Emergency Medicine

The Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) at the Alberta Children's Hospital provides care for over 75,000 patient visits per year. Pediatric Emergency specialist physicians, registered nurses, and respiratory technicians with pediatric emergency skills are present 24 hours a day. The Department serves as the pediatric tertiary medical and trauma referral centre for southern Alberta, eastern British Columbia and western Saskatchewan, as well the primary emergency department for children in the immediate local area.

Facilities

In September of 2006, the PED moved to its present location at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The PED is a state-of-the-art facility consisting of resuscitation rooms, a procedure room, and private monitoring/observation rooms.  Additional areas for minor emergencies, orthopedic management and urgent mental health assessment complete the patient care environment.

At the beginning of 2013, pediatric emergency services were expanded to the South Health Campus (SHC).  We are the first city in Canada to provide specialized emergency care to children at two sites under one unified system. In the past year, over 14,000 pediatric patients were seen at SHC.

ACH Pediatric Emergency Research Team (PERT) 2021 Annual Report (Click to access)

ACH Pediatric Emergency Research Team (PERT) 2020 Annual Report (Click to access)

ACH Pediatric Emergency Research Team (PERT) 2018 Annual Report (Click to access) 

ACH Pediatric Emergency Research Team (PERT) 2017 Annual Report (Click to access) 

ED Research and Quality Improvement Initiatives

• Appendicitis
  • Precision Medicine (metabolomics/proteomics/transcriptomics) for diagnosis
  • Optimizing Imaging Strategies (US, MRI)
• Asthma/wheeze
  • Effectiveness and safety of combined beta-agonist and corticosteroid therapy
• Concussion/Head Injury
  • Novel ED assessment tools (cognitive testing)
• COVID-19
  • Predictors of infection and severe disease
  • Household transmission
• Gastroenteritis (Vomiting/Diarrhea)
  • Clinical trials – anti-emetics
  • Epidemiology
  • Novel diagnostics
• Medical education research
  • Competency based medical education
• Mental Health
  • Acute care bundles
• Pain
  • Pediatric pain measurement, management and treatment
• Patient Safety and Quality
  • Performance measurement (development and application of quality indicators for pediatric emergency care)
  • Patient safety and quality improvement research
  • Emergency department flow and efficiency
• Sepsis
  • Precision Medicine (metabolomics/proteomics) for diagnosis
  • Management Strategies (optimizing fluid management, clinical pathways)
• Simulation Education and Feedback Research
  • Identifying the most effective methods of simulation-based education
  • Improving the quality of CPR and outcomes from pediatric cardiac arrest
  • Debriefing methods
  • Faculty development and quality assurance
  • Teaching parents and families

The Section promotes ongoing research in collaboration with the Department and other partners.

Research

HEAL (Health Education and Learning) Program: The HEAL website empowers families to manage common minor acute emergencies at home and know when to seek additional care. The top 10 minor illnesses that appear in the ACH ED are covered. To find out more, visit: www.ahs.ca/heal

Education & Training

Dr. Rami Ableman
Dr. Hilary Ambrose
Dr. Francois Belanger
Dr. Andrea Boone
Dr. Mark Bromley
Dr. Robyn Buna
Dr. Gavin Burgess
Dr. Ping-Wei Chen
Dr. Adam Cheng
Dr. Lundy Day
Dr. Jenn D’Mello
Dr. Shirmee Doshi
Dr. Shawn Dowling  
Dr. Marc Francis
Dr. Stephen Freedman
Dr. Roger Galbraith
Dr. Jennifer Graham
Dr. Jeffry Grant
Dr. Vincent Grant
Dr. F. Jonathan Guilfoyle
Dr. Carey Johnson
Dr. David Johnson
Dr. Kevin Johnson
Dr. Kristen Johnson
Dr. Christine Kennedy
Dr. Tanuja Kodeeswaran
Dr. Russell Lam
Dr. Kerri Landry
Dr. David Lendrum
Dr. J. Ed Les
Dr. Lorraine Mabon
Dr. Joseph MacLellan
Dr. Gordon McNeil
Dr. Sarah McPherson
Dr. Michelle McTimoney
Dr. Andre Michalchuk
Dr. Patrick Mihalicz 
Dr. Kelly Millar
Dr. Shabnam Minoosepehr
Dr. Nicholas Monfries
Dr. Ellen Morrison
Dr. Rhonda Ness
Dr. Cheri Nijssen-Jordan
Dr. Mary-Louise O’Byrne  
Dr. Adam Oster
Dr. Heather Patterson
Dr. Karl Phillips 
Dr. Michael Pierse
Dr. Tania Principi (Section Chief)
Dr. Naminder Sandhu
Dr. Erik Saude
Dr. Michelle Simonelli  
Dr. Antonia Stang
Dr. Fiona Stewart
Dr. Dana Stys
Dr. Brittany Sunderani
Dr. Izabela Sztukowski
Dr. Graham Thompson
Dr. Jennifer Thull-Freedman
Dr. Phillip Ukrainetz
Dr. Hussein Unwala
Dr. Melanie Willimann
Dr. Ashlea Wilmott
Dr. Ian Wishart
Dr. Gloria Yoo