Stad Center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals to Open Doors to Treat and Teach Integrative Therapies for Pediatric Pain
PR Newswire
5 min read
Combining Eastern and Western Medicine in a State-of-the-Art Facility to Treat the Whole Child
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals' Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative and Integrative Medicine today celebrated the opening of a first-of-its kind healthcare center according to Candy Stripe, LLC. Located in San Francisco at UCSF Benioff's Mission Bay campus, it is connected to UCSF's academic medical center and its resources. This will be the only clinic on the West Coast with a full-time multidisciplinary staff of pain specialists providing and teaching evidence-based integrative Eastern and Western therapies.
As the largest program of its kind globally, the UCSF Benioff Hospitals' Stad Center is redefining the standard of care for children who are experiencing pain and other serious illnesses by focusing on the whole child. Dr. Stefan J. Friedrichsdorf, a leading global pediatric pain, palliative and integrative expert and medical director of the UCSF Benioff Stad Center, is leading a team of full-time physicians, nurse practitioners, dieticians, acupuncturists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists and more. For residents, fellows and leaders at other hospitals, the Stad Center has taught more than 3,000 clinicians from 126 countries through monthly global lectures, the pediatric pain fellowship, and more.
The new clinic at Mission Bay is thoughtfully designed with both patients and caregivers in mind, prioritizing their needs and comfort in a calming environment. The floorplan includes open spaces that eliminate the need for a traditional waiting room, an interactive 10-foot-tall digital waterfall, copious natural light, and maple wood throughout.
"No child should suffer from unnecessary pain. No family should have to search endlessly for comprehensive care or answers to their child's needs," says Dr. Friedrichsdorf. "Here we treat the whole child as part of our Comfort Promise, drawing on the multidisciplinary expertise of our integrative specialist, blending Western and Eastern modalities in a completely unique healing environment. We are already hearing from other providers how implementing our Comfort Promise and multimodal approach into their practices is positively supporting patients globally along their treatment journey."
The Stad Center was first established in 2020 with a gift from then-San Francisco residents Elisa and Marc Stad. After visiting the Shanghai Children's Medical Center in China, a top pediatric hospital, they were inspired by the blend of Eastern and Western therapies to provide children with holistic care. On returning to her home in the Bay Area, Elisa Stad dedicated herself to championing the integrative medical initiatives that UCSF Benioff Hospitals' team had already been working to employ for over a decade.
"We are at an inflection point where integrative medicine is not just seen as a last resort therapy but is now proven as a better way to care for children in mainstream medical settings" says Elisa Stad, former member of the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Board of Directors. "The unique way the doctors, nurses and other practitioners are focused on the wellbeing of children and their families sets the Stad Center apart. The team takes time to sit and listen to each child's story, developing a care plan designed for each individual. We want every child and caregiver who enters the Stad Center to feel hope."
This new location in the heart of San Francisco is the most comprehensive of the three centers, offering the diverse local community access to best-in-class care within the world-renowned UCSF ecosystem.
"Caring for a child's overall wellbeing is essential for achieving the best treatment outcome, no matter what brings a child to the hospital in the first place," said Nicholas Holmes, MD, MBA, president of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and senior Vice President of UCSF Health Children's Services. "Through the Stad Center, we aim to provide a model of care for pediatric pain management that medical facilities around the world can learn from and adopt."
The Stad Center at Mission Bay will begin seeing patients in the Spring of this year. Since opening its doors in 2020, the Stad Center has seen more than 8,000 patients annually, a number that will grow with the opening of this new location. The two other Stad Center outpatient clinics will continue to operate in Oakland and Walnut Creek.
About Stad Center for Pediatric Pain, Palliative & Integrative Medicine: Due to the investment from the Stad family and their relationship with the University of California, San Francisco, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals are the only children's hospitals to have a Division of Pain, Palliative, and Integrative Medicine in the United States. Understanding a child's pain also affects their caregivers, the Stad Center team embraces each family member on the care continuum. It is part of the world class UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals network, with three locations including the main center in San Francisco, in addition to the Oakland and Walnut Creek satellite locations.
Expansion of the San Francisco-based center finished in January of 2025 and the center will open its doors to patients and family in early Spring. It is the most comprehensive center of its kind, combining the latest medical innovations with complementary Eastern and Western therapies staffed by full time physicians, nurse practitioners, dieticians, acupuncturists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists and more.
