| University of Miami
Pediatrics Department -
Division
of Immunology and Infectious Diseases Department of Pediatrics
The University of Miami Department of Pediatrics
was organized in 1952 as one of the major clinical departments of
the newly created University of Miami School of Medicine. Since that
time, the Department has become a leader nationally in children’s
medical care, by building upon its strong tradition of excellence.
The Department has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s
survey as one of the best pediatric departments in the nation.
One of the largest and most prestigious pediatric
departments in the nation, it is comprised of an extensive faculty
of renowned physicians, scientists and other professionals committed
to providing outstanding clinical care, research, teaching, and education
on childhood diseases.
Additionally, the Department consistently ranks among the top nationally
in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for medical research.
The award of NIH grants is a key indicator of research quality and
competitiveness.
During the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic had a significant impact on South
Florida and the Department of Pediatrics. It became clear that with
increasing numbers of infants and children involved, major service
and research programs had to be organized.
In 1989, Gwendolyn
B. Scott, M.D., assumed direction of the Division of Infectious
Disease and Immunology at the Department of Pediatrics.
World-renowned scientist and physician, Dr. Scott was among the first
to report the clinical and immunological manifestations of HIV infection
in children. She and her team participated in the design and implementation
of the first clinical trials of Zidovudine and Didanosine in children
in the United States.
Dr. Scott and her Division played a significant role in the prevention
of perinatal transmission of HIV, and was part of the multi-center
trial, which showed the benefit of Zidovudine in reducing transmission
from mother to infant, from 28% to 8% --one of the most significant
advances in prevention made to date. In fact, the perinatal transmission
in most US centers currently ranges between 1% and 4% and the number
of new cases of pediatric HIV in this country has decreased significantly.
The Division’s research efforts have concentrated in the study of
Pediatric HIV infection. Special research emphasis has been placed
on the mechanism of perinatal transmission of HIV, early diagnosis
of HIV infection in infants, the natural history of HIV infection,
the pathogenesis of infection and factors involved in long-term survival.
With the addition of Dr. Willem Hanekom our research will also focus
on Tuberculosis (TB), specifically how our immune systems fight TB
and how to prevent TB through better vaccines. The program has made
an impact not only locally, but internationally through efforts in
training, education and assistance in establishing perinatal networks
in Brazil and a pediatric research project in Zambia to better understand
the etiology and pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma in infants and children.
The Pediatric AIDS Program of the Division of Infectious
Disease and Immunology is an internationally recognized
program and the largest single-site program of its kind in the United
States. The program currently provides care and other services over
300 children infected with HIV and diagnoses approximately 25 new
pediatric HIV- infected cases yearly. This program provides care for
over 90 percent of all HIV infected children in Dade County and averages
2000 patient encounters yearly.
Our basic care team consists of case managers, social workers, mental
health professionals, nutritionists, psychologists, nurses and physicians.
Community services and ancillary medical services such as physical
therapy and respiratory therapy are all available as part of our comprehensive
services. The program staff interacts with the community and refers
children and their families for multiple services including: legal,
day care, foster care, and home health care. These services, including
health education, help to increase compliance with medical care and
complicated drug regimens. Our program staff is multi-lingual and
stresses understanding of cultural differences with the context of
their medical care.
As many of our infected children are becoming teenagers, their care
has become more complex. We have special groups to facilitate discussion
and education about prevention of HIV transmission, assisting the
children to live positively with HIV, and encouraging them to be compliant
with medical visits and medications. We also assist the parents with
disclosure of the HIV diagnosis to the child. About one-third of the
children we care for are now teenagers who were infected from birth.
The ages of the children/young adults we care for range from a few
months of age to 23 years old. Programs are being developed to provide
a smooth transition from our program to an adult HIV clinic after
the youth graduate from high school.
Beyond medical research and treatment, Project Cradle, a volunteer
group, was founded to assist the caregivers and their children through
comfort and understanding. Assistance as simple as bus fare needed
to travel for treatment, and as basic as rent, food, and gifts for
the children or funeral expenses goes a long way toward helping these
families live with their illness .
To learn more about the work of the Department of Pediatrics,
please visit: 
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