Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai is nationally ranked in seven out of the ten pediatric specialties measured by U.S. News & World Report in its 2014-15 “Best Children’s Hospital” annual guidebook. Notably, for the first time, Kravis Children’s Hospital is ranked in neurology & neurosurgery, and neonatology.

The seven specialties are diabetes & endocrinology (No. 22), nephrology (No. 29), neurology & neurosurgery (No. 29), pulmonology (No. 30), gastroenterology & GI surgery (No. 40), neonatology (No. 49), and urology (No. 50). To develop the rankings, U.S. News & World Report surveyed 183 pediatric centers to obtain clinical data in each of the 10 specialties measured, and also asked 150 pediatric specialists in each specialty where they would refer their sickest patients.

“We are pleased with our rankings in seven specialties, and we are grateful for the recognition we received this year for our programs in neurology & neurosurgery, and neonatology—a division that now oversees the well-being of more than 18,000 newborns delivered each year in the Mount Sinai Health System,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Officer and President, Mount Sinai Health System.

Kravis Children’s Hospital had more than 70,000 outpatient visits and 2,756 inpatient stays in 2013, according to David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Mount Sinai Hospital. “While our pediatric divisions are busier than ever, we attained these rankings because our pediatric physicians, nurses, social workers, and staff continue to deliver the highest quality, most innovative and most compassionate care available,” says Dr. Reich.

Adds Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System: “We continue to recruit world-class faculty to our pediatrics department who work in interdisciplinary teams to tailor treatments to the needs of the children and adolescents we serve. Our scientists and physicians work together on groundbreaking research that can benefit the lives of our patients.”

In addition to these clinical rankings, in 2013, the department was among the nation’s top ten pediatric departments in medical schools for National Institutes of Health research funding.

“Ultimately, our goal is to provide outstanding care in every discipline,” says Lisa M. Satlin, MD, the Herbert H. Lehman Professor and Chair of the Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics. “New faculty recruitments and renovations of the pediatric cancer center and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), scheduled to be completed this year and next, will help us meet our commitment to our patients and their families throughout the Health System.”

The first phase of the NICU renovation will be completed this summer. “When we open this new area overlooking Central Park, we will have 10 ‘pods’ designed to provide a spacious and comfortable area for 20 to 40 babies, and adequate space for parents to stay by their newborn’s bedside, as well as to hold and feed their infant,” says Ian R. Holzman, MD, Chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine. This new space will also feature a family lounge, lobby, and work area for family members.

The new top 30 ranking for neurology & neurosurgery reflects, in part, an expansion of pediatric specialists and programs within the department.

Walter J. Molofsky, MD, Director of the Health System’s Division of Pediatric Neurology, is heading a team of 12 neurologists with expertise in areas that include epilepsy, headache, and hydrocephalus. Together with the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, under Director Saadi Ghatan, MD, and in collaboration with Alejandro Berenstein, MD, Director, Hyman-Newman Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai has become world-renowned for epilepsy surgery and interventional neuroradiology techniques in children, and for advancing research into a number of common neurological conditions.