Julia E. Grabowski, MD

Dr. Grabowski leads Lurie Children’s specialized, multidisciplinary bowel management program for patients with a variety of intestinal diseases, congenital anomalies and spinal cord disorders— one of the first programs of this kind in the United States. The program offers a multi-pronged approach to the treatment and care of children with both constipation and fecal continence problems and includes a continuity clinic and a combined clinic with a motility specialist from the Department of Gastroenterology. The bowel management program focuses on care that goes well beyond traditional medication and also addresses the social, psychological and emotional needs of patients.

As a physician-scientist, Dr. Grabowski devotes her time to the study of pediatric surgical outcomes, safety and quality of care in the hopes of illuminating factors that make pediatric surgery better, safer and more accessible.

She is a member of several academic societies including the American Pediatric Surgical Association, the American Association for Academic Surgery, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Surgical Infection Society, the Pediatric Trauma Society, and the International Pediatric Ednosurgical Group.  She is also a member of the Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium.

Clinical and research expertise

Hirschsprung’s disease, inflammatory dynamics in laparoscopic surgery, pediatric kidney tumors, pneumothorax in children, appendicitis, ovarian masses, pediatric breast masses, pilonidal disease and pediatric trauma

Procedures performed

Congenital Abnormalities

• Intestinal atresia
• Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
• Gastroschisis and omphalocele (abdominal wall defects)
• Tracheo-esophageal Fistula
• Chest and abdominal masses
• Imperforate anus

Esophageal and alimentary tract surgeries

• Esophageal duplication or masses
• Nissen fundoplication
• Gastric tubes (G-tubes)
• Bowel resection for inflammatory bowel disease (Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s disease)
• Hirschprung’s disease
• Malrotation of the intestinal tract
• Liver and pancreatic surgery
• Cholecystectomy
• Splenic Surgery (complete and partial for cysts, sickle cell disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura)
• Appendicitis

 Abdominal Tumors

• Neuroblastoma
• Wilm’s Tumor
• Mesenteric cyst and mesenteric tumor resection
• Ovarian Masses

Chest Surgeries

• Lung masses (CPAM, lung metastases)
• Chest and mediastinal masses
• Pneumothorax
• Rib lesions
• Breast masses

Endocrine surgery

• Adrenal
• Pancreatic

Gynecologic surgery

• Ovary cyst or torsion (ovarian sparing or oophorectomy)
• Pelvic cyst
• Hematometrocolpos

Congenital neck cyst excision and drainage

• Branchial cyst
• Thyroglossal duct

Additional procedures performed

• Lymph node biopsy and excision
• Soft Tissue Masses
• Vascular malformations
• Inguinal