CLEVELAND – President George W. Bush announced the appointment of Michael R. Anderson, M.D., pediatric critical care specialist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, as a member of the National Commission on Children and Disasters.
The Commission, established in 2007, will be comprised of 10 members and is charged with conducting a comprehensive study to examine and assess the needs of children in preparation for, response to and recovery from all hazards, including major disasters and emergencies. A final report will be submitted to the President and Congress with specific recommendations to address the needs of children.
“It is imperative that we take a closer look and become more adequately prepared to handle the unique needs of children in future disasters, and I am honored and thrilled to be named by the President to this Commission,” said Dr. Anderson. “This crucial initiative by the Bush Administration and Congress will help insure the safety and future of our nation’s most important asset – our children.”
Dr. Anderson is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and he serves as the director of Continuing Medical Education and Fellowship Training at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. He has been on the faculty at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital for 10 years, and for the past two years has committed his professional career to bringing the resources of children’s hospitals to the forefront of pediatric disaster medicine. What was once a local plan to create a Cleveland pediatric response team to assist children affected by Hurricane Katrina has now become a national model for developing a unique pediatric disaster response team. Dr. Anderson is leading a collaborative effort among Ohio’s six children’s hospitals to form Pediatric Specialty Team-Ohio (PST-Ohio) to serve as a state and federal asset in the wake of future disasters. This team boasts a robust roster of more than 140 volunteers (pediatric physicians, nurses and other allied medical professionals) among the six hospitals, which allows for shared responsibility in responding to a disaster so that each hospital’s staffing resources will not be depleted in time of an emergency.
“Children are not merely miniature adults – as the leading experts in providing medical care to children in crisis, dedicated children’s hospitals play a leading role in preparing for and responding to disasters,” said Dr. Anderson. “As an experienced pediatric intensive care specialist, I am eager to start this vital investigation, and I am hopeful our Pediatric Specialty Team-Ohio can serve as a national model of collaboration and response.”
Dr. Anderson has extensive experience as a child advocate at local, state and federal levels of government, which enables him to cultivate partnerships at all levels to support PST-Ohio, including the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA), the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA), the National Association of Children’s Hospitals (NACH), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Anderson’s research and clinical interests include national physician workforce, pediatric critical care transport and national health policy issues for children. He has served on three national committees for the American Association of Pediatrics and was appointed by the AAP to the U.S. Department of HHS Maternal and Child Health Bureau expert panel on pediatric subspecialty workforce. He is currently a member of the Ohio Department of Health Pediatric Preparedness Committee, and is serving as a lead pediatrician among Northeast Ohio hospitals in developing pediatric guidelines for pandemic flu. Within University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, he was recently appointed to system-level positions as Special Liaison to the Office of the Chief Medical Officer for both the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Quality Committee and the Credentialing Committee.
In Cleveland, Dr. Anderson serves as the Pediatric Life Support (PALS) affiliate faculty for Rainbow, and was appointed to the City of Cleveland Department of Public Safety Physician Advisory Board in 2003. He was also appointed medical director for the City of Willoughby Hills in 2006, and serves on the board of directors for the Fresh Air Camp for ventilator dependent children.
Dr. Anderson is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care by the American Board of Pediatrics. He earned his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University in 1986, and earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1990. He completed his pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in 1993 and a fellowship in pediatric critical care at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in 1997.
Dr. Anderson and his wife Dianne are proud parents of five children and are active in both their church and the Boy Scouts of America.