
Pediatric Pain, Palliative & Integrative Medicine Center
The Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative & Integrative Medicine is dedicated to relieving pain and improving quality of life for our youngest hospitalized patients, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our team includes pediatric hospitalists (specialists in managing the care of hospitalized patients), pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric palliative care specialists, a nurse practitioner, a psychologist and nurses.
To provide the right care for each patient, the service is staffed by two teams. The acute and chronic pain team focuses on comprehensive pain management, while the palliative care team provides an extra layer of support for children and families facing serious illness. When a patient is ready for discharge, we work collaboratively with providers from all relevant specialties to bridge the transition home.
Acute and chronic pain team
We embrace innovative and integrative approaches to relieving and managing pain. Our services include:
- Treatments for acute pain, or short-lived pain related to illness or injury
- Treatments for chronic pain
- Specialized treatment for amplified pain, an abnormal neurological response that causes pain to be felt with unusual intensity
- Sedation for medical procedures
- Regional anesthesia (numbing the area of the body being treated), such as an epidural injection
- Complementary and integrative therapies:
- Acupressure and acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
- Biofeedback
- Massage therapy
- Music therapy
- Relaxation training
- Short-term cognitive behavioral therapy
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Management of symptoms, such as pain, nausea, constipation, shortness of breath and anxiety
- Discussions to clarify individual goals of care
- Help understanding medical conditions
- Decision-making support
- Advance care planning
- Support for emotional, psychological and spiritual issues in developmentally appropriate ways
- Care coordination for complex and chronic conditions
- Support and counseling for grief and loss
- Complementary and integrative therapies, such as massage, music therapy and art therapy
- Coordination with hospice agencies
- Coordination with home-based palliative care programs
Palliative care team
For children with serious illnesses, our team – which includes specialists from several fields – focuses on relieving symptoms and stress, fostering wellness and offering comfort. The overarching goal is to improve quality of life for both the child and their family by partnering and collaborating with everyone affected and by ensuring that care meets individual needs and values. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided together with curative or life-prolonging treatment.
Our services include:
Our locations (2)
Our team
-
Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf
MD, FAAP
Pediatric pain and palliative medicine specialist -
Atsuko Baba
MD
Pediatric anesthesiologist -
William Bernal
MD, MPH
Pediatric rheumatologist -
Denise Chang
MD
Pediatric anesthesiologist -
Marla Ferschl
MD
Pediatric anesthesiologist -
Audrey E. Foster-Barber
MD, PhD
Pediatric neurologist -
Andrew Infosino
MD
Pediatric anesthesiologist -
Cynthia Kim
MD
Pediatric hospitalist -
Efrat Lelkes
MD
Pediatric critical care and palliative care physician -
Thomas McNalley
MD, MA
Pediatric palliative care and rehabilitation medicine physician -
Vivienne Newman
MD
Pediatric critical care medicine specialist -
Thomas T. Reid
MD, MA
Palliative care physician -
David L. Robinowitz
MD
Pediatric anesthesiologist -
Elizabeth Seashore
MD
Pediatric hematologist-oncologist and palliative care specialist -
Karen I. Sun
MD
Pediatric hospitalist -
Stephen Wilson
MD, PhD
Pediatric hospitalist -
Maurice Zwass
MD
Pediatric anesthesiologist and pain management specialist -
Cristina Benki
PhD, MA
Pediatric psychologist -
Lena Ngo
RN, CNS, MSN
Nurse -
Summer Segal
PhD, MS
Grief and loss specialist -
Alina Wong
RN, MS
Palliative care nurse
Awards & recognition
-
Ranked among the nation's best in 10 specialties
Plan your visit
What to Bring
- Photo I.D.
- Health insurance card
- Insurance authorization, if required
- Doctor's referral, if required
- Recent test results related to your child's condition
- List of medications, including dosages, plus any your child is allergic to
- List of questions you may have
- Device or paper for taking notes
Support services
Learning never stops
Our classroom and bedside classes help kids get credit and keep learning during treatment.
See our school program