Major Contributions to Medicine
Rodriguez-Torres is a visionary leader whose contributions to medicine have profoundly impacted medical education and healthcare delivery. The first PICU in the United States is a topic often debated, with the first documented being under Berlin in 1965. In 1966, Ramon Rodriguez-Torres opened another well-documented early pediatric intensive care unit at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. It was the first documented PICU in the USA caring specifically for patients with open heart surgery and peritoneal dialysis.[2][7] At Miami Children’s Hospital, he created the Continuing Medical Education Department, now a cornerstone of professional development, and launched a pioneering Tele-Medicine training program that expanded access to specialized pediatric care in remote areas. His leadership also drove the growth of medical education conferences, attracting global experts to advance pediatric cardiology. He further contributed to the field by initiating rotations with community-based pediatric generalists, founding a Preventive Medicine Department, establishing a Pediatric Research Center for genetic birth defects, and launching the Miami Children’s International Pediatrics Journal, all of which have enhanced pediatric healthcare in South Florida and beyond.[1][3]
​
​
•Variety was the only children’s hospital creating a need for increased services to pediatric patient services, resources, and facilities
• Comprehensive population boom due to immigration to southern Florida
• demand for generalists in pediatrics
• increase in demand for quality pediatric training programs.
• need to address lack of pediatric beds
• updated technologies affecting pediatric healthcare
• addressing identified needs of pediatric populations in Central and South America study of mortality and morbidity due
GOALS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF RRT
Forged Miami Children’s Hospital (currently named Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s successes; today, making it the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States
DEPARTMENTS / SERVICES CREATED THROUGH RRT LEADERSHIP:
1981 RRT is hired as medical training consultant charged with conducting a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of the pediatric medical needs of South Florida to transform Variety Children’s to a global resource for medical education and services
1982 RRT joins Variety Children’s Hospital to Execute the Hospital’s Master Plan for Program Development
• Hospital name from Variety Children’s Hospital to Miami Children’s Hospital leads to international recognition.
• Creation of Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation headed by Ambassador Dave Walters
• Established a Continuing Medical Education Department
• Expanded regional, national, and international medical education conferences.
• Started a Tele-Medicine training program for residents
• Implemented collaborative initiatives with new and existing hospitals such as Homestead Hospital focused initially focused on post Hurricane Andrew relief
• Involvement with entities such as PAHO, WHO
• Developed and staffed a medical transcription department.
• Established Miami Children’s International Pediatrics Journal
• creation of a division of sponsored programs administration to secure public and private funding to improve the Hospitals medical education tracks and experiences (e.g., Robert Wood Foundation, Health & Human Services, National Institute of Health, community grants, etc.)
• successfully secured federal grant funding for twelve consecutive years of pediatric residency and medical education innovative initiatives, including the recruitment and establishment of sub-specialists and related rotations such as:
o Rotations with community-based pediatric generalists
o Continuing Care Center for outpatient primary care visits.
o Preventive Medicine Department
o Rural Health rotation in Pahokee
o Sports medicine conferences focused on steroid use and abuse by teenagers in the public school system.
o Pediatric Chief Resident
o Pediatric Grand rounds
o Residency forums
o Surgery
o Bone marrow transplantation
o Neurofibromatosis
o Adolescent medicine ward increased to twenty beds
o Pediatric research center focusing on genetic birth defects.
o international department
o global educational partnerships.
o Ronald McDonald House collaboration for out of country patients
o Alumni association
o Global thought leaders’ delivery of grand rounds (e.g. Jonas Salk, MD, Antonia Novello, US Surgeon General