Chairman's Welcome

Welcome! Jacobi Medical Center is named after Dr. Abraham Jacobi, recognized as the father of American Pediatrics. He taught that the diagnosis and care of children ought to be studied and taught and practiced as distinct from the care of adults. “Pediatrics does not deal with miniature men and women, with reduced doses and the same class of disease in smaller bodies.” This aphorism continues to be frequently quoted to this day. Dr. Jacobi felt that children’s health was intimately associated with what would be called social determinants of health in today’s lexicon. He believed that poverty and malnutrition were the enemies of children’s health and that it is the pediatrician’s duty to reduce childhood disease and death among the poor. The Department of Pediatrics at Jacobi has cared for an economically and culturally diverse patient population for approximately 60 years. In April of 2020 we were at the epicenter of COVID in NYC and successfully cared for thousands of COVID patients. In the past year alone, children from more than fifty countries were seen in our ambulatory clinics, emergency room and inpatient services.

Our Children’s Health Clinic is a vital part of the community and provides pediatric and subspecialty care, with over 40,000 visits per year. Our Pediatric Emergency services recorded nearly 35,000 visits last year. Jacobi is the only Pediatric Level 2 Trauma center in the Bronx, making it one of the busiest Emergency Departments in New York City. In addition, we have an active inpatient service, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The pediatric residency at Jacobi Medical Center is a designated Primary Care Residency Training Program committed to providing an outstanding education in general pediatrics. Residents have extensive Pediatric inpatient and outpatient experiences, including community health and advocacy, as well as comprehensive exposure to all Pediatric subspecialties. The ultimate goal of the Jacobi Pediatric Residency Program is to prepare caring and exceptional Pediatricians, whether primary care generalists or those pursuing advance training to become tertiary care subspecialists. It is expected that all trainees will have gained a solid foundation in all aspects of Pediatric care based on the principles espoused by Dr. Jacobi including: medical knowledge and skills, an unending quest for improvement, the importance of social factors, and a passion for caring for others.

Edward E Conway Jr., M.S., M.D., FAAP, FCCM
Chairman Lewis M. Fraad Department of Pediatrics
Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine