Who we are

The Department of Paediatrics

The Department of Paediatrics is a large department within the Melbourne Medical School of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. We have established a worldwide reputation for excellence in child and adolescent health. The department is a national leader and unique in Victoria. The Department teaches undergraduate courses in child and adolescent health, paediatric surgery and other specialties in relation to children, adolescents and their families. We currently have over 100 academic staff, 90 postgraduate students and 9 professional staff.

The Department of Paediatrics is based at the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH). The RCH is a specialist paediatric hospital and provides clinical services, tertiary care and health promotion and prevention programs for children and adolescents. Also on the RCH campus is the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI). The MCRI conducts research into conditions affecting babies, children and adolescents.

The formal relationship between the university and the RCH campus extends back over 100 years and over time the hospital slowly changed from being a charity hospital to a teaching hospital with a very strong research profile. Today, the Department of Paediatrics plays an important role in life on the RCH campus, with many of our staff members involved in clinical care, research leadership, hospital senior management and policy development, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate education. The University, RCH and MCRI have all benefited greatly from this century old association, which has translated into outstanding care for children and adolescents in the Victorian community and beyond.

Affiliated centres

• The Academic Child Psychiatry Unit provides comprehensive assessment of specific types of difficulties in children and adolescents.

• The Centre for Adolescent Health works to advance adolescent health knowledge, practice and policy.

• The Centre for Community Child Health supports and empowers communities to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of children and their families.

• The Centre for International Child Health employs field and laboratory research to improve the health of children living in poor circumstances.

• The Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit provides teaching and research support to researchers and also collaborate on research projects