General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

University Pediatricians | Michigan

About the Divisions of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

Our Pediatric Practice provides primary care service for patients 0-22 years of age. This includes preventive, adolescent and complex care service. Our Medical Home Team coordinates care for complex care children with developmental, cognitive and physical disabilities. Our interdisciplinary behavioral health service facilitates the identification and management of children with attention deficit disorder, anxiety, autism, depression, eating disorders, lead exposure, co-morbidities of prematurity and sensory deficits. We also provide primary care for children with congenital disorders of cardiac, respiratory, endocrine, metabolic and musculoskeletal organ systems. Chronic medical conditions include asthma, nutritional deficiencies, obesity and hypertension.  Our providers come from diverse ethnicities and have varied interests.

Our Division is responsible for the provision of General Pediatric education for residents in Pediatric, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine-Pediatric training programs. At least 30% of each graduating residency class chooses a career in General Pediatrics—including Primary Care (private office, health care systems), Academic Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine.

Our practice is open Monday –Friday, 8 am – 6 pm. Our RN triage service is also  available  Monday-Friday, 8 am – 6 pm. Same day or next day acute appointments are available. After hour service is provided by answering service and one of our practitioners on beeper call.

Division Leadership

My Philosophy of Care

“Everything about teaching and healing is like a circle. I am able to share my medical knowledge with my students, patients, and parents. In turn, they teach me to listen, learn and respect. The knowledge I gain from these interactions allows me to provide the most collaborative, compassionate and respectful care. Children are our Future. Pediatric care is my contribution to the future of the community that nurtured and sustained me.”

Yvonne M. Friday MD
Division Chief, General Pediatrics Adolescent Medicine

Learn More About Dr. Friday

About Dr. Friday

Dr. Yvonne M. Friday is the Division Chief of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan. She also serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Wayne State University and Clinical Assistant Professor Central Michigan University.

With 50 years of dedicated clinical experience, Dr. Friday is a foundational pillar of the Detroit pediatric medical community. Beyond treating patients, she serves as the Designated Institutional Official for all CHM-sponsored residency and fellowship training programs, directly shaping the next generation of pediatricians in Michigan.

Areas of Expertise

  • Pediatric Adolescent primary care
  • Pediatric obesity evaluation and intervention
  • Delayed growth patterns and developmental assessments
  • Juvenile correctional health care

Education & Board Certifications

  • Medical Degree: University of Michigan Medical School (Graduated 1976).
  • Internship & Residency: Pediatric Academic Medicine Fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
  • Board Certifications: General Pediatrics (American Board of Pediatrics).
  • Professional Fellowships: Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP).
  • Certified Correctional Health Care Fellow (2000)

Institutional Role & Medical Education

Dr. Friday is highly regarded for her academic leadership. In her dual role as a division head and director of medical education, she oversees curriculum and training for both pediatric residents and medical students. Her collaborative approach to medical training has made her an admired figure among medical residents, fellows, and peers alike.

General Pediatrics

The Children’s Hospital of Michigan (CHM) treats the most children for inpatient pediatric care in the state of Michigan.

The Division of General Pediatrics at CHM treats children from newborn to 21 years of age. In addition to providing parent education, immunizations and well child check-ups, pediatricians on staff see patients for a variety of acute and chronic illnesses.

Read More

This is often the first stop for patients requiring a diagnosis and treatment, or a referral to a specialist if necessary.

In addition, primary care specialists on staff evaluate and treat attention deficit disorder, developmental delays, special needs and maltreatment. A Lead Treatment Clinic is also offered through the department. The department offers a training site for medical assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, medical students and pediatric residents.

The staff participates in local, state and federal advocacy endeavors in order to ensure the continuation of quality service for patients and families and serves as a key site for Michigan’s largest pediatrician training program.

Adolescent Medicine

The Adolescent Medicine Division at CHM specializes in the care of adolescents from ages 11 through 21. The division provides comprehensive adolescent health care services to all male and female adolescents, including complete school, camp, sports and routine physical examinations and immunizations. Other services include full pelvic examinations and pap smears, and management of chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, seizure or bowel diseases in close cooperation with other specialists.

Read More

Special programs include the Adolescent Transition Clinic designed to assist special needs patients in transitioning from the Adolescent Clinic in a pediatric hospital to an Internal Medicine setting and psychological services.

Our Clinical Programs

Adolescent Transition Clinic

With advances in diagnosis, surgical and medical treatment of pediatric conditions, more and more children are surviving into adulthood that previously did not. It is estimated that over 90% of children born with chronic or disabling conditions will live beyond their 20th birthday. There are now equal numbers of patients with congenital heart disease over the age of 21 as there are younger than 21. It is estimated that one of every 640 adults between the ages of 20 and 39 are survivors of cancer.

Read More

People with Down syndrome will likely live into their 40’s to 50’s. Similarly, most children with cerebral palsy will reach adulthood. These persons will continue to need specialized care from either pediatric subspecialists or adult subspecialists who are expert in their conditions. However, they also will require a medical home with care provided by a primary care provider who is not only familiar with their chronic conditions, but who is familiar with the assessment of acquired “adult” conditions as well as preventive medicine.

