Pediatric specialists who have cared for children around the world staff the Texas Children’s Health Center for International Adoptions. The center was the first in the Southwest and one of only a handful nationwide to offer medical treatment for parents adopting orphans in developing countries.

Many of these adoptees face health challenges such as infectious diseases, malnourishment and developmental delays that are not part of a pediatrician’s usual practice.

Physicians at the Texas Children’s Health Center for International Adoptions are available to assist parents even before they meet the child. The doctors can review a child’s profile or medical records sent by the adoption agency, and are available for consultation once parents leave the United States to pick up their child.

Learn more about the services offered at the Texas Children’s Health Center for International Adoptions.

The center’s specialists recommend a physical and developmental exam within two weeks of a child’s arrival in the United States. The center offers comprehensive laboratory work, dietary assessment, counseling for new parents, ongoing-care options and, if needed, referrals to other specialists at Texas Children’s. All services are provided by a highly trained group of health professionals.

The physicians leading the center also head up the Pediatric AIDS Initiative at Texas Children’s and Baylor, an outreach team that provides medical and social services to HIV-infected children in the U.S. and abroad.

The center also offers novel educational opportunities to pediatric residents who graduate from the Texas Children’s training program, better equipping them to manage the challenges of caring for international adoptees.