Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology

Welcome to the Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology & Toxicology at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences! We are a dynamic, vibrant, academic Section, growing and expanding on four foundational pillars: operational adeptness, quality & innovation, education & scholarship, and wellness.

Operationally, our Pediatric Emergency Department resides in one of the largest freestanding children’s hospitals in the country, which has 336 beds and three separate ICUs. Our faculty cares for over 60,000 annual visits and accounts for greater than 65% of all hospital admissions. We are the only pediatric emergency department in Arkansas with a Level 1 Trauma Center. We have a state-of-the-art 38-bed unit, including four large trauma and resuscitation bays and capability for ECMO. Our team includes a talented cadre of 35 physicians, five APRNs, nine pediatric emergency medicine fellows, one pediatric emergency medicine ultrasound fellow, two research coordinators, and outstanding administrative support staff plus a fellowship Program Coordinator.

Our group of four pharmacology & toxicology faculty admit approximately 250 patients per year to our own inpatient service with diagnoses ranging from snake envenomations to polypharmacy medication overdoses. In addition, they perform about 100 inpatient pharmacology-toxicology consultations per year throughout the hospital This service will soon become part of a larger comprehensive collaborative academic medical toxicology program that will include a clinical consult service at UAMS, more educational opportunities, and closer relationships with the Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center at the UAMS School of Pharmacy and Arkansas Department of Health . We are recruiting additional toxicology faculty to start a medical toxicology fellowship.

We are committed to quality & innovation. We are starting two new clinical programs to increase ED throughput and enhance the experience for our patients and their families, as well as expanding our faculty to accommodate growth and improve operational efficiency.

Education and scholarship are one of the most important missions at our institution. UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital host one of the largest pediatric residency programs in the nation, with skilled faculty members training almost 100 residents who specialize in pediatrics, pediatric neurology, and combined internal medicine/pediatrics. Residents from outside specialties including family medicine, anesthesia, and emergency medicine rotate through our emergency department. Additionally, a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship has trained physicians who practice in emergency departments across the country. We are in our second year of one of the few pediatric point-of-care ultrasound fellowships in the country.

This past year our fellows presented their research at such prestigious academic venues as the Pediatric Academic Societies and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Our Section is especially well-published in the areas of simulation medicine and toxicology.

Most importantly, we enjoy wonderful relationships as a work family. Outside of work, Arkansas is a state rich in natural resources, with the Ozark Mountains and Buffalo National River to the North, the Ouachita Mountains and Lake to the west, and the Mississippi River delta to the east/southeast, and many pristine rivers and lakes in between, and as such, is nicknamed “The Natural State.” Many faculty enjoy the beautiful Arkansas outdoors during our free time. Being in the center of the state, we are within a three-hour drive to many recreational venues. The foodie scene in Little Rock is phenomenal and the cost of living is extremely affordable compared to most metropolitan cities in the US.

Thank you for visiting with us, and please contact us if you wish to learn more about the faculty and training opportunities available in our Section.

Sincerely,

David Spiro, M.D.
Division Chief of Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology
Professor of Pediatrics