Champions for Children

At Children’s National Hospital, our goal is not simply to cure illness, but to care for each child’s entire well-being.

From our primary care centers to our main hospital, our experts have devoted their careers to pediatrics. Each care team has specialized training, and often extensive experience in treating kids’ unique healthcare needs.

In the hospital, the experience is designed to keep kids entertained, enriched and at ease.

• Child Life Specialists help children emotionally prepare for procedures, providing support before, during and after treatment.
• Playrooms on each inpatient unit give sick kids a fun and relaxing place to just be kids.
• The Ryan Seacrest Studios gives patients a chance to share their talents on air as they help produce multimedia programming for the whole hospital.
• Our Dining On-Call room service lets patients order meals from our restaurant-style menu on their own schedule. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared fresh to order and delivered within 45 minutes.
• A library, art therapy, clown care, therapeutic pups, support groups, chaplains and a host of other comforts also help make children feel more at home in the hospital.

A top NIH-funded pediatric institution, Children’s National is innovating new treatments and healthcare solutions through our research institutes.

• The Children’s National Research Institute is our academic arm. It encompasses the translational, clinical and community research efforts of the institution.
• Our Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation is making pediatric surgery more precise, less invasive and less painful for children.
• The Bear Institute Innovation and Learning Center is designed to develop advanced technology healthcare for children.
• Through our Department of Nursing Research, Children's National nurses are leading some of our most innovative clinical research.

Education is itself a specialty at Children's National. Through internships, residency, fellowships, graduate medical education and continuing medical education, we are teaching the next generation of doctors and nurses.

We have more than 50 faculty members with a master’s degree in medical education. But our faculty not only teach, they conduct research to develop the most innovative and effective teaching strategies.

In fact, our educators have won the Pediatric Academic Society’s Teaching Program Award, its highest programmatic honor. We’ve also earned the prestigious Ray E. Helfer Award for Innovation in Medical Education four times.

The quality of our program makes Children’s National a top pick for pediatric residency applicants. Two-thirds of all fourth-year medical students who apply for pediatric residency nationwide apply to Children’s National — demonstrating the amazing recognition for our institution at a national level.

We also teach subspecialty fellows through our nationally recognized fellowship programs, including new programs in: 

Learn more about our healthcare education.

We’re committed to building a brighter, healthier future for all children, not just the ones who come through our doors.

Our community benefit work highlights our investment in the surrounding community and its children.

And, our location in the nation’s capital gives us a unique opportunity to be the voice for children on city, state and federal policy. As passionate champions for children, our staff are often the first at the table when pediatric healthcare policy is developed.

Learn more about our advocacy and outreach.