Clinical Divisions

The Cardiology Section is based at the University Pediatric Hospital and at the Cardiovascular Hospital in Puerto Rico Medical Center. The Section provides both outpatient and inpatient consultation and management services for neonates, infants, children and adolescents with cardiovascular disorders.  It is one of the largest cardiology services in the Island. It serves and gives clinical cardiology service support to the only pediatric cardiac surgery service in PR.

At present the section is in the process of developing a clinical service to provide care to adults with congenital cardiac anomalies.

The Child Neurology Section is a comprehensive, recognized section and program in Puerto Rico, organized under the Pediatrics Department of the School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). Since 2007, it has provided comprehensive health care to children of all ages requiring diagnosis and treatment of neurologic diseases and disorders. This section has an experienced faculty staff that provides excellent quality health care, neurological evaluation, accurate diagnosis, innovative treatment and careful follow-through.  As part of the UPR School of Medicine, its faculty also provides teaching to medical students and residents in different specialties and sub-specialties.  The active teaching of interns and residents during their clinical rotation through the Section as well as lectures scheduled within the Residency Training Program, provide a continuum of the nervous system functions and diseases and their treatment options.

The Pediatric Endocrinology Section of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine provides care for infants, children, and young adults with acute and chronic endocrine illnesses, as well as to patients with diabetes and glucose metabolism disorders.  The section provides a wide range of patient care services and has an active program in clinical research.

The section cares for over 2,500 outpatient visits plus around 100 consults per year.  Our multidisciplinary team is composed by pediatric endocrinologists, and endocrinology nurse specialist.  Support to the section is also provided by the University Pediatric Hospital Departments of Nutrition and Social Work.

The Gastroenterology Section is based at the University Pediatric Hospital at Puerto Rico Medical Center. The Section provides both outpatient and inpatient consultation and management services for neonates, infants, children and adolescents with gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional disorders.  It is one of the largest gastroenterology services in the Island.

The General Pediatrics Section of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine encompasses all areas of academic general pediatrics. It is the largest division in the department with members actively involved in clinical care, teaching, advocacy, community work, administration and research.

The General Pediatrics Section is committed to:

• providing comprehensive and high-quality patient health care;
• forming caring and compassionate future physicians and pediatricians;
• pursuing excellence in academics and research;
• advocate and speak up for the rights of children and their families;
• and to be role models of honesty, integrity, discipline and professional commitment

As stated above, Section faculty is actively involved in clinical care, research, community work and teaching.

The Medical Genetics Section is at the University Pediatric Hospital Department of Pediatrics located at Puerto Rico Medical Center. The Section provides both outpatient and inpatient consultation, evaluation management and follow up services for neonates, infants, children, adolescents and families with genetics disorders. It is the largest pediatric genetics service in the Island.

In the Division of Hematology/Oncology at University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Center, we provide inpatient and outpatient services for children with hematologic and oncologic disorders. Patients are cared for by a multidisciplinary team in a setting designed specifically for children and their families. Our practice is based at the University Pediatric Hospital at Puerto Rico Medical Center.

We provide both outpatient and inpatient consultation and management services for neonates, infants, children, and adolescents with hematologic and bleeding disorders.

In the Infectious Diseases program, board-certified infectious disease specialists provide subspecialty consultation services for infants, children and adolescents at the University Pediatric Hospital. The Hospital is a pediatric tertiary care center for Puerto Rico and the Eastern Caribbean which provides unique services such as pediatric dialysis and post trauma and burn care. The program’s physicians also provide consultations for the Newborn Nursery at the University District Hospital and the Pediatric Surgical Intensive Care Unit in the Cardiovascular Center Hospital. Some of the conditions we treat are:

• Pneumonia and respiratory tract infections
• Complicated urinary and genitourinary tract infections
• Sepsis
• Intra abdominal infections
• Chronic and recurrent infections

Skin, soft tissue, joint and bone infections

• Infections of the central nervous system
• Post-surgical infections
• Fever of unknown origin
• Congenital infections
• Infections in immunosuppressed patients including oncology, bone marrow and solid organ transplant recipients and HIV/AIDS
• Primary immune deficiencies
• Tropical infections
• Neonatal infections

The Section serves as a primary center for training and education, in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, of medical students and residents from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and is open to trainees of other medical school and residency programs. It also provides clinical training in Pediatric ID for fellows in the Infectious Diseases Programs of the Internal Medicine Department of the University of Puerto Rico and the San Juan Veterans Hospital.

The Neonatology section has a group of Board-Certified Neonatologists who provide excellent care to sick neonates at the University Pediatric Hospital in the Puerto Rico Medical Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 50-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is located on the 6th floor. Our Level IV NICU unit services high-risk infants from all over the island.  This unit has a full range of pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists and provides surgical repair of complex congenital and acquired conditions.

We have the only high-risk clinic on the island for developmental follow-up of infants discharged from the NICU.  Our neonatologists also provide care at the Fetal-Maternal Unit, Pre-partum Care and Delivery room, located in the University District Hospital, a participating institution affiliated with the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus.

The Pediatric Nephrology Section of the University of Puerto Rico of Medicine is organized under the Pediatric Department and is responsible for the development of the academic, clinical research and service activities, as pertain to the renal system, for the medical students, pediatric residency and the community.

As part of the UPR School of Medicine its faculty participates in teaching to the students in medicine, dental medicine, nursing and public health among others. The active teaching of interns and residents during their clinical rotation through the Section as well as lectures scheduled within the Residency Training Program, provide a continuum of the kidney functions and diseases and their treatments options.

The Faculty of this Section are the Pediatric Nephrologists responsible to direct the medical care of children with renal disease admitted under their care or serve as consultants to other services at the University Pediatric Hospital Dr. Antonio Ortiz, a Tertiary Care Hospital located in the Puerto Rico Medical Center, devoted to care of sick children with the most complex health conditions. The Nephrology Section Director also directs the Pediatric Renal Center which is the only facility for pediatric dialysis care in Puerto Rico and the Eastern Caribbean. This Section’s Nephrologists are consultants to the Cardiovascular Hospital of Puerto Rico, a hospital dedicated to the surgical care of adults and children with cardiovascular conditions, such as congenital heart defects and heart transplants. As consultants to the Puerto Rico Transplant Program, located in the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital, these nephrologists participate in the evaluation and treatment of children with renal transplants. The section faculty also provides consultation services to the Nursery Unit in the University District Hospital. Three Outpatient Clinics a week offer an excellent array of all clinical renal conditions, hereditary, congenital and acquired.

The Critical Care Section of the Department of Pediatrics is in charge of the care of the children admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the University Pediatric Hospital.  The faculty is also responsible of the teaching to medical students and residents in that sub-specialty.  Faculty members are also involved in clinical research in their areas of interest.

The Section of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Immunology at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine provides care for infants, children, and young adults with both acute and chronic respiratory illnesses, as well as with allergic disorders and immunologic conditions.  The division provides a wide range of patient care services and an active program in clinical research.

As one of the largest pediatric pulmonary services in the island, the division cares for more than 2,000 patients each year.  Our multidisciplinary team is composed of pediatric pulmonologists, pediatric allergist and immunologist, pulmonary nurse specialist, respiratory therapist, nutritionist and social workers.

The Rheumatology Section is based at the University Pediatric Hospital at Puerto Rico Medical Center. The Section provides both outpatient and inpatient consultation and management services for neonates, infants, children and adolescents with rheumatologic disorders.  It is one of the largest rheumatology services in the Island.