The minimally invasive surgical program, created under the leadership of Dr. Donald Liu in the Section of Pediatric Surgery, has been a national and international leader since its inception in 2001. This is due to multiple factors, including national and international media coverage as well as scientific presentations at meetings worldwide. These procedures, which are performed in children as small as 2 lbs, result in less pain, tissue damage and scarring in children, as well as faster recovery and reduced length of stay. In addition to our pediatric general surgery, our program covers the broad range of surgical subspecialties including: cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery and urology.

The Pediatric Cardiac Surgery program, under the leadership of Dr. Bassem Mora, continues to be at the leading edge of its field.  The congenital cardiac program at Comer is a 150-200 case per year operative experience. The program focuses on minimally invasive surgery to deal with the full range of complexity in neonatal and pediatric heart disease treatment, including transplantation and ECMO. The program features a dedicated operating room with its own nursing and perfusion staff.

The Pediatric Neurosurgery program, led by Dr. David Frim, is internationally recognized in many areas, including the treatment of hydrocephalus. The program offers a full range of devices to shunt excess fluid from the brain to other sites as well as novel techniques to measure intracranial pressure to fine tune fluid drainage with programmable valves and other shunt devices. On October 1, 2004, the University of Chicago opened a Brain Tumor Center to provide advanced, multidisciplinary clinical care and research for children diagnosed with various types of brain tumors.

The Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery program is recognized as one of the best in the country. Dr. Christopher Sullivan performs surgery to correct scoliosis and spinal deformities that have become increasingly complex. Postoperative bracing or casting is no longer necessary due to multiple fixation points that can be used to attach the rods to the spine. University of Chicago research into the use of bone graft substitutes and bone morphogenic protein should eventually make the process of harvesting a patient's own bone for fusion obsolete.

The Pediatric Otolaryngology program is among the best in its field both clinically and academically. Among other things, the otolaryngologists treat snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, sinusitis, airway problems, sensorineural hearing loss and otolaryngologic manifestations of GERD. Dr. Fuad Baroody, Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology, also has a multi-year NIH R01 grant to study the relationship between allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. Dr. Baroody speaks internationally on his field of expertise. Dr. Dana Suskind directs the Cochlear Implant Program, which focuses on patient-directed interventions and health disparities. This occurs through PROJECT ASPIRE, where strategies are used to help parents assist their children with their cochlear implant. The program is also dedicated to community outreach and improving the hearing impaired program in our inner city schools. Through forged relationships with Childs Voice, the premier oral deaf school, and the CPS we are working towards bring the means for cochlear implant success to the community that needs it most.

The Pediatric Urology program is led by Dr. Mohan Gundeti who is nationally and internationally recognized for minimally invasive surgery, particularly robotics, for treating complex urologic conditions. These conditions include complex urologic procedures such as pyloplasty and bladder augmentation.

The Pediatric Plastic Surgery program led by Dr. Russell Reid specializes in pediatric craniofacial reconstruction. Dr. Reid performs surgeries to correct complex clinical facial abnormalities, notably cleft lip and palate deformities in neonates and infants.