Division of Medical Critical Care | Research & Innovation

In the Division of Medical Critical Care, part of the Department of Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, our faculty conducts research that spans the spectrum from cellular to clinical. We are dedicated to pushing the leading edge of research in order to develop new technologies and novel therapies with federal funding, foundational funding, and national leadership to advance the field of pediatric critical care.

The researchers in our division are currently focused on:

• generating creative and cutting-edge therapies for critical asthma, involving the use of a gas mixture of helium and oxygen (“heliox”) to help deliver medicine deep into the lungs more easily and efficiently, and streamlining the care of asthma in order to shorten the time to recovery and hospital discharge
• pioneering non-invasive ventilation strategies in babies and children with respiratory failure
• exploring novel clinical applications of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring
• automating subcutaneous insulin delivery in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and intravenous insulin delivery in critically ill children, with the innovative use of continuous glucose monitoring technologies, with a specific emphasis on minimizing hypoglycemia
• understanding the pathophysiology of cerebral edema and permanent memory impairment in children with type 1 diabetes who develop diabetic ketoacidosis
• developing innovative drugs and delivery systems to find new ways to deliver medicine to critically ill children
• developing a revolutionary approach to blood filtration that will draw out specific harmful compounds or molecules in the blood during severe infections
• examining the cellular and molecular signaling that occurs when lungs are injured, whether it be by an infection or a mechanical ventilator
• managing the blood levels and coagulation status of critically ill children
• understanding and managing the needs of children, and their families, with complex and chronic health care conditions
• improving survival and health of newborns born in developing countries
• maximizing the collaboration and knowledge-sharing between health care systems and providers from wealthy countries and developing countries

MCC researchers at Boston Children's Hospital

• Michael Agus, MD
• Danielle DeCourcey, MD
• Debra Hillier, MD
• Benjamin Matthews, MD
• Brian McAlvin, MD
• Christiana Russ, MD
• Garry Steil, PhD
• Grace Chan, MD