Since its start in 1855 as the nation's first hospital devoted exclusively to caring for children, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has been the birthplace for many dramatic firsts in pediatric medicine. The Hospital has fostered medical discoveries and innovations that have improved pediatric healthcare and saved countless children’s lives.
Today, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the leading pediatric hospitals and research facilities in the world. Our 150 years of innovation and service to our patients, their families and our community reflect an ongoing commitment to exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare providers and pioneering significant research initiatives.
Best in the Nation
 In an exclusive survey, Child Magazine has ranked The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia the best pediatric hospital in the United States for the fourth consecutive time. In its comprehensive 2006 survey, the magazine also ranked Children’s Hospital’s pulmonology, neonatology, oncology and orthopaedics divisions number one in the nation and the cardiac center and emergency medicine ranked second.
The survey calculated results based on criteria including survival rates, the number of complex procedures and intricate surgeries, volume of research studies, efforts to reduce medical errors and the quality and training of the doctors and nurses — as well as child-friendliness, support for families and community involvement.
Children's Hospital also ranks as the nation's finest in a survey of pediatric hospitals by U.S.News & World Report. The magazine's 2007 guide to “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” ranked us as the best hospital for children in the United States for the fifth consecutive year.
  National Recognition for Nursing Excellence
Children's Hospital has been awarded Magnet Status for Nursing Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), an arm of the American Nurses Association. Only 2 to 3 percent of hospitals nationwide have achieved this coveted status. Children's Hospital is the first pediatric hospital in Pennsylvania to receive the Magnet designation.
Patient Care
At Children's Hospital, the paths to excellence are many. Patient care remains at the core of our mission, and it is the hallmark of our history. Families of the sickest children in our society continue to seek care at Children's Hospital because here they receive the best care available and the family support that makes all the difference.
Attracting outstanding physicians in every pediatric sub-specialty has enabled Children's Hospital to develop an exceptional breadth of leading specialized programs. The work of Children's Hospital specialists has made immeasurable contributions to the fields of cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, plastic surgery and neurosurgery, among others. In fact, many of the pediatric surgical techniques and treatment protocols commonly used today were first implemented at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
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Education
Knowing that great ideas spring from well-prepared minds, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia takes its responsibility to future generations of healthcare professionals very seriously. We were the first hospital in the nation to initiate formal training in pediatrics. Children's Hospital also pioneered the fields of pediatric emergency medicine and adolescent medicine, helping to establish each as an area of specialization in its own right.
 Training procedures implemented at Children's Hospital are today considered the standard at institutions worldwide. It is the depth and rigor of sub-specialty training, as well as the opportunity to learn from the best, that attracts talented physicians and other professionals from programs in every corner of the globe. Many go on to enrich the pediatric profession with their own distinguished contributions.
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Research
The race to find better care and cures for the illnesses and diseases that strike children is never ending. Children's Hospital is home to one of the nation's largest pediatric research programs, spanning virtually every area of pediatric medicine.
Clinical and laboratory research activities are conducted through the hospital's Joseph Stokes Jr. Research Institute, under whose auspices more than 150 investigators and their staffs are pursuing hundreds of active research projects at any given time. Children's Hospital ranks among the top two pediatric hospitals nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding.
Our rich history in research includes far-ranging breakthroughs such as: the development of vaccines for mumps, whooping cough, and influenza; the invention of the Isolette incubator for newborns; and the first in-depth understanding of "shaken baby syndrome."
Current research initiatives include exploring genetic components of many major childhood diseases, developing new treatments for pediatric HIV and AIDS, pioneering new techniques in fetal surgery and uncovering breakthrough new learning about child safety and injury prevention, to name just a few areas of promise. Our programs include:
Center for Injury Research and Prevention
This multidisciplinary research center is a world leader in the study of pediatric trauma. A major area of current focus is the largest single study ever undertaken to examine motor vehicle injuries in children. The center's efforts are uncovering breakthrough learning about the prevention and treatment of these and other childhood injuries.
Sickle Cell Center
Ongoing studies are yielding new understanding of the genetic factors in sickle cell disease, as well as developing and testing new therapies. Children's Hospital is one of only 10 NIH-designated CSCCs in the nation. Genetics Far-reaching research activities are exploring the genetic basis for many childhood diseases, including heart and brain abnormalities and various forms of childhood cancer. One particularly significant initiative seeks to unlock the mysteries of cardiovascular disease resulting from chromosome 22 deletion.
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Center for Pediatric AIDS
Children's Hospital is leading the world's pediatric community in testing new forms of treatment for pediatric HIV and AIDS.
Vaccine Education Center
Dedicated to furthering an understanding of the role of vaccines in preventing disease and making safe vaccines available to all children, the center is a major site for vaccine development and testing. It is also a resource for educating healthcare professionals and families.
Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease
The nation's largest center for the development and testing of new therapies for what has become one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases among the pediatric population. The center also conducts the nation's largest patient care program for children with IBD, with an emphasis on bringing new therapies from bench to bedside as quickly as is safely possible. |
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Award-Winning Web Site
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Web site represents one of many efforts we make to improve your access to our ever-widening pediatric healthcare network. Our site has been nationally recognized in leading awards programs, including the eHealthcare Leadership Award and the Web Marketing Association WebAwards.
 The eHealthcare Leadership Awards recognize the best Web sites of healthcare providers and highlight the Internet's role in achieving an organization's goals. In 2007, Children's Hospital won six awards in four categories, including Best Health Content, Best Rich Media, Best Overall Internet Site and e-Health Organizational Commitment.
 Entries
in the Web
Marketing Association WebAwards international competition
were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity,
navigation, and use of technology. Kidshealthgalaxy.com, our
Web site for kids, was named Outstanding Web site and our Center
for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment and Vaccine Education Center
sites won Standards of Excellence.
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