Dr. Brad Peterson

26 Years of Treating Life - Threatening Illnesses and Injuries

Then & Now

Bradley (Brad) Peterson, M.D., is an indefatigable warrior for kids. He has one goal and it has remained constant for the 26 years he’s been at Children’s. “I want to provide the best care for kids who are life-threatened by illness or injury,” he says simply.

Dr. Peterson’s role at Children’s is multifaceted: He is currently Director of Children’s 54-bed Ernest Hahn Critical Care Center, associate director of Children's Trauma Care Center, co-director of Children’s transport services, and a member of Children’s senior staff in pediatrics and anesthesia.

Patricia Serabia Huston is just one of the innumerable kids treated by Dr. Peterson during his long and illustrious career. Patricia owes her life to Children’s multidisciplinary critical care center, which has been painstakingly built and developed by Dr. Peterson and his team.

One of the key components of Children’s critical care system, according to Dr. Peterson, is a successful transport service. Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport (CHET), which started in 1973, transports about 1,000 acutely ill and injured children to Children each year. Patricia was bleeding profusely from injuries sustained in her accident and, without emergency transport, she would have bled to death en route to the hospital.

Another component is Children’s recognition, in 1984, as the region’s designated pediatric trauma center. Children's specially equipped Trauma Care Center, which treats 115 trauma cases each month, has pediatric specialists on call 24 hours a day. By the time an injured patient, like Patricia, arrives at Children’s, a specially trained team is standing by.

Thanks to these components, Children’s renowned critical care fellowship program and the untiring efforts of Dr. Peterson and his team, Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is ranked among the top three in the nation for pediatric survival rates. “Children’s is really at the forefront of pediatric critical care treatment and research,” states Dr. Peterson with justifiable pride.

It’s not unusual for Dr. Peterson’s patients to keep in touch. He often hears from former patients, especially around the holidays. However, he was taken aback when Patricia contacted him out of the blue, 20 years after her accident.

“It makes me acutely aware of the passing of time when I see my young patients come back as adults,” he reflects. “But it’s immensely satisfying to know that, thanks to the care they received, they’ve pulled through a life-threatening illness or injury and gone on to lead long and productive lives. You can’t ask more than that.”