World Class Care for Women and Babies

By Emily King

When we talk about what makes Pittsburgh such a great place to live, we tend to think of the pro sports teams, affordable housing, a vibrant arts scene, and that million-dollar view from the Fort Pitt tunnel. 

My kids’ pediatrician is a five-minute drive from my house. My Ob/Gyn is about ten minutes away. We have children’s urgent care, pediatric dentists, psychiatrists and more, all within our community. With three active boys, I could probably get to the pediatric orthopedist blindfolded. 

It’s easy to take for granted the fact that we have access to amazing healthcare providers so close to home. There are plenty of places in the country where families must travel hundreds of miles for specialty care. 

Pittsburgh isn’t just a city with great hospitals, but a major center of medicine and medical research, particularly for women and babies. Established in 1992, Magee-Womens Research Institute was the nation’s first research center dedicated exclusively to health conditions that affect women and babies. UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital delivers more than 10,000 babies each year and their NICU cares for more than 1,500 seriously or critically ill babies each year. 

UPMC Childrens Hospital isn’t just an incredible asset to Pittsburgh; it has also treated children from all 50 states and more than 50 countries in recent years. It was also home to the country’s first pediatric transplant center and has performed more than 3,300 transplants. 

And UPMC isn’t the only major healthcare system in our area. We also have Allegheny Health Network, which operates 16 hospitals and more than 300 care locations. They account for more than 8,700 births each year. We also have several other healthcare organizations to choose from like Independence Health System, Genesis Medical Associates, Heritage Valley Health System, and more. 

Pittsburgh is also a major center for medical research. The University of Pittsburgh is one of the most heavily funded biomedical research institutions in the country and received more than $670 million in NIH funding in 2025. 

When we hear names like UPMC, AHN, Pitt, Magee, and Children’s so frequently, we forget how unusual it is to have so many choices and medical experts close to home. For those of us in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, we have a wealth of primary care doctors, specialists, emergency medicine and more, right in our neighborhood. In this issue, you’ll read about how UPMC Passavant’s recent recognition as the No. 2 best hospital in the Pittsburgh region by US News & World Report. The northern suburbs aren’t merely close to Pittsburgh’s world-class medical institutions anymore. Increasingly, those institutions have come to us. 

We hope you enjoy the October issue of Northern Connection and learning about some of the top providers and institutions taking care of the women and babies in our region.