Specialties
Distinctive programs
Trauma and emergency care
UC Davis has the only level 1 pediatric trauma center – the highest level possible – in Northern California. The trauma center serves as a referral base for many rural Northern California counties, and sees more than 650 children every year. The center works in concert with a fully accredited pediatric emergency room that generates more than 13,000 visits from children annually. A trauma prevention team works with local community groups to reduce accident rates, advocate for enhanced safety legislation and enforcement, provide educational programs, and distribute child car seats and life vests.
Pediatric and neonatal intensive care
Specially trained physicians and nurses operate around-the-clock pediatric and neonatal intensive care units to meet the critical needs of sick or injured children and newborns. The neonatal and pediatric consultation and emergency transport hotline links area physicians to UC Davis critical-care specialists within two minutes and ensures medical treatment and transport any time of the day.
Pediatric oncology
Pediatric oncologists treat more than 2,500 children with cancer a year with advanced procedures and treatments, including stem-cell and bone marrow transplants. Cancer studies for children are also a significant part of the Children's hospital research effort, which is bolstered by National Cancer Institute designation for the UC Davis Cancer Center. More than 30 clinical trials are open at any one time for children with cancer as part of the federally funded Children's Oncology Group research program.
Pediatric cardiac services
Six of every 1,000 newborns will have congenital heart defects. About half will require surgery or other major medical procedures. New technology permits cardiologists and surgeons to perform intricate corrections on newborns so that these children can lead normal, productive lives. UC Davis Children's Hospital has teamed with UC San Francisco to establish the UCSF/UC Davis Pediatric Heart Center, a single point of access in Sacramento for the infant and child with congenital heart disease.
Child abuse treatment
The UC Davis CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center serves more than 8,000 children annually who are in the foster-care system or may be victims of sexual or physical abuse or neglect. The center provides medical and psychological treatment to these traumatized children. The center trains professionals throughout the state to identify and treat abuse, and works closely with law enforcement agencies and others to assist with apprehension efforts of the accused abusers.
Pediatric rehabilitation
The pediatric rehabilitation inpatient unit treats children and youths who have traumatic brain injuries, neurological diseases or disabilities. The program provides them with orthotic and prosthetic devices and adaptive equipment, and teaches them alternative ways to compensate for their limitations, enhancing children's ability to return home and attend school.
Nutrition and obesity
Recent studies point to a dramatic increase in childhood obesity and early onset of Type 2 diabetes. Poor eating habits and nutritional deficiencies put children at risk for several serious health problems both now and later in life. A multidisciplinary team of doctors, dietitians, physiologists and social workers provide weight-management tools for children ages 6-18 in clinics and after-school programs, a 10-week seminar for children and teenagers that helps teach healthy behaviors.
Lung disorders
Specially trained physicians and expert staff treat infants, children and adolescents with lung disorders, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary malformations and chronic lung diseases caused by other conditions, including infections, prematurity and genetic disorders. The program includes a comprehensive Pediatric Asthma Program and a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited care center and offers a pediatric flexible bronchoscopy service and a specialized pediatric patient and family education program.
M.I.N.D. Institute
Physicians at UC Davis Children's Hospital specializing in child development, neurology and child psychiatry also work with the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, a unique interdisciplinary effort committed to finding effective treatments and cures for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The institute was instrumental in establishing the NIH-funded UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research, which will investigate how toxins can affect Children's neurodevelopment.