R. Brandon Hunter, MD, FAAP

Dr. Hunter is a Pediatric Critical Care Physician who divides his time between clinical care and pediatric digital health and medical device innovation. As Associate Director of the Southwest National Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium (SWPDC) based at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, he provides clinical, regulatory and design advising to pediatric medical device innovators throughout the entire product development lifecycle. His research and passion are focused on the responsible and effective use of generative artificial intelligence in health care. In particular, he is developing AI-powered parent education systems using large language models that provide personalized information to families about their child's condition. He is also active in participating and guiding institutional evaluation and deployment of generative AI tools.

 

Dr. Hunter is certified in the following:

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), 2025

Emergency Neurologic Life Support, 2023

 

Personal Statement

A quote that has always rung true and captured my approach to medicine is "to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always." I believe that caring for critically ill children extends far beyond medical interventions – it requires understanding each family's unique needs, fears, and hopes during what is often the most challenging time in their lives. My approach emphasizes clear communication, active listening, and ensuring families feel supported and informed throughout their child's journey.

Outside of medicine, I find balance through mountain biking and playing piano, and I love spending time at home with my wife and our cats as we get ready for baby number one! These personal experiences continually remind me of the great privilege we have in caring for children and their families who are in the PICU.

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Clinical Interests

Point of care ultrasound, nonconventional ventilation, use of technology at the bedside

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Education

School	Education	Degree	Year
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	Fellowship	Pediatric Critical Care	2021
Boston Children's Hospital	Residency	Pediatrics	2018
University of Virginia School of Medicine	Medical School	Doctor of Medicine	2015
University of Virginia	Bachelors	Bachelor of Arts in Biology	2011

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Organizations

Organization Name	Role
American Academy of Pediatrics	Fellow, FAAP
American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Advances in Therapeutics and Technology	Executive Committee Member
Clinical Lead AAP News, Innovation in Pediatrics Column	Co-Editor
Society of Critical Care Medicine	Member
Texas Children's Hospital, AI Policy Committee	Member

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Board Certifications

American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 2022

American Board of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics, 2018

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Honors and awards

2025

Outstanding Educational Scholarship Showcase, Department of Pediatrics, Annual Education Retreat, Texas Children's Hospital

2024

1st prize overall, Graduate Level, Graduate Level Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Carolinas Student Innovation Competition (Clinical Mentor)

2023

1st place in department, 2nd place overall, Texas A&M University, Capstone Biomedical Engineering Competition (Clinical Mentor) Texas A&M University

2022

1st place in department, 2nd place overall, Texas A&M University, Capstone Biomedical Engineering Competition (Clinical Mentor) Texas A&M University

2015

Z Society Shannon Award for Academic Achievement and Community Involvement University of Virginia School of Medicine

2014

Gold Humanism Honor award, Gold Humanism Honor Society

2013

Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA, Junior) award, Alpha Omega Alpha 

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* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.

Research interests

Generative AI, medical devices, noninvasive vital sign monitoring

Hunter RB, Saruwatari M, Bliss N, Kim S, Turcu R, Krbec B, Yusuf K, Rao A, Quan X, Soghier L. Accuracy and Safety of a Continuous Noninvasive Blood Pressure Monitor in Neonates. Neonatology, 2025 May. PMID: 40388896 DOI: 10.1159/000546187

 

Espinoza JC, Eskandanian K, Dienstman J, Zapotoczny G, Hunter RB, Levy R, Harrison MR, Lee H, Koh CJ. Improving the Infrastructure for Pediatric Medical Device Trials at Children's Hospitals. Pediatrics, 2025 Apr. PMID: 40031992 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2024-066974

 

Hunter RB, Thammasitboon S, Rahman S, Fainberg N, Renuart A, Kumar S, Jain PN, Rissmiller B, Sur M, Mehta S. Using ChatGPT to Provide Patient-Specific Answers to Parental Questions in the PICU. Pediatrics, 2024 Oct. PMID: 39370900. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2024-066615

 

Hunter RB, Willson RC, Haridas B, Luk C, Toman K, Heffernan MJ, Fischer G, Wettergreen M, Koh CJ. Navigating the Challenges of Initiating Pediatric Device Trials – a Case Study. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 2024 Aug. PMCID: PMC11588416 DOI: 10.1017/cts.2024.539

 

Hunter RB, Mehta SD, Limon A, Chang AC. Decoding ChatGPT: A Primer for Clinicians. Journal of Intelligence Based Medicine, 2023 Oct. DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmed.2023.100114

 

Yarahuan J, Flett K, Nakamura M, Jones SB, Fine A, Hunter RB. Improving Antibiogram Accessibility and Empiric Antibiotic Selection with the Creation of a Digital Antibiogram with Integrated Clinical Decision Support. Applied Clinical Informatics, 2023 May. PMCID: PMC10232213. DOI: 10.1055/a-2054-0270

 

Hunter RB, Jiang S, Nishisaki A, Nickel A, Napolitano N, Shinozaki K, Li T, Saeki K, Becker L, Nadkarni V, Masino A. Supervised Machine Learning Applied to Automate Abnormal Capillary Refill Detection by Pulse Oximetry. Frontiers in Physiology, 2020 Oct. PMCID: PMC7574820. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.564589