Dr. Heidi Feldman , Chief of the Division of General Academic Pediatrics enjoys extensive extramural support from the NIH, other government agencies, and foundations for her studies of the development of speech and language in children. She has also gained national recognition and considerable national funding for her unique programs aimed at training health care professionals, paraprofessionals and medical students in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disabilities. Dr. Feldman's work has put Pittsburgh on the map in the academic community for the study of disabilities medicine. Dr. Hoberman also has gained national acclaim for his studies on the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections, one of the leading causes of kidney failure in children.
Adolescents have the highest rate of sexually transmitted disease in any population.
In the section of adolescent medicine, Dr. Pamela Murray has extensive NIH support as a co-investigator for treatment and psychological impact studies of sexually transmitted infectious diseases in adolescents. Dr. Melanie Gold received a prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Scholar award for her research in developing educational paradigms and modifying sexual behavior of adolescents. The Child Development Unit section is extensively involved in testing novel strategies for treating and coping with the consequences of neurobehavioral problems such as attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and Down syndrome. Each of these takes an enormous toll in school and social dysfunction, learning difficulty and family disruption. All of these disorders are alarmingly common in the general population.