Pediatric Infectious Disease
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The Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease offers complete services for both common and uncommon infectious diseases in children and adolescents, such as pneumonia, osteomyelitis, MRSA and HIV. Through its multi-disciplinary team approach with the physician, nurse, social worker, dietitian and clinical pharmacist, patients receive the full spectrum of care throughout the diagnosis and treatment process.
Clinical Program
Our clinical program is very robust and includes both inpatient and outpatient services. The children's HIV clinic is recognized by the state of California as a provider of diagnostic, therapeutic and support services for infants and children with or at risk of HIV infection or AIDS and is the only pediatric HIV provider in Sacramento County. Our clinic also participates in the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act Program, established by the federal government to help underwrite care for people with HIV or AIDS who lack adequate health insurance. In addition to inpatient services at the UC Davis Medical Center, our specialists also provide clinical services to the local community hospitals of Sutter Health and Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California.
Our infectious disease team has developed a Telemedicine program to provide outreach specialty care to children all over California. We see non-acute cases in this clinic such as MRSA colonization and disease, osteomyelitis, rheumatic fever, HIV, tuberculosis. This helps reduce the number of face-to-face visits for chronically ill patients who live far from the medical center.
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Research
Research within the section ranges from clinical vaccine studies to antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention quality improvement.
Education
The Pediatric Infectious Disease section has a strong commitment to medical student and resident education. The infectious disease rotation focuses on the evaluation of suspected or confirmed infections in children, their diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Topics covered include anti-infective therapies, use of the microbiology laboratory, and immunizations. Teaching occurs in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and the student is encouraged to play an active role in the infectious diseases patient care team. Students learn the principles of diagnosis and the management of common infectious conditions; infectious complications in the immunocompromised host; neonatal infections; interpretation of microbiological data; indications and interpretations of special studies; and utilization of the microbiology laboratory. Most of the clinical time is dedicated to inpatient consultation although some clinic patients are seen.
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Resident education includes both ambulatory and inpatient training and teaching is held formally at our journal club or case conferences, as well as informally on the ward, intensive care units, or specialty clinic.
Our infectious diseases team also runs a prospective antibiotic stewardship program with feedback to physicians and resident/student teams to educate as well as improve quality of care, safety and impact the incidence of resistant organisms.
We are also integrally involved with the UC Davis Children’s Hospital Media and Child Health Education Program, with regular media appearances and pediatric resident media opportunities and mentorship.