Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Message from the Division Chief

Division Chief image — Sandra Arnold, MD

The Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases helps to manage patients in all areas of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. We consult on patients to provide diagnostic and management advice for children with infections of all kinds including pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, tuberculosis, and histoplasmosis among many others. We are frequently managing some of the sickest patients in the hospital in collaboration with pediatricians and surgeons. We have outpatient clinics at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital downtown and in East Memphis. All faculty members are involved in clinical research including investigator initiated projects, multicenter studies with faculty at other institutions, and pharmaceutical industry sponsored trials of new antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines.

Within the division, we have several clinical programs. Dr. Maria Carrillo-Marquez heads the Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) screening program. Congenital CMV is the most common infection transmitted from mother to baby in utero and is the most common non-genetic cause of hearing loss in children. All newborns born within the Methodist Hospital system are screened (unless parents opt out), via a swab of their saliva, for this infection. Approximately 0.5% of all infants screened are positive and these children are seen in our clinic and offered treatment if there are any symptoms of the infection. Dr. Tim Minniear heads the Transplant Infectious Diseases service at Le Bonheur. Children with solid organ transplants are at high risk of infection and Dr. Minniear helps manage these patients before, during, and after transplant. Dr. Nick Hysmith is the Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Le Bonheur and for the entire Methodist system. He is an expert in patient safety and quality.

All our faculty are very involved in medical education, both undergraduate and graduate. Many students and residents rotate on the Infectious Diseases Consultation Service to learn how to diagnose and manage common and uncommon infections. Dr. Bindiya Bagga is the Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program at UTHSC and oversees the recruitment and training of over 60 residents each year. We have an outstanding Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital that accepts two new fellows per year.