Our History: Altieri Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship
Dr. Michael F. Altieri (1951-2004), with the support of fellow PEM physician Thom Mayer, founded this two-year fellowship for graduates of emergency medicine training programs in 1993. His vision was a rigorous, comprehensive training program in pediatric emergency care with a strong focus on clinical medicine and child advocacy.
Mike, a pioneer fellowship-trained PEM physician, recognized that general emergency physicians needed a solid grasp of standard pediatric emergencies presenting to general community hospitals, experiences that he was sure they were not getting exposure to in residency.
In 1997, a separate three-year track was added for physicians primarily trained in pediatrics. The program was accredited by the ACGME in 1999.
Mike died unexpectedly in 2004 at the age of 53.
His vision also led to many of the pediatric services currently available at Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital, including the Pediatric Residency Program that began in 1995, the subsection of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and the SANE (now FACT) program.
In January 2008, the Michael F. Altieri, MD, Pediatric Emergency Care Unit was unveiled as a separate department within the hospital's emergency medicine wing.
