ATLANTA (Nov. 5, 2018) – James Fortenberry, MD, MCCM, FAAP, Pediatrician-in-Chief at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, has received the 2018 Distinguished Career Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Critical Care.
Children’s Critical Care Physician Jana Stockwell, MD, presented the award to Dr. Fortenberry today, Nov. 5, at the AAP 2018 National Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla. A group of Dr. Fortenberry’s colleagues was on hand to help celebrate his notable recognition.
“Dr. Fortenberry’s career exemplifies his deep devotion to service and his commitment to improving care not only for critically ill and injured children but for all children,” Dr. Stockwell said. “As an internationally respected clinician, teacher, researcher and advocate for children’s health, this recognition comes as no surprise to his team.”
Dr. Fortenberry first joined Children’s as an attending physician in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s Egleston Hospital in 1992. He was named Pediatrician-in-Chief in 2009, having previously served as Chief of Egleston Hospital’s Division of Critical Care Medicine from 2003 to 2009, Chief, Medicine Service Line from 2009 to 2018 and Medical Director of Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a service that provides support with a heart-lung bypass machine for gravely ill children with lung or heart failure.
Throughout his career, Dr. Fortenberry has been involved in a variety medical staff administrative and quality improvement initiatives. He has served in many capacities with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Society of Critical Care Medicine, Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, for which he is past-president, and American Board of Pediatrics, where he served as the Chair of the Critical Care Sub-Board. He is an internationally sought-after lecturer on sepsis and novel therapeutic modalities.
A native of Atlanta, Dr. Fortenberry attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Dr. Fortenberry completed a pediatric residency at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., followed by a fellowship in pediatric critical care at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas.