UT Health Austin Pediatric Partner Programs Ranked Among Nation’s Best
Dell Children’s programs in heart, brain, and behavioral health care earn national honors in U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital rankings.
Written by: Lily Vining
Less than a decade after Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin recruited world-renowned heart surgeon Charles Fraser Jr., MD, to launch the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease, Central Texas is now home to one of the top pediatric cardiology programs in the country.
Dell Children’s Medical Center — home to the heart center, a clinical partnership with UT Health Austin — was ranked No. 10 in the nation for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery in the 2025-26 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Just two years ago, the program was unranked.
By recruiting national leaders across surgery, cardiology, anesthesiology, and intensive care, the center is delivering complex heart care that was previously unavailable in Austin — ensuring families no longer must leave Central Texas to access top-tier treatment.
“There are only a handful of places in the world where some of the complex cases we see could even be considered,” says Dr. Fraser. “That we could do it here, in Austin, is a testament to what academic medicine makes possible.”
The cardiology program isn’t the only one gaining ground. Six other Dell Children’s specialties were ranked among the best in the country, underscoring what dedicated teams can achieve when academic medicine and patient-centered care come together.
Pediatric Programs Earning National Recognition
The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease diagnoses, treats, and manages care for children and adults with a range of conditions, including congenital heart disease, heart failure, pulmonary atresia, single ventricle defects, and more.
The center delivers a multifaceted continuum of care. Patients benefit from coordinated treatment by a team of more than 200 specialists, seamless transitions to adult congenital care, and access to programs few centers offer, including heart transplant, mechanical circulatory support, and fetal cardiology.
Since launching in 2018, the center has performed the region’s first pediatric heart transplant and celebrated its 1,000th open-heart surgery — milestones that reflect both its rapid rise and deep commitment to patients and families.
Program leaders include:
- Charles Fraser Jr., MD, chief of pediatric and congenital heart surgery
- Byron Holt, MD, chief of pediatric cardiology
- Erin Gottlieb, MD, MHCM, chief of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology
- Daniel Stromberg, MD, director of pediatric cardiac critical care
- Corey Chartan, DO, FAAP, medical director, Dell Children’s Center for Pulmonary Hypertension
UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s is a clinical partnership between Dell Children’s and UT Health Austin, delivering integrated care for children and adolescents with complex neurologic conditions, including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, brain tumors, neuromuscular disorders, and more.
The program’s comprehensive approach brings together specialists in neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, neuro-ophthalmology, and pediatric rehabilitation under one coordinated care model — the only one of its kind in Central Texas. Every care plan is built around the patient and their family, with an emphasis on collaboration, continuity of care, and clinical excellence.
Program leaders include:
- Steve Roach, MD, chief of pediatric neurosciences
- Elias Rizk, MD, PhD, chief of pediatric neurosurgery
- Dave Clarke, MD, chief of the comprehensive pediatric epilepsy center
- Kristina Jülich, MD, chief of the Neurogenetics Center
- Sara Pavitt, MD, chief of the Pediatric Headache Center
- Glendaliz Bosques, MD, chief of pediatric rehabilitation medicine
- Cynthia Austin, PhD, ABPP, chief of pediatric neuropsychology
UT Health Austin Pediatric Psychiatry at Dell Children’s is meeting a critical and growing need for mental health care among children and adolescents in Central Texas. This clinical partnership between Dell Children’s and UT Health Austin offers advanced psychiatric care — from inpatient hospitalization to outpatient and intensive treatment programs — all designed to support patients across the full continuum of care.
The program treats a wide range of behavioral and mental health disorders, providing comprehensive care plans that address each child’s emotional, cognitive, physical, and social needs. Families benefit from around-the-clock access to licensed clinicians, seamless coordination with referring providers, and the support of an experienced multidisciplinary team.
Program leader:
- Puja Patel, PhD, director of pediatric psychology
Other Dell Children’s specialty programs also earned national recognition:
- Pediatric pulmonology and lung surgery — No. 27
- Neonatology — No. 36
- Pediatric orthopedics — No. 31
- Pediatric urology — No. 49
- Diabetes and endocrinology and gastroenterology and GI surgery — Also recognized
Building a New Standard of Pediatric Care in Austin
These recognitions are more than accolades — they mark a turning point in the kind of care available to children and families across Texas.
Once the largest U.S. city without an academic medical center, Austin is now home to a nationally recognized, integrated health system anchored by Dell Medical School. Through this emerging academic medical center, families increasingly have access to world-class, multidisciplinary care, right here at home.