Dr. Dennis Stevens, SD LEND Director, Named Interim Chairman for the Department of Pediatrics at the Sanford School of Medicine

October 10, 2011

Dr. Dennis Stevens

Dr. Dennis Stevens, South Dakota LEND Director, has been named the Interim Chairman for the Department of Pediatrics at the Sanford School of Medicine within the University of South Dakota. Dr. Stevens will continue his responsibilities as LEND Director while he is temporarily responsible for the administration of the Dept. of Pediatrics. Dr. Stevens has been the SD LEND Director since 1998 and received the AUCD Outstanding Achievement Award in 2010.

The Department of Pediatrics currently has more than 100 faculty members in academic, clinic and hospital settings around South Dakota and the tri-state area in 17 divisions and is in a tremendous period of growth as they strive to further develop the academic research focus and further expand the clinical and educational programs. Included under the Department of Pediatrics is the Sanford Children's Hospital which includes 146 beds, 58 neonatal intensive care beds and 12 pediatric intensive care beds. The hospital also is home to Sanford Children's Specialty Clinic. A new pediatric hospitalist program has been developed to care for children from out of the region who require hospitalization, to provide general pediatric consultation to any child hospitalized at our facility and to provide the majority of teaching of medical students and residents during pediatric rotations.

In addition, the Sanford Pediatric Residency Program has recently been accredited by the Pediatric Residency Review Committee of ACGME. The program admits six residents per year in a three-year program and employs a fourth-year chief resident.