The Adolescent Transition Clinic was designed to assist special needs patient’s in transitioning from the Adolescent Clinic in a pediatric hospital to an Internal Medicine setting. Special needs patient’s in their twenties continue to be seen for two to three years in the same Adolescent Clinic but instead of being seen by the Adolescent providers, they are seen by internists with specialization in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics.

Clinic Mission

The overall goal of the DMC/WSU/Children’s Hospital of Michigan Transitional Care Clinic is to provide a medical home for these growing number of patients. Specifically, the clinic aims to:
– Provide uninterrupted health care that is patient centered, age and developmentally appropriate, flexible, and comprehensive
– Educate the patient about his/her disease
– Educate the patient about the differences between adult-centered care and pediatric-centered care
– Educate families regarding potential legal issues regarding insurance and guardianship
– Promote skills in communication, decision-making, self-care, and self-advocacy
– Promote personal and medical independence, to promote sense of control over one’s health, health care decisions, and psychosocial environment
– Maximize quality of life and future potential

In addition to monitoring the patient’s chronic conditions, the Transition Clinic also addresses general medical issues that apply to all adults including:
– Healthy lifestyles such as exercise and diet
– Alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse counseling
– Sexual health
– Cardiovascular risk assessment including monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol levels
– Appropriate cancer screening
– Adult Immunizations

Integrated Behavioral Health Program

The Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (GPAM) at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan offers an Integrated Behavioral Health Program providing comprehensive, fully integrated care that allows medical and behavioral heath services to work together to meet the unique needs specifically for GPAM patients. The program has a proud 20 year history in developing and providing high quality integrated behavioral health care to patients at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and continues to expand and improve services.

Read More

Integrated Behavioral Health, also known as Collaborative Care, in GPAM begins with screening tools given to patients at their medical visits. The feedback from these tools, and the subsequent conversations physician’s have with patients/families, often result in families working with one of the GPAM clinical social workers to address the concerns raised. A social work assessment is focused on identifying the specific needs of a child/family. Once needs are identified, intervention options are discussed and a comprehensive intervention plan is cooperatively developed. This plan can include medical follow up, referral to community resources or, in the event of a need for behavioral health support, a direct referral to a GPAM behavioral health program therapist.

Community Partners

Behavioral health therapists are drawn from three distinct behavioral health provider groups within the program.

The first group is a collaborative with Wayne State University’s (WSU) Psychology program. With the support of The Children’s Foundation, supervised WSU Psychology doctoral students provide direct service to clinic patients at no charge. These providers meet weekly with clinic social workers for care coordination, collaborate with physicians and meet with patients in the clinic space. With this high level of integration these providers are able to meet many of the patients’ needs.

The second therapist group is through a cooperative with The Children’s Center’s Community Outreach Division. Through this cooperative, a Children’s Center therapist is designated to see GPAM patients in the clinic. This allows for co-located, insurance based services for children who require higher intensity services. GPAM social workers meet weekly with the Children’s Center therapist to review patients and facilitate communication with physicians directly as needed.

The third therapist group of our integrated program is provided by Starr Commonwealth and is supported by a grant through the Michigan Health Endowment Foundation. This program allows patients who are experiencing significant emotional disruption as a result of traumatic experiences to receive specialized therapeutic support. These patients are able to be referred to the Starr Commonwealth Trauma Clinic for comprehensive evaluation and research based intervention proven to be effective for children with trauma. The GPAM social work team meets weekly with the clinical director at Starr to review patient needs and coordinate care. Starr Commonwealth is the newest partner with the program and there are plans to expand their services to include on site visits and a focused trauma clinic for GPAM patients.

Our Team is Dedicated to You

General Pediatrics & Adolescent Attendings

Learn about our University Pediatricians Attendings

Placeholder
Ahdi A. Amer, M.D.

Professor

Read More
Placeholder
Alcesa A. Backos, M.D.

Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Read More
Batoul Aljamal

Read More
Placeholder
Bradley Norat, M.D.

Associate Professor

Read More
Hadeel Shihan M.D.

Read More
Placeholder
JP Kelly, D.O.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Read More
1
2
3
4
Next

Advanced Practice Providers

Anne Hauser NP

Read More
Heather Bartlett NP

Read More

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

View our Faculty Directory

Education

Undergraduate Medical Education
Children’s Hospital of Michigan provides medical student education for all levels of undergraduate medical education. During the first two years of Medical School, we are available for mentoring and pre-clinical exposure by arrangement. Clinical rotations for both third year clerkships and fourth year electives are also available. We are especially proud of our fourth year Subinternship that provides preparation for those planning a Pediatric Residency training.  Our current Medical School affiliation is with Central Michigan University. We also train students from schools such as, Meharry Medical College, Michigan State University College of Medicine and Wayne State University School of Medicine.

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

Residency Program
Fellowships

Recent Research Publications

Request an Appointment
Request an Appointment
Scroll to Top