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Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) serves critically ill children who need highly specialized care and continuous monitoring. Our patients include kids who are suffering from a life-threatening condition as well as those who are recovering from surgery.
Our doctors and nurses helped pioneer special techniques for treating children who are this sick, and we continue to deliver the highest-quality care, using the most advanced technologies available. Because of the level of care we provide, patients come to us from across the Western United States.
Many kinds of providers are involved in caring for our patients. The PICU team includes pediatric critical care specialists (pediatricians trained in treating very sick children), respiratory therapists, dietitians, pharmacists and social workers. Our patients also have access to a wide range of other pediatric specialists as well as physical therapists, occupational therapists and child life specialists, who comfort kids and help them adapt to being in a hospital.
Recognizing how stressful serious illness is for kids and their loved ones, we support families as much as possible during their child's stay and encourage parents and guardians to spend as much time as they can with their hospitalized child.
Why families choose us
Subspecialty expertise
Our patients have access to experts in more than 50 pediatric subspecialties here at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, including neurosurgery, heart and lung surgery, orthopedics, general surgery, cardiology, pulmonology, hematology, oncology, and blood and marrow transplant. To provide the best, most thorough care possible, several types of doctors may participate in a patient's treatment.
Modern facilities
Our PICUs in both Oakland and San Francisco are modern, state-of-the-art and built to serve young patients and their families. From the large, sunlit private rooms that comfortably accommodate a parent's overnight stay to the uplifting artwork throughout the units, our facilities support rest and healing. They're also equipped with the most advanced technologies available.
Child-focused care
Our team focuses exclusively on caring for kids. Our equipment is child-sized, and we know the treatment protocols that work best for infants and children. Patient care in the PICU is always delivered in a developmentally appropriate, compassionate manner.
Expert support staff
We attract and retain exceptional critical care nurses and nurse specialists, and many of them have been with us for decades. Other key members of the team include respiratory therapists, dietitians, pharmacists and social workers.
Continuity of care
Thanks to our wide range of specialties and services, many PICU patients are able to receive whatever follow-up care they need within UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.
Our locations (2)
Our team
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Tom Arnold
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Jason Boehme
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Lindsay Braun
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Edmund Burke
MD
Pediatric cardiologist and critical care specialist -
Mauro Caffarelli
MD
Pediatric neurologist and critical care specialist -
Mandeep Chadha
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Michael (Josh) Cisco
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Natalie Cvijanovich
MD
Critical care pediatrician -
Sanjeev Datar
MD, PhD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Maude E. Dull
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
April Edwell
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Jeffrey Fineman
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Deborah Franzon
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Brendan Gallagher
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
R. Scott Heidersbach
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Duncan Henry
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
James Howard
MD, PhD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Mindy Ju
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Minso Kim
MD
Neonatologist and pediatric cardiac critical care specialist -
Paul Kim
MD
Pediatric critical care medicine specialist -
Teresa Kortz
MD, MS
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Efrat Lelkes
MD
Pediatric critical care and palliative care physician -
Malini Mahendra
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Amy McCammond
MD
Pediatric cardiologist and critical care specialist -
Patrick McQuillen
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Jana Mike
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Emily Morell
MD
Pediatric cardiologist and critical care specialist -
Alison Nair
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Vivienne Newman
MD
Pediatric critical care medicine specialist -
Peter Oishi
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Satish K. Rajagopal
MD
Pediatric cardiologist and critical care specialist -
Maggie Robinson
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Martina A. Steurer
MD, MAS
Neonatologist and pediatric cardiac critical care specialist -
Sandrijn van Schaik
MD, PhD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Shan Ward
MD, MAS
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Sharon Williams
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Matt Zinter
MD
Pediatric critical care specialist -
Ayesha Abdut-Tawwaab
LCSW, MSW
Social worker -
Sophia Baptista
LCSW, MSW
Social worker -
Susan Bessler
RD, MS, CNSC
Dietitian -
Lori D. Fineman
-
Carrie McFarland
RD
Dietitian -
Amie Rudolph
LCSW, MSW
Social worker
Awards & recognition
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Ranked among the nation's best in 10 specialties
Plan your visit
What to Bring
- Photo I.D.
- Health insurance card
- Insurance authorization, if required
- Doctor's referral, if required
- Recent test results related to your child's condition
- List of medications, including dosages, plus any your child is allergic to
- List of questions you may have
- Device or paper for taking notes
Support services
Clinical trials
Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Network (PPHNet) Informatics Registry
Death
Recruiting
More about this studyPediatric Influence of Cooling Duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (P-ICECAP)
The VABS-3 score, designed to be administered to surviving children with any level of function including comatose status to age-appropriate neurobehavioral functioning, ranges from 20 to 140 with age-corrected standardized mean an...
Recruiting
More about this studyPediatric Influence of Cooling Duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (P-ICECAP)
The VABS-3 score, designed to be administered to surviving children with any level of function including comatose status to age-appropriate neurobehavioral functioning, ranges from 20 to 140 with age-corrected standardized mean an...
Recruiting
More about this studyMono vs. Dual Therapy for Pediatric Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
There are four WHO functional classes: Class I: Pulmonary hypertension without resulting limitation of physical activity; Ordinary physical activity does not cause undue dyspnea or fatigue, or chest pain or near-syncope; Class II:...
Recruiting
More about this studyAzithromycin Treatment for Respiratory Syncytial Virus-induced Respiratory Failure in Children
Duration of hospitalization in days for enrolled subjects
Recruiting
More about this studyAzithromycin Treatment for Respiratory Syncytial Virus-induced Respiratory Failure in Children
Duration of hospitalization in days for enrolled subjects
Recruiting
More about this studyPulmonary Hypertension Association Registry
PAH guideline-recommended diagnostics assessed include chest radiography, echocardiogram, ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan, pulmonary function tests, overnight oximetry, and right heart catheterization and identified as either "co...
Recruiting
More about this studyOur research initiatives
Learning never stops
Our classroom and bedside classes help kids get credit and keep learning during treatment.
See our school program![](/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/images/by-your-side-moment/owl/bys_footer_owl-playful-2x.jpg?rev=867a00ac8b5641a69c9247247e61be9d&hash=A71A2CCC5ECF3E80435E557132E60C39)