Pulmonary Medicine

University Pediatricians | Michigan

About the Division of Pulmonary Medicine

The Pulmonary Medicine program at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan at the Detroit Medical Center is ranked among America’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017-18 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Children’s Hospital of Michigan treats the most children for inpatient pulmonary care in the state of Michigan.

The Division of Pulmonary Medicine has a long history of providing expert care to children and adolescents with pulmonary and sleep disorders. The Children’s Hospital of Michigan is a leading center for pediatric cystic fibrosis in Michigan. The Cystic Fibrosis Center is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation accredited care center for patients in the Detroit Tri-County Area.

The pediatric pulmonary medicine department at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan is staffed by board certified pediatric pulmonary physicians, physicians trained and board certified in sleep medicine, a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, several registered nurses, respiratory therapists, a social worker and a registered dietitian.

Consultations are provided for the diagnosis and care of unexplained, recurrent and chronic symptoms or diseases related to the respiratory system for infants, children and adolescents. Multidisciplinary care including diagnostic and therapeutic services are provided for conditions such as asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, bronchiecstasis, central hypoventilation, chronic and congenital lung disorders, cystic fibrosis (CF), hemosiderosis, obstructive and restrictive lung diseases, sleep-related disorders and ventilator dependent children.

Advanced diagnostic procedures include diagnostic bronchoscopies, pulmonary function testing and cystic fibrosis sweat testing. Specialty programs include the Cystic Fibrosis Center, Asthma Management, and Neuromuscular Disorders/Muscular Dystrophy Clinic.

Division Leadership

My Philosophy of Care

“Managing a chronic respiratory condition or a complex sleep disorder places a heavy emotional and physical burden on growing children and their families. My approach pairs advanced, evidence-based pulmonary care with dedicated partnership and open communication. Working closely with parents, we establish clear, tailored treatment pathways that optimize breathing comfort, sleep quality, and long-term health.”

Dr. Ibrahim F. Abdulhamid, MD
Division Chief, Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
Director, Pediatric Sleep Medicine
Associate Director, Cystic Fibrosis Center

About Dr. Abdulhamid

Dr. Ibrahim F. Abdulhamid serves as the Division Chief of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Director of the Pediatric Sleep Center, and Associate Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan, where he previously directed the Cystic Fibrosis Center for several decades. He holds academic faculty appointments as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Central Michigan University and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics (Voluntary Faculty) at Wayne State University School of Medicine and is affiliated with University Pediatricians.

With over 40 years of medical experience, Dr. Abdulhamid is a trusted leader in diagnosing and managing complex airways, lung, and chest conditions in infants, children, and adolescents. Board-certified in Sleep Medicine, he founded the Pediatric Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Dr. Abdulhamid is fully bilingual in English and Arabic, enabling culturally responsive care for diverse patient populations across the metro Detroit area.

Areas of Expertise

Cystic Fibrosis (CF): Comprehensive clinical management and long-term care.
Pediatric Sleep Disorders: Sleep apnea, hypersomnia, parasomnia, movement disorders, insomnia, and behavioral sleep disturbances.
Chronic Respiratory Conditions: Severe asthma, interstitial lung diseases, and restrictive/obstructive pulmonary conditions.
Complex Airway & Ventilator Management: Congenital lung anomalies, chronic respiratory failure, and long-term care of mechanically ventilated children.
Diagnostics & Diagnostics Interpretation: Pediatric flexible bronchoscopy, pulmonary function testing, and multi-channel sleep study (polysomnography) interpretation

Research & Innovations

Dr. Abdulhamid has authored over 40 indexed, peer-reviewed scientific publications. His research collaborations with basic and clinical scientists focus on oxidative pathways, novel therapeutic discoveries, and pediatric pulmonary and sleep pathologies.

In partnership with the national Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutics Development Network (TDN), Dr. Abdulhamid serves as principal investigator on national and international clinical trials evaluating disease-modifying therapies for cystic fibrosis.

Education & Board Certifications

Medical Education: M.B.B.S., Garyounis University (Al Arab Medical University), Benghazi, Libya
Graduate Education: M.S., Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
Residency: Pediatrics, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH
Fellowship: Pediatric Pulmonology, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, OH
Board Certifications: General Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology, Sleep Medicine (American Board of Pediatrics), and American Board of Sleep Medicine

Our Specialized Clinics Include

The Pulmonary Division of DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan offers advanced diagnostics including:

Diagnostic Bronchoscopies

Pulmonologists on staff perform diagnostic bronchoscopies in infants and children with suspected airway or lung disorders

Cystic Fibrosis Sweat Testing

The Cystic Fibrosis Center at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation accredited care center for patients in the Detroit Tri-County Area. It offers a sweat testing laboratory dedicated to performing confirmatory sweat testing for newborns that have had a positive screen for cystic fibrosis.

