The Pediatric Burn Program at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is the only multidisciplinary, comprehensive burn team in North Central Florida. Our unique expertise is immediately available to treat children from birth to 18 years of age with all types of burn wounds.

Our ABLS-certified pediatric surgeons are experienced in caring for burn wounds in children, and they work with specialized nurses, critical care physicians, therapists and many other dedicated team members to deliver outstanding care to our patients.

The UF Health Pediatric Burn Program’s multidisciplinary team cares for all types of burn injuries to any part of a child’s body. From caring for children in the Pediatric E.R. to long-term follow-up care, our experts ensure that burn wounds heal properly and optimal functional and cosmetic outcomes are achieved. Telemedicine services are also offered for healed burns and scars for the numerous families that travel a long way to see us.

Our team is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all burn issues.

Meet our medical director

Shawn Larson, MD, FACS, is the director of the Pediatric Burn Program and oversees all pediatric burn care. The members of our outpatient team include Lauren Indelicato, DNP, APRN, specialized burn nurses, a pediatric occupational therapist, child life specialist and pediatric social worker. On the inpatient side, we have a large multidisciplinary team, led by Dr. Larson and a team of pediatric surgeons and which includes Steven Raymond, MD and Janice Taylor, MEd.

We treat all types of burns (thermal, scald, chemical and electrical) and care for them at various stages of healing — from acute to healing burns to burn scars. Some candidates can experience outstanding results through our Pediatric Laser Burn Program and its laser therapy approach, which has the potential to greatly improve hypertrophic scarring, soften scar contractures and prevent children from having a contracture release surgery. Skin conditions are also cared for, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and necrotizing fasciitis (NF).

Our treatment and expertise

Our program offers both surgical and nonsurgical care for burns. Additionally, we provide important support to children with burn injuries and their families including pain management, social work, child life, and physical and occupational therapy. Our occupational therapy focuses on range of motion, splinting, and measuring for and maintaining pressure garments.

We see patients weekly during our outpatient burn program, and our team is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all burn issues. When not in the burn clinic, members of our inpatient care team are in the hospital spending a lot of time with burn patients’ families during their admission to the hospital. They help coordinate the care teams, help with dressing changes and assist families as they discharge. Their goal is to make your stay as pleasant as possible and provide continuity of care.

Our pediatric burn program is complementary to our adult burn center at UF Health, which is verified by the American Burn Association. Because of the collaboration among our experts, we can provide comprehensive care and achieve excellent outcomes.