Dr. Edmundo P. Cortez Jr., MD

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Get to know Pediatric Critical Care Specialist Dr. Edmundo P. Cortez Jr., who serves patients in Illinois.

An experienced, double board-certified pediatric critical care specialist, Dr. Cortez Jr. is the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at UI Health. 

As part of the multidisciplinary Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at UI Health, he provides specialized care to patients with acute and chronic illnesses, and those who have undergone major surgical procedures.

The 24-bed PICU at UI Health is among the handful of medical centers in Chicago and Illinois to be designated a Pediatric Critical Care Center. It provides specialized care for children with severe respiratory, circulatory, or neurological problems, including children who have undergone transplantation, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and other surgical procedures. It also provides management of emergencies ranging from allergic reactions to broken bones to complex illnesses. 

A 1994 graduate of Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine, Dr. Cortez Jr. went on to perform his residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago in 1997. He then furthered his training with a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2001, and received his Master of Health Administration degree from the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2018.

Board-certified in both pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine, he is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The mission of the ABP is to advance child health by certifying pediatricians who meet standards of excellence and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

Holding an academic rank, Dr. Cortez Jr. serves as a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

Among his professional affiliations, he is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Critical Care Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Illinois Chapter.

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends individuals be under pediatric care up to the age of 21. Pediatric critical care specialists treat children from birth through the teen years. They choose to make caring for children who are very sick the core of their medical practice. Their advanced training and experience prepare them to give children in PICUs the unique medical care that they need.

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