Asthma Management

Physicians from throughout metropolitan Detroit in Michigan refer their patients with difficult-to-treat asthma to the Pulmonary Medicine specialists on staff at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. This may include children with asthma complicated by co-morbid conditions such as vocal cord dysfunction. With special expertise in asthma management, specialists on staff can help recognize and effectively treat asthma in children and help reduce emergency room visit and hospitalizations.

Cystic Fibrosis Center

The Center is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s accredited care center for patients in the metropolitan Detroit Tri-County Area of Michigan. The Center offers care and treatment for infants, children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. It utilizes a multidisciplinary team approach including doctors, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, nurses, social worker, dietitian, and respiratory therapists to address all areas of cystic fibrosis. The goal is to provide the best care for patients and families through education, support and providing the most up to date medical care possible.

Sleep Center

The division also offers a Sleep Center with sleep lab services located in Canton, Clinton Township, Detroit, and Dearborn. The sleep labs have all the comforts of home and are decorated like a cozy bedroom. Young patients are encouraged to bring stuffed animals and “blankies” from home to make their overnight stay even more comfortable. A parent or caregiver is required to bunk in the room with their child to ease any apprehensions. A sleep study is a non-invasive procedure that analyzes the body’s sleep patterns. Throughout the night, qualified technicians monitor body functions such as brain wave activity, muscle tone, heart rate, eye movement, air flow, respiratory effort and oxygen levels. Sleep specialist reads the results of each sleep study, generates a report, then sends it to the referring physician with necessary recommendations. Children who experience excessive daytime sleepiness may require a daytime study after the nighttime evaluation.

Neuromuscular Disorders/Muscular Dystrophy Clinic

The pediatric Pulmonary Medicine specialists on staff work closely with the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic to provide expert pulmonary care to children with neuromuscular disorders.

Aerodigestive Clinic

At Children’s Hospital of Michigan, a multidisciplinary team of pediatric specialists including ENT, Gastroenterology, Pulmonology, Speech Pathology, Nutrition, and Respiratory Therapy collaborate for a monthly clinic to discuss children with complicated breathing and feeding concerns. All patients are seen by all practitioners at the same appointment for a comprehensive evaluation. The patient’s care is then coordinated to provide the patient and pediatrician with a comprehensive plan that addresses their specific aerodigestive concerns. The multidisciplinary clinic allows us to minimize anesthetics and radiation exposure and centralizes care through the Nurse Practitioner Coordinator. Common complaints seen include dysphagia, feeding tube weaning, stridor, chronic cough, refractory reflux, oral aversion, trach/vent/oxygen concerns, difficulties after NICU discharge, eosinophiic airway disorders and others.

Our Team is Dedicated to You

Ruma Srivastava, M.D.

Voluntary Clinical Assistant Professor

Ibrahim Abdulhamid, M.D.

Professor

Fatima Neemuchwala, M.D.

David Mowery, PA

Bayan Abdallah, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Want to learn more about our distinguished specialists? Click the button below to be taken to our Faculty Directory.

View our Faculty Directory

Education

Learn more about the residency program and fellowships offered in affiliation with the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Residency Program

Fellowships

Recent Research Publications

Faculty Publications

Ruma Srivastava, MD

Deborah R. Liptzin, Kaci Pickett, John T. Brinton, Amit Agarwal, Martha P. Fishman, Alicia Casey , Christopher T. Towe, Jane B. Taylor, Geoffrey Kurland, James S. Hagood, Jennifer Wambach, Ruma Srivastava, Hani Al-Saleh, Sharon D. Dell, Lisa R. Young, and Robin R. Deterding: Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia of Infancy: Clinical Score and Comorbidities: (Multicenter study through the chILD network. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. February 2020, Volume 17, Issue 6.

El-Baba F MD, Adams M MD. and Srivastava R MD, Cystic Fibrosis Presenting as a Chief Complaint of Recurrent Arthritis: An Atypical Presentation of a Common Disorder: Annals of Pediatrics. 2020; 3(1): 1034.

Recent Faculty Grants

Ibrahim Abdulhamid, MD

Source: Cystic Therapeutic Development Network Grant (C0-PI). Total amount: $146,175 Period of Support: 1/1/2019 – 3/31/2020 Direct Salary Support: 8%
Estimated Funding for period from 2021 is $ 114,036

Pediatric CF Center Annual Grant Source: National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Period: 7/1/2020 – 6/31/2021