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Melinda Fiedor Hamilton, MD, MS
- Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics
Administrative Assistant: Vickie Johnson
Melinda Hamilton, MD, MS is a Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of Faculty Development for the Department of Critical Care Medicine, where she leads initiatives to support faculty growth, mentorship, and educational excellence.
Dr. Hamilton is also the co‑lead for the Longitudinal Educator Program within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Three Rivers Curriculum, and the co‑lead for the Leadership Thread, helping shape the development of clinician‑educators and future physician‑leaders across the medical school.
She previously served as the Program Director for the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, where she oversaw trainee development, curriculum design, and the transition between UME and GME. In addition, she is the former co‑chair of the UPMC Graduate Medical Education Professional Development Subcommittee, contributing to institution‑wide faculty and trainee development efforts.
Dr. Hamilton is the Director of the UPMC Pediatric Simulation Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, a role she has held since the center’s opening in 2005. She also serves as an Associate Director at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER). She earned her Master’s degree in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005.
In her simulation leadership roles, Dr. Hamilton oversees daily operations, curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation of all courses offered through the center. She continues to facilitate simulation‑based education approximately 10–15 hours per month.
Her scholarly work includes serving as site PI for multiple educational grants and projects. She has been an active volunteer with the American Heart Association for nearly 12 years, contributing to curriculum, guidelines, and product development for pediatric resuscitation education, including Pediatric Advanced Life Support courses and simulation resources. She also served as site PI for a Department of Defense grant supporting the establishment of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) capabilities for critically ill children across Hawaii and the Pacific Rim.
Professional and Scientific Society Memberships:
- American Academy of Pediatrics, 1997-Present
- Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2000-Present
- Society for Simulation in Healthcare, 2003-Present
- American Heart Association, Education Subcommittee, 2004-2010
- American Heart Association, Pediatric Subcommittee, 2010-2012
- American Heart Association, ECC Educational Science and Programs Subcommittee, 2012-2017
- International Pediatric Simulation Society, 2017-Present
Education & Training
- BS, Zoology, University of Wyoming, 1992
- MD, Creighton University, 1996
- Internship in Pediatrics, Creighton University, 1996-1997
- Residency in Pediatrics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, 1997-1999
- Chief Resident, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, 1999-2000
- MS, Clinician-Educator Training Program, 2003-2005
Selected Publications
DaSilva Y, Hamilton M, Horvat C, Fink E, Palmer F, Nowalk A, Winger D, Clark, R. “Evaluation of Electronic Medical Record Vital Sign Data Versus a Commercially Available Acuity Score in Predicting Need for Critical Intervention at a Tertiary Children’s Hospital. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 2015 16(7):644-51
Chime N, Katznelson J, Gangadharan S. et al. for the INSPIRE Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research, and Education (INSPIRE) IMPACTS Investigators. “Comparing Practice Patterns Between Pediatric and General Emergency Medicine Physicians.” Pediatr Emerg Care, 2015; 00: 00-00.
Auerbach M, Whitfill T, Gawel M, Kessler D, Walsh B, Gangadharan S, Fiedor HamiltonM, Schultz B, Nishisaki N, Tay K-Y, Lavoie M, Katznelson J, Dudas R, Baird J, Nadkarni V, Brown L. “Differences in the Quality of Pediatric Resuscitative Care Across a Spectrum of Emergency Departments”. JAMA Pediatrics.170 (10), pp 987-994, October 2016.
Ray K, Felmet, K, Hamilton M, Kuza C, Saladino R, Schultz B, Watson, R, Kahn, J. “Clinician Attitudes Toward Adoption of Pediatric Emergency Telemedicine in Rural Hospitals.” Pediatr Emerg Care.33(4), pp250-257, April 2017.
Scherzer D, Chime N, Tofil N, Hamilton M, Singh K, Stanley R, Kline J, McNamara L, Rosen M, Hunt E, for the INSPIRE Epinephrine Research Investigators. “Survey of Pediatric Trainee Knowledge: Dose, Concentration, and Route of Epinephrine. Letters/Ann Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2017 118 (4), pp516-518, April 2017.
Walsh B, Gangadharan S, Whitfill T, Gawel M, Kessler D, Dudas R, Katznelson J, Lavoie M, Tay K, Hamilton M et al. “Safety Threats During the Care of Infants with Hypoglycemic Seizures in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter, Simulation-Based Cohort Study.” The Journal of Emergency Medicine, October 2017, 53(4):467-474e7.
Johnson E, Hamilton M, Watson S, Claxton R, Barnett M, Thompson A, Arnold R. “An Intensive, Simulation-Based Communication Course for Pediatric Critical Care Fellows.” Pediatric Critical Care Medicine,2017 Aug;18(8): e348-e355.
Scherzer DJ; Chime NO; Tofil NM; Hamilton MF; Singh K; Stanley RM; Kline J; McNamara LM; Rosen MA; Hunt EA; INSPIRE Epinephrine Research Investigators. “Survey of pediatric trainee knowledge: dose, concentration, and route of epinephrine” Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.118(4):516-518, 2017 04.
October TW, Dizon ZB, Hamilton MF,Madrigal VN, Arnold, RM. Communication training for inter-specialty clinicians. The Clinical Teacher, 2018; 15: 1–6.
Auerbach M, Brown L, Whitfill T, Baird J, Abulebda K, Bhatangar A, Lutfi R, Gawel M, Walsh B, Tay KY, Lavoie M, Nadkarni V, Dudas R, Kessler D, Katznelson J, Ganghadaran S, Hamilton MF. Adherence to Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Guidelines Across a Spectrum of Fifty Emergency Departments: A Prospective, In Situ, Simulation-Based Study” Academic Emergency Medicine 2018 Sep 8.
Academic and Research Interests
- Clinician educator
- Simulation
- Faculty development
- Post-Graduate Medical Education.