About Us

The mission of Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado is to improve the health of children through the provision of high-quality, coordinated programs of patient care, education, research and advocacy.

Leadership

The Department is led by Stephen Daniels, MD, PhD, professor and chairman, Department of Pediatrics, CU School of Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, Children's Hospital Colorado.

Visit the Administration page to view the vice chairs and directors.

Accolades

Some of the recent accolades for the Department of Pediatrics include:

• The Department was ranked seventh in the nation in 2022 for "Best Pediatrics Programs" by U.S. News & World Report.
• Children's Colorado has been ranked a top children's hospital by U.S. News & World Report every year since the inception of its rankings edition in 1993.
  
• ​U.S. News & World Report released its 2022-2023 rankings of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals –  Children's Colorado ranked 7th on the Best Children's Hospital's Honor Roll. Five of Children's specialty areas were among the country's top 10, including:​
  • Gastroenterology & GI Surgery: No. 4
  • Diabetes and Endocrinology: No. 4
  • Pulmonology and Lung Surgery: No. 6
  • Urology: No. 7
  • Cancer: No. 8

• U.S. News & World Report ranked the Department of Pediatrics Child Health Associate/ Physician Assistant Program 7th in the country out of 173 programs. CHA/PA is the only physician assistant program with a pediatric emphasis.
• 5280 Magazine released its annual list of Denver’s Top Doctors. Of those mentioned, 85 Children’s Colorado physicians are represented on the list.​ 
  
  

Patient Care

The Department has over 900 faculty members and 500 clinical faculty working at Children’s Colorado to help carry out our mission.

The Department provides comprehensive pediatric care at the main campus of Children’s Colorado in Aurora, Colo., and at our numerous regional locations, treating children from the Rocky Mountain area and beyond.

Children’s Colorado was named a top 10 Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report in 2022-23. It has been designated a Magnet hospital since 2005, and was recognized for excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Centers.

Education

The Department of Pediatrics, was ranked No. 7 in the nation for “Best Medical Schools – Pediatrics”​ in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings. Led by Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD, the department trains approximately 100 pediatric resident physicians and more than 250 fellows in over 50 subspecialties, in addition to medical students and physician assistants. 

Research

The Department of Pediatrics ranked third among all medical school-based Departments of Pediatrics in NIH awards, securing more than $63.36 million in peer-reviewed awards from the NIH during 2022. 

Children's Hospital Colorado Research and Innovation provides resources, oversight, funding, and expertise to new research programs at Children’s Colorado, and is funded in large part by the generosity of community philanthropy. 

The Colorado Clinical Translational Sciences Institute was established in 2008 with a $76 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH. The institute brings together health organizations across Colorado by providing an academic home to clinical and translational research.

Physicians and researchers from the Department of Pediatrics are responsible for numerous nationally and internationally recognized medical research milestones​​.​

Advocacy

Advocating for children is a top priority for Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. A key component of the mission is to “enhance the health and well-being of the children and families in our community.” To this end, Department of Pediatrics’ faculty and trainees actively collaborate with the Department of Public Affairs at Children’s and colleagues at CU SOM, the Colorado School of Public Health, and the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to effect comprehensive and strategic advocacy and legislative efforts on the local, state, and national levels.

The Department of Pediatrics has also formalized its ongoing commitment to advocacy by providing educational opportunities to develop the child health advocates of the future. A legislative advocacy elective has been designed for pediatric residents to provide an overview of Children’s Colorado’s legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of children. Elective participants gain an understanding of the legislative process and the variety and scope of legislative issues introduced each year that have the potential to impact the health and well-being of Colorado’s children; and they are able to learn how physicians and advocates can influence public policy decisions related to children’s health and the provision of pediatric health care. Our faculty also has been instrumental in developing an interdisciplinary elective on leadership and advocacy. Initially designed for medical students, the Leadership Education Advocacy Development and Scholarship (LEADS) curriculum has been adapted for resident use as well. The premise is to teach young physicians the skill set that will empower them as physician advocates.