University Hospital, for instance, is the only hospital in the borough to offer pediatric cardiac catheterization, heart surgery, and dialysis. Its pediatric urologists, otolaryngologists, dermatologists, and anesthesiologists are also among the best in the city and in some cases, the best in the country. And University Hospital is a regional referral center for high-risk pregnancies, neonatal care, and children with developmental delays, among other conditions. At Downstate, physicians, nurses, and other health-care professionals serving children form special bonds with the children they care for and their parents. This is especially true of general pediatricians, several of whom have been caring for the younger members of some Brooklyn families for more than two decades.
Most new parents are understandably somewhat anxious about their role.
After all, taking care of children is an enormous responsibility. We help parents develop confidence in their abilities. Dr. Ajl heads a faculty practice group of five physicians, known as the Downstate Pediatric Service. The service is located in newly renovated offices on the fourth floor of University Hospital of Brooklyn. The pediatricians in this group, while all trained in general pediatrics, also have special expertise in infectious disease, emergency room care, accident prevention, child abuse, and breast feeding.