Children’s Hospital Oakland Publishes First of Its Kind Pediatric Rehabilitation Journal

August 16, 2008

Oakland, Calif.– Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland continues to lead the way in pediatric rehabilitation with the creation of a new medical journal focused on children and teenagers. Jacob Neufeld, MD, MSPH, Medical Director of Children’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Department, is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine: An Interdisciplinary Approach. The quarterly journal released its second issue in July 2008 and a third issue is expected in late 2008, highlighting Muscular Dystrophy, with the Spina Bifida volume to follow in early 2009.

The journal, initially released in late 2007, is the first of its kind in pediatric rehabilitation, a subspecialty with only about 200 physicians in the country. The publication is extensively peer reviewed and evaluated by a biostatistician with an international editorial board of more than 30 physicians from a variety of subspecialties. “By requiring articles to be co-authored by medical professionals representing at least two different disciplines, the international journal’s content parallels the multidisciplinary team approach practiced at Children’s Hospital Oakland when caring for children with acute and chronic diseases,” said Dr. Neufeld. “Having a child with a disability treated by a wide range of experts encourages an interdisciplinary approach, which has been shown to be most effective during rehabilitation.”

Each issue of the Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine: An Interdisciplinary Approach will be focused on a theme, though still broad in scope. Issues will include pediatric medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, amputation, muscular dystrophies of all types, stroke, cancer, mental retardation, and developmental delays. “Ultimately, my goal is to contribute scientific knowledge to clinical care for children with disabilities,” said Dr. Neufeld.

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