About Us

Jordan Orange, MD, PhD, Chair of Columbia Department of Pediatrics

A Commitment to Innovation and Outstanding Care

The Department of Pediatrics at the Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University is committed to innovation and excellence in clinical medicine, education, research, community health, global health, and the development of our faculty. Critical to our success has been our long-term partnerships with Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital (formerly Babies Hospital).

250 Years of Care

Our history is a rich one. Columbia University’s heritage in pediatric medicine dates back to the 1760s, and the Babies Hospital to 1887. Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital opened in 2003 and is among the finest children’s hospitals in the United States, and the top-ranked children’s hospital in the New York metropolitan area in U.S. News & World Report rankings. The medical and surgical complexity of the children and adolescents we care for at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital is among the highest in the US, and the cutting-edge clinical programs led by our faculty draw patients from the region, the nation, and, increasingly, from around the world.

Antiracism Commitment

The Department of Pediatrics:

is focused on and dedicated to ensuring that all children, adolescents, and their families have access to equitable healthcare and opportunities that will advance their health and wellbeing throughout their lifecourse
will work to achieve equity in health, education, and opportunities for children and their families. We commit to using our position and privilege as healthcare providers to advocate at all levels for changes that will directly benefit the health of those we serve
is committed to growing, supporting, and advancing a workforce that is inclusive, diverse, and reflective of the patients and communities that we serve
will continue to ensure that our Departmentwill have opportunities for individuals and teams to reflect on and understand our biases, to continue to do the work to make sustainable changes with regards to equity and justice and dismantling institutional racism, and to support one another in these processes without burdening individuals or groups that are underrepresented in healthcare
Aspires to reach inclusive excellence, elevating our mission with the intersection of clinical care and improving health disparities outcomes, community engagement, education, andresearch.

Inspired by the Antiracism Credo created by the Pediatric Diversity and Inclusion Council

Educating Leaders

Our pediatric residency and fellowship subspecialty programs attract 150 of the best and brightest young physicians from across the country and around the world every year. These enthusiastic and energetic young physicians are destined to become the clinicians, educators, scientists, and leaders of tomorrow.

The Best in the Region

The Department of Pediatrics is part of Columbia University Children’s Health, a consortium of more than 400 pediatric specialists in 45 specialty areas offering the greatest depth and breadth of pediatric care in the region. Over the past five years we have developed exciting new programs in cancer genomic medicine, neuro-intensive care, celiac disease, gut motility disorders, pulmonary hypertension, gut disorders in children with autism, and bone marrow transplantation for sickle cell disease. We’ve also established comprehensive clinics to evaluate and treat children with undiagnosed diseases, medical complexity, immunodeficiencies, food allergies, and vascular anomalies.

Inspired Science

We are committed to using inspired science and translational research that focuses on novel discovery to address the greatest threats facing children in the 21st century, including obesity and malnutrition, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infectious diseases, genetic disorders, asthma, and prematurity. Our physician-scientists who lead these endeavors are informed and guided by their clinical experiences, and are driven to move their discoveries to application. We are proud to have more National Institutes of Health research grants than any other pediatric program in the New York metropolitan area.

We're Local and Global

We value serving our community. In conjunction with the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, we have developed partnerships with agencies and stakeholders in New York City’s Washington Heights-Inwood community to address health issues of local importance. We also recognize an obligation to children everywhere and are expanding our global health programs, building on our international research, education, and clinical efforts in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, and enlarging our partnership with organizations like the American-Austrian Foundation and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Pediatrics is to provide the most compassionate, highest-quality care possible; perform clinical and laboratory research to advance our understanding of diseases that affect children and adolescents; and educate medical students, residents, and fellows to become leaders for the next generation of physicians and scientists.

The focus of the Department of Pediatrics has not changed in more than 125 years. We are here to make a difference in the lives of children.