Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital

The Loyola University Health System Adolescent Medicine Section provides consultation and comprehensive care for patients ages 11 - 25.  This includes management of acute and chronic diseases that are unique to adolescents and are difficult to manage. We are also interested in furthering the health needs of adolescents by teaching and community outreach.

The Adolescent Medicine Program provides care for these conditions: 

• Diagnosis and management of some “risk-taking” behaviors, including substance abuse, or sexuality-related problems
• Eating and weight disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and problems with excess weight
• Recurrent, difficult to manage physical symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, abdominal pain, and other pain syndromes as well as medically unexplained conditions and somatoform disorders
• Attention Deficit Disorder and school performance-related
• Basic adolescent gynecologic problems
• Guidance of parents of teens on helpful practices in parenting
• Adolescent problems for which other primary physician would request more help

For younger patients dealing with weight disorders, primary-care physicians are able to make a referral to the Loyola Child and Adolescent Weight Management Program.

Our service consists of a board certified specialist in Adolescent Medicine,  and a manager/nurse specialist. We receive referrals from pediatricians, internists, family physicians and other specialists and provide them with prompt detailed information.  We work closely with therapists in the community and with school counselors and nurses  in providing optimal health for the adolescents in the school setting.

We provide many health education talks in the community at schools and community events and educational sessions for physicians in learning the modern skills in adolescent health.