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An authority in quality improvement and medical error reduction, Dr. Meridith Sonnett has been appointed director of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, a position she has held in an acting capacity for over a year. Additionally, Dr. Peter Dayan, a leader in the principles of evidence-based medicine, has been named the Division's associate director.

"Both Meridith and Peter have delivered extraordinary leadership over the past 18 months following the passing of our beloved Dr. Steven Miller," says Dr. John Driscoll, director of pediatrics at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and chairman of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "I can count on a continuation of that skillful leadership in the delivery of quality care, research and the education of residents."

"I look forward to guiding our emergency department in its mission to serve a large, diverse community whose children have many health-care needs," says Dr. Sonnett.

"We offer patients the highest level of pediatric emergency care, with special attention to the comfort of our young patients and their families," says Dr. Dayan.

The Emergency Department at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital cared for approximately 50,000 children last year, making it one of the most active emergency departments in New York. The Emergency Department is a Level 1 trauma center and is housed in an 8,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.

The Pediatric Emergency Division has a national reputation for research in improving the management of children with head injuries, seizures, minor injuries and asthma. It has also earned recognition for its teaching and modeling of the principles of evidence-based medicine.

Dr. Meridith Sonnett

Dr. Sonnett is associate professor of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and joined the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in 1995. She currently serves as co-chair of the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Quality Council Committee, which is responsible for creating and supporting an organizational culture that achieves optimal outcomes in the areas of clinical quality, operational efficiency and service excellence. Dr. Sonnett is actively involved in clinical research, the pediatric residents program and the Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship program. Her research interests include patterns of utilization of emergency services for pediatric patients with psychiatric emergencies and quality improvement efforts focused on patient safety and medical error reduction. Dr. Sonnett received a medical degree from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, interned at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, and received residency and fellowship training in pediatric emergency medicine at the Jacobi Medical Center, where she was attending physician until she joined Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in 1995.

Dr. Peter Dayan

Dr. Dayan is associate professor of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is an accomplished clinical researcher and is presently one of the principal investigators and the vice chair of the steering committee of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, a federally funded network of pediatric emergency departments charged with performing definitive multicentered research. Additionally, he has been fellowship director since 1996. Dr. Dayan received a medical degree from Weill Medical College of Cornell University and received a degree of Master of Clinical Science and Biostatistics from the Mailman School of Public Health. After completing his first two years of residency in pediatrics at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., he completed his residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Children's National Medical Center before joining Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in 1995.

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian

Ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top five children's hospitals in the country, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics –including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties – in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is New York City's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide.