Children's Memorial Health Institute

The “Children’s Memorial Health Institute” (IPCZD) is one of the largest and most important paediatric hospitals in Poland, admitting patients from all over the country. The Institute has a dual role: it functions both as a scientific research institute reporting directly to the Ministry of Health and as a highly specialised hospital with the highest level of reference care. The Minister of Health has designated IPCZD as the coordinator of the Polish Paediatric Clinical Trials Network (POLPEDNET), which makes the Institute the national leader in conducting modern clinical trials in the paediatric population.

The scientific activity of the Institute is closely linked to clinical practice. IPCZD’s clinical structure includes 27 hospital wards, specialist outpatient clinics, diagnostic departments and an operating suite with 10 theatres. Each year, approximately 89,000 hospitalisations and over 187,000 outpatient consultations are carried out. The Institute covers practically all fields of paediatric medicine (with the exception of haematology and orthopaedics), admitting patients from across Poland. There are 618 hospital beds available, and around 13,600 procedures under general anaesthesia and 7,000 surgical operations are performed annually.

IPCZD holds a scientific category A and has been awarded the HR Excellence in Research logo (HR Logo). It is also an active member of seven European Reference Networks (ERN): EpiCARE, TRANSPLANTCHILD, ITHACA, MetabERN, PaedCan-ERN, RARE-LIVER and RITA. The Institute develops innovative digital health solutions – among others within PeRCMC (a digital innovation centre in paediatrics), which integrates and analyses clinical, laboratory, imaging, omics data and medical documentation, ensuring high data quality and security as well as compliance with interoperability standards and EHDS guidelines. The Institute also hosts the Paediatric Clinical Trials Support Centre (CWpediBK), whose aim is to increase both the number of clinical trials conducted in the paediatric population in Poland and the number of participating children. CWpediBK acts not only as a site conducting clinical trials, but also as an initiator and developer of clinical studies that respond to the real needs of the paediatric population and improve access to modern therapies.