Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

The Be In The Zone program included a daylong event where students experienced a mock trauma simulation in the ED. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
October 30, 2025

Program shows students that distracted driving can take many forms

Research has found that dialing a phone number while driving increases a teen’s risk of crashing by six times, and texting while driving increases the risk by 23 times.

By Jessica Pasley
May 16, 2025

‘This could happen any day.’ Volunteers and staff pitch in for the first large-scale mass casualty drill held at VUMC in 15 years.

Dozens of people pitched in to help leadership at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt get an up-to-date review of emergency preparedness.

By Evan Dorian
July 10, 2024

The LifeFlight legacy: 40 years in 40 photos

Since July 1984, LifeFlight has made 76,942 flights and transported 80,118 patients. It’s transported another 37,133 patients since its ground transport program began; critical care ground transports number 4,188.

This is the ever-expanding legacy: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, children and grandparents — alive. Explore an audio clip, map and more.

By Craig Boerner, Diana Duren, Holly Fletcher, Erin O. Smith, Wayne Wood
September 29, 2023

How to prepare for a medical emergency: A paramedic’s 10 things you need to know before the ambulance is on the way

Most people do not know what to expect when calling 911. Here is guidance from someone who knows.

By Megan Grahn
Vanderbilt experts say there are potential hazards associated with using glow sticks.
October 27, 2022

Vanderbilt experts urge caution when using glow sticks

Pediatricians at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt urge everyone to use caution when using the popular glow-in-the-dark sticks and accessories.

By Jessica Pasley
September 1, 2022

New protocol moves pediatric ED patients to primary care clinic

Vanderbilt has created a pediatric emergency department to primary care clinic transfer protocol as an alternative for using the ED for non-urgent conditions that can be treated in a primary care setting.

By Jessica Pasley
July 21, 2022

Children’s Hospital sees increase in children poisoned by THC in marijuana edibles

They resemble candy. They taste like candy. Some children have ended up in intensive care.
By Jessica Pasley
March 9, 2021

Pediatric emergency visits, hospitalizations down sharply during pandemic: study

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s hospitals across the United States have seen signification reductions in the number of children being treated for common pediatric illnesses like asthma and pneumonia, according to a new multicenter study led by Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
By Christina Echegaray
February 15, 2021

Patients’ stories motivate Lizzie Simonds, the only paramedic working in VUMC’s COVID unit

She remembers one man who was scared and couldn't rest: “I spent 45 minutes…sitting next to him, holding his hand so he felt safe enough to try to sleep for a little bit."
By Wayne Wood
December 11, 2019

Vanderbilt doctors discuss when to visit emergency departments for cold and flu symptoms

‘Tis the season for colds, flu and upper respiratory illnesses say health care providers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
By Jessica Pasley
October 2, 2019

Children’s Hospital debuts enhanced helipad

The return of the Children’s Hospital helipad, painted with the hospital’s trademark paper dolls, will shorten the transport time for patients by several minutes — essentially eliminating the need to shuttle patients along a 400-yard connector to reach the freestanding, pediatric hospital.
By Jessica Pasley
July 13, 2017

Children’s Hospital ED adds new rooms to speed treatment

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has added seven new rooms to its Emergency Department (ED) to help increase the speed with which the team assesses and treats pediatric patients for minor emergencies.
By Christina Echegaray
April 13, 2017

Advocating for patients drives Children’s Hospital’s Lowry

Small and seemingly inconsequential interactions with patients can sometimes stick in a caregiver’s memory.
By Paul Govern
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