Our Division of Infectious Diseases is the major referral center for infectious diseases in the Washington, D.C., area, helping thousands of patients each year, and actively promoting prevention through community outreach and education.
Infectious diseases include any disease or illness caused by germs, such as bacteria and viruses. While you can take steps to prevent disease and infection through proper hygiene and other practices, children are often at an increased risk for certain conditions while their immune systems are still developing and simply because of exposure – kids being kids. Because diagnosis and care for an infectious disease can be complex, it is important for your child to see a pediatric specialist who can accurately diagnose and treat your child's condition. Children's National Hospital's comprehensive services include care for children with infectious diseases and epidemiological tracking that, for contagious conditions, helps limit the spread of infection and prevent further outbreaks:
Inpatient and outpatient consultations for the full range of infectious diseases in immunocompetent and immunocompromised children are provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Inpatient consultation is available for all hospitalized patients, including general ward patients, surgical, intensive care, solid organ and stem cell transplant patients. The Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic serves the needs for subspecialty referral form primary care providers throughout the Washington Metropolitan area, as well as internal referrals from Children’s National staff.
Many of the division's physicians – dually board certified in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases – are involved in both teaching and research in infectious diseases and epidemiology at Children's National and at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Public Health in Washington, D.C. Several faculty members also participate in government committees to assist in the development of national infectious diseases guidelines.
Our Division of Infectious Diseases offers a virtual clinic, allowing patients to be evaluated from home. Along with in-person visits, this enables us to optimize and tailor care for every child and family. Telehealth decreases wait times and allows simple issues to be addressed quickly. Among the benefits of video visits are:
In addition, video visits remove barriers to care, such as:
Please call the Bear Line at 1-888-884-BEAR (2327) to schedule and learn more.
Saved by a bone marrow donation from her brother, Davis, and strengthened by a personalized T-cell therapy post transplant, Molly’s life is back on track and she’s dancing again.
Roberta L. DeBiasi Division Chief, Infectious DiseasesCo-Director, Congenital Zika ProgramCo-Director, Congenital Infection Program Investigator, Children's National Research Institute
Andrea Hahn Assistant Program Director, Resident ResearchInfectious Diseases Specialist
Rana Hamdy Director, Antimicrobial Stewardship ProgramAssociate Director, Fellowship Training ProgramInfectious Diseases Specialist
Benjamin Hanisch Director, Transplant Infectious Diseases ProgramInfectious Diseases Specialist
Nada Harik Director, Fellowship Training ProgramInfectious Diseases Specialist
Barbara Jantausch Infectious Diseases Specialist
Wei Li Koay Infectious Disease SpecialistInvestigator, Children's Research Institute
Craig Shapiro Infectious Diseases Specialist
Alexandra Brugler Yonts Director, Post COVID ProgramInfectious Diseases Specialist
Kathleen Ferrer Specialist, HIV Medicine Hospitalist, Infectious Diseases
Natella Rakhmanina Director, HIV Prevention and Treatment ProgramSpecialist, HIV Medicine
Gretchen Cruz-Figueroa Psychologist, HIV Prevention and Treatment Program
Ashley Maxie-Moreman Psychologist
Lauren Arrigoni Nurse Practitioner
Rachel Falik Nurse Practitioner
Joanna Mareuil Nurse Practitioner, HIV Prevention and Treatment Program
Tierra Williams Nurse Practitioner
Aimee Dassner Infectious Diseases Pharmacist
Using powerful sequencing technology, researchers have identified specific biomarker patterns in the blood that are unique to severe COVID-19 infection, as well as others unique to Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a severe complication of COVID-19 infection in children.