of the top three programs in North America for pediatric surgeons.

Faculty