Comprehensive Research Programs to Advance Critical Care for Children
The strength of our critical care medicine research program is a testament to Hector Wong, MD, who was a dedicated physician, scientist and educator at Cincinnati Children’s for 27 years. Wong served as director of the Division of Critical Care Medicine from 1998-2020 and, at the time of his death in 2022, was vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics.
Wong was a compassionate pediatrician first, then a researcher. He epitomized the Cincinnati Children’s “bedside to bench to bedside” approach and worked tirelessly to improve the care children receive when hospitalized for a critical illness. He built a robust research program and attracted a diverse team of clinical and basic researchers who care about children, families, the community and each other.
Wong’s dedication to research continues to inspire his colleagues and impact children everywhere. Over the course of his career, Wong published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He led efforts to develop a biomarker-based stratification tool (PERSEVERE) to help identify sepsis early on, allowing for aggressive protection strategies. In February 2020, he was among the leaders in the field who crafted the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, comprising the first national set of guidelines for treating sepsis in children.
Research programs in the Division of Critical Care Medicine continue Wong’s vision to improve the care of critically ill children. These research programs include:
