Infectious Diseases

The Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases aims to excel in every aspect of patient care, education, and research related to infectious diseases in the pediatric population. Our team provides the highest-quality care with thoughtfulness and compassion. A vital part of patient care is the education of medical students, residents, fellows, other health care professionals, and scientists, as well as parents, children and adolescents. The Pediatric Infectious Diseases faculty strives to ignite a passion for lifelong learning through education in several different settings, a variety of media, and an outstanding ACGME-accredited fellowship program in Pediatric ID and Internal Medicine (Med-Peds).

The Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases has more than a 50-year history of excellence in academic pediatrics and great success in basic, clinical, national and international research. The Division, Department and McGovern Medical School are uniquely well positioned to supply all aspects of research. Our primary teaching hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann (CMHH), is a 240-bed facility averaging more than 120,000 patient visits each year. Each year on average, this Division performs more than 700 inpatient consultations and more than 1300 outpatient clinical visits, which include ID patient follow-ups, HIV pediatric patients (infected and exposed), immuno-suppressed transplant patients, and referrals from the 14 hospitals of the Memorial Hermann system.

Under the guidance of Interim Director Gloria P. Heresi, MD, the Pediatric ID division directs and manages this thriving inpatient consultation service and an active ambulatory service for children with a wide range of infectious diseases, including a large clinic for HIV-infected and HIV-exposed children and adolescents at private CMHH and public Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. In addition, the Infection Control and Prevention Programs are managed at both locations under the direction of Associate Professor Misti Ellsworth, DO.

All Pediatric ID faculty are active in research, with areas of interest and expertise ranging from basic science laboratory-based research infections control to multicenter complex clinical trials. Students at different levels of medical education participate in clinical service and in clinics with teaching focused on the diagnosis and management of pediatric infectious diseases.

Thanks to their dual roles in infection prevention (IP) and antimicrobial stewardship (ASP), Pediatric Infectious Diseases physicians are uniquely positioned to partner with multiple departments and specialties. These programs contribute to maintaining Infectious Diseases Society of America Stewardship Center of Excellence designation for the Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center campus since inception of the program in 2017. Furthermore, the division collaborates closely with pediatric surgical colleagues through the Performance Improvement in Pediatric Surgery committee, helping maintain American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification as well as working with the McGovern Medical School team on the Pediatric Surgery Quality Collaborative Program.

Finally, the Division has contributed to Children’s Hospital Association and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society – Sharing Hospital Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship webinar series. Their expertise supports multidisciplinary efforts to prevent infections, optimize treatment, and promote evidence-based practices throughout the hospital. The division’s IP and ASP leaders, Ellsworth and Associate Professor Michael L. Chang, MD, have both been individually recognized as Physician of the Year for Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. A number of division members have received teaching awards, demonstrating the level of excellence our faculty achieve day in and day out.