The Division of Pediatric Critical Care began 1982, using an eight bed monitored unit to care for the growing population of subspecialty patients. Judith Brill, combining expertise in both Pediatrics and Anesthesiology, has been Division Chief since that time. The demand for ICU care augmented in large part to our Pediatric Liver Transplant service that began in 1984. Rick Harrison joined Dr. Brill one year later. In 1989, another wing was opened, increasing capacity to 20 beds, and the original unit was updated.
Since that time, our roster has grown to eight faculty members, including one full-time research scientist. A number of milestones stand out in our 20+ year history. In 1990, our fellowship training program was among the first to be accredited by the ACGME, and our ICU was among the first to be fully-approved under new standards set by California Childrens’ Services (CCS). About seven years ago, we professionalized the existing Pediatric critical care transport service to be run by a staff of Pediatric physicians specially trained in Transport Medicine. In January 2001, our responsibilities increased to include care of all children admitted to the Cardiothoracic ICU, which we now staff year-round.
