Our focus is on providing a holistic and individualized approach, often collaborating with other disciplines and departments within and outside of CHEO. Our program takes a developmental, broad-based approach to initiatives ranging from outreach and early intervention to tertiary intervention. There is a strong focus on building primary support systems through families and/or guardians.

Areas of outpatient clinical care include eating disorders, gender diversity, sexual and reproductive health services (e.g., post-sexual assault care, early pregnancy clinic, complex contraception, STI screening and management), and other challenging adolescent health presentations requiring a multi-disciplinary approach. Patients with severe eating disorders are managed through our strong collaboration with Mental Health within CHEO’s Eating Disorder Program. The program currently consists of a 10-bed inpatient unit, a 12-bed Partial Hospitalization Program, a Day Treatment program, as well as an active outpatient clinic.

The Gender Diversity Program is a collaborative team consisting of Adolescent Health physicians, pediatric endocrinologists, nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, and other mental health providers.

In addition to these programs, our division also provides a CHEO Young Families Outreach Clinic at Youville Center for young mothers and their children. We also collaborate with the Youth Services Bureau at the youth shelters in the community.

To learn more about members of the Adolescent Health team— including their biography, area(s) of practice, research interests and other affiliations — visit CHEO’s Find Your Doctor Directory or visit the CHEO Research Institute's site to Find A Researcher. 

Inpatient care

In collaboration with Mental Health and Psychiatry, we provide acute care to patients admitted to the 10bed inpatient eating disorder unit  

We provide consultation and assessments for youth who are admitted with health care issues, such as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), somatic symptom disorder, functional neurologic disorder, and other complex presentations that can broadly impact an adolescent’s quality of life. 

Outpatient care

The outpatient component of Adolescent Health comprises multiple half-day clinics per week for eating disorder follow-up and new eating disorder assessments.  

There are approximately 2-3 half-day clinics per week designated for sexual assault follow-up.  

There are ten half-day clinics per week shared by physicians and social workers devoted to gender diversity. There are two or three clinics per week for general adolescent health issues such as: sexuality, substance abuse, adjustment disorders, pregnancy options counseling, difficulties with school performance, chronic illness, and disability.  

Finally, there is a full-day clinic every two weeks for adolescent mothers and their children through the young families network at Youville Centre. This outreach is currently expanding to include the Youth Shelters in Ottawa.  

Home and community care

Our division provides a CHEO Young Families Outreach Clinic at Youville Center for young mothers and their children. We also collaborate with the Youth Services Bureau at the youth shelters in the community.

Clinical problems and diseases evaluated and followed

Eating Disorders:

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder  

Sexual and Reproductive Health:

• Contraception
• Menstrual Health
• Gender and Sexuality
• Post-sexual assault care
• Teen Pregnancy and Parenting
• Complex Adolescent Health Issues
• Coping with Chronic Illness
• Navigating complex mental and/or physical health challenges affecting quality of life
• School Performance
• Parent-Child Relationship Problems
• Functional & Somatic Symptom Disorders 

Diagnostic learning opportunities for trainees focus largely on engaging youth and establishing a developmentally-based conceptualization of their situation. It likewise involves working with families, caregivers, schools, and other health professionals to establish effective support systems. The HEADSSS/SSHADESS mnemonic is fundamental to performing a complete interview.

Laboratory exposure relates primarily to nutritional rehabilitation and monitoring for refeeding syndrome in severely malnourished youth, appropriate screening and management related to sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy related investigations, as well as hormonal screening and monitoring in young people undergoing gender transition. Examples might include blood work and imaging to assess an adolescent’s overall growth and development, or blood work assessments for severe malnutrition and its medical complications (e.g., screening for nutrient deficiencies, testing bone mineral density, ECG etc.).

Undergraduate training opportunities

Undergraduate medical students have an opportunity to participate in several areas of adolescent health both within and outside the hospital with the following objectives:  

• To provide an opportunity to gain experience in the interview and assessment of adolescent patients
• To understand the interaction of the process of adolescent development on the biopsychosocial health outcome of youth
• To become comfortable using the HEADSSS/SSHADESS - a psychosocial interviewing technique for adolescents
• To gain confidence in engaging and working with adolescents presenting with high-risk behaviours.

Experience will include both inpatient and outpatient exposure with patients aged 11 to 18 years in the following areas:  

• The full spectrum of eating disorder management including a half-day assessment process, outpatient clinic, and inpatient care
• A range of patients presenting with issues related to adolescent development and identity  
• Sexual and reproductive health with emphasis on areas such as sexual histories or sexual assault, pregnancy, and contraception.
• Youth with chronic illness  
• Adolescents identifying as transgender or gender-diverse.

Students also have the opportunity to become involved with research projects addressing any facet of adolescent health. 

Postgraduate training program

Pediatric residents can develop effective and constructive ways for engaging with and helping youth improve their health. The approach is based on a collaborative developmental approach. They gain competency in identifying the underlying needs of youth that lead to health-threatening behaviours and maladaptive coping, in establishing support systems that include families, and an awareness of community resources relevant to this population. 

Additional postgraduate training

The Division of Adolescent Health does not currently offer subspecialty or fellowship training opportunities. We have, however, offered rotations to family medicine residents, psychiatry fellows, and pediatric gynecology fellows who seek specific training that is pertinent to their own fields of study. 

The Division of Adolescent Health is involved in education and clinical research. Division members have held, or currently hold, multiple peer-reviewed grants and present regularly at international and national forums on a variety of topics related to adolescent health.

Interested trainees may have opportunities to engage in scholarly activity during clinical rotations depending on their own specific interests and studies that are planned or already underway.

Research areas include:

• Eating disorders
• Gender diversity
• Adolescent pregnancy and parenting
• Vulnerable youth

For latest information on research and discoveries, visit the CHEO Research Institute website.