The smile of a child brightens the world, but as doctors we know our patients will not always be smiling upon entering our facility. In the department of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, we make it our goal tosee that smile before they leave. We have chosen the field of pediatrics out of our love and devotion to treating patients spanning from newborns to high school athletes.

The department began serving children in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia in 1972. Our physicians and allied health professionals are involved in all phases of pediatric clinical care and research, including primary care and subspecialties. We also reach out to our community through partnerships with Wolfson Children's Hospital, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville, Children's Miracle Network, Partnership for Child Health, Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, AGAPE Community Health Center Network, Duval County Health Department, UF Health Shands Children's Hospital in Gainesville and others.

In addition, our institution sponsors competitive ACGME-accredited training programs, which include a pediatric residency program as well as fellowships in community and societal pediatrics, hospice and palliative medicine (adult and pediatric), pediatric child abuse, pediatric endocrinology, pediatric hematology/oncology and pediatric infectious diseases. Our pediatric residency has 38 residents from medical schools around the world. Our department has more than 90 pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists and psychologists.

I would like to thank you for your interest in the field of pediatrics and encourage you to contact our department with any additional questions.

Mark L. Hudak, M.D.
Chair, Department of Pediatrics; Interim Chief, Division of Rheumatology; Associate Director, NICU Wolfson Children's Hospital; Associate Dean for Managed Care
University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville