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Dr. Karen Choong, MB, BCh, MSc, FRCPC is a Canadian pediatrician, pediatric intensivist, neonatologist, researcher, and Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She is affiliated with McMaster Children’s Hospital, where she practices pediatric critical care. Her academic appointments include the Department of Pediatrics, Department of Critical Care, and the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University.
Dr. Choong is a graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She subsequently completed her pediatric training at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, followed by fellowships in Neonatology and Pediatric Critical Care at the University of Toronto. She is board-certified in both neonatology and pediatric critical care medicine.
Her clinical career has focused on the care of critically ill children, particularly patients requiring pediatric intensive care. Her research has developed around improving outcomes for children and families following critical illness, including prevention of complications acquired during intensive care and improving recovery after discharge from the PICU. The Canadian Critical Care Trials Group identifies her major research areas as PICU-based rehabilitation, sepsis, patient-centered outcomes, prevention of PICU-acquired complications, and post-intensive-care sequelae.
One of Dr. Choong's major academic contributions is her EXERCISE research program — “EXercise and Early Rehabilitation in Critically Ill Children, a Systematic Evaluation.” The program investigates early rehabilitation and recovery in critically ill children, with the goal of reducing morbidity acquired during pediatric intensive care and improving functional and quality-of-life outcomes for children and their families.
Her research also extends to pediatric sepsis, fluid management, patient- and family-centered care, end-of-life care, and long-term outcomes following critical illness. She has served as a researcher and methodologist on major clinical trials and guideline initiatives. Her work includes research evaluating vasopressor therapy in pediatric septic shock, intravenous maintenance fluids in children, post-intensive-care outcomes, and rehabilitation strategies.
Dr. Choong has also contributed to the development of evidence-based pediatric critical-care practice internationally. She has participated in pediatric sepsis guideline development and has been involved in research addressing the prevention and management of complications associated with critical illness. Her academic work encompasses clinical epidemiology, randomized controlled trials, outcomes research, implementation science, and health-services research.
She has held leadership and editorial roles within the critical-care community, including membership in the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group and an associate editor role with the Journal of Pediatric Intensive Care. She has also been involved with the Society of Critical Care Medicine, including serving as Vice-Chair of its ICU Liberation Committee.
Dr. Choong is a highly published academic physician. Her research profile currently lists more than 200 publications, covering pediatric intensive care, clinical trials, rehabilitation, sepsis, fluid therapy, mechanical ventilation, and outcomes research.
King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital – Health Services Directorate, Ministry of Defense
King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital – Health Services Directorate, Ministry of Defense