COVID-19 Information Read the Latest
Children's Hospital is part of the UPMC family.
Our Sites
Be safe anytime, anywhere.
To find a pediatrician or pediatric specialist, please call 412-692-7337 or search our directory.
A resource for our network of referring physicians.
For more information about research, please call our main office at 412-692-6438.
Ranked #6 Nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
Currently, guidelines for treating children are often based on data from adult studies. Child health research is the best way to advance medical care for children to better diagnose, treat, and prevent the diseases that affect them. We need children of different ages, genders, races, and neighborhoods to participate in studies so clinicians will know which treatments work best for which groups of children.
When physicians provide a research home (PDF) in their practice, they keep current on the newest research findings and treatment recommendations. Ideally, a child’s research home is part of his or her medical home. Pediatricians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can select and offer research opportunities to families that are safe and important to the care of their patients.
Here are some key considerations:
There are various ways to learn about study opportunities in your area. Make inquiries at your nearby universities, children’s hospitals or practiced-based research networks (PBRNs). The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provides a registry of more than 170 PBRNs throughout the United States.
Some long-term health condition-related support groups may also have information about relevant research activities on their websites. Examples include Autism Intervention Research on Behavioral Health, National Down Syndrome Society and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Other sites where clinical study opportunities can be investigated include the Pediatric Trials Network, sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and another is ClinicalTrials.gov, a National Institutes of Health website.
If you are considering possibilities, talk with your colleagues and staff about their interest in particular research questions or projects. Be sure to review and discuss study implementation details with the investigator beforehand. Be clear about the who, what, why, when, and how before starting. When you join a PBRN, you may receive a welcome packet with information about getting a project started, such as this welcome packet (PDF) from Peditatric PittNet, a regional PBRN from Western Pennsylvania associated with University of Pittsburgh.
Pediatric PittNet’s Practice Site Study Match Checklist (PDF) can be a useful guide to assess whether your practice and the research study are a good fit.
When embarking on a research initiative, be sure to establish ground rules and processes for regular communication between investigators and pediatricians, study staff and practice staff, and study staff and families. For example, when and how will you know that a patient of yours was contacted by the study staff, or completed a lab test that was scheduled by the study staff? How will you be able to reach the investigator about a participating patient concern, day or night? Explicitly agree to adjust communication patterns if and when needed, for those things that arise and were not anticipated.
Once you have joined a study, you will be asked to inform patients and families about the research study and invite them to participate. The study staff should provide you with talking points for your office and/or smartphone, and materials to post or provide to families. Materials similar to the examples below may be helpful to you. Examples of the type of material you may receive are included below:
Quick video summaries:
Shorter Antimicrobial Treatment for Otitis Media
New England Journal of Medicine
Full Text of 'Shorter Antimicrobial Treatment for Otitis Media
Recent Study Featured in NIH News in Health
Children's Hospital's main campus is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. Our main hospital address is:
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh One Children’s Hospital Way 4401 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224
In addition to the main hospital, Children's has many convenient locations in other neighborhoods throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.
With myCHP, you can request appointments, review test results, and more.
For questions about a hospital bill call:
To pay your bill online, please visit UPMC's online bill payment system.
Interested in giving to Children's Hospital? Support the hospital by making a donation online, joining our Heroes in Healing monthly donor program, or visiting our site to learn about the other ways you can give back.