Dr. Ami Mehta

Pain and Palliative Medicine

American Board of Pediatrics

Medical School: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Residency: Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters

Fellowship: Akron Children's Hospital

No matter how hard we try, children suffer pain, whether from an accident or injury, or from necessary treatment. The goal of CHKD's pain and palliative medicine service is to minimize the pain and suffering of children and their families through a variety of means of support. 

Death and dying are inevitable, and Dr. Mehta considers it a privilege to ease a family's journey, or walk that path with them. 

She is inspired by a quote from Mattie Stepanek, a young poet with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy. Dr. Mehta believes the quote epitomizes the goals of palliative care today: Pediatric palliative care "no longer means helping children die well, it means helping children and their families to live well and then, when the time is certain, to help them die gently."

• Palliative care for children, end-of-life management, goals-of-care discussions
• Opioid management
• Children with complex chronic care needs

• Virginia Business Magazine "Top Doc" 2024
• Coastal Living Magazine "Top Doc" 2019-2022

"I am from St. Louis and always planned on going back to the Midwest to practice. However, during my residency at CHKD I found myself feeling like I was already home. The opportunity to return to CHKD as an attending physician has been a true blessing. I'm so honored to be able to offer the children and families of Hampton Roads support in dealing with issues surrounding pain and palliative care."

Mehta A, Eilers LF, Campbell AM, Ramirez DWE, Godambe SA. Using the PRISM model to drive quality improvement in the emergency department. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine 18(2):103-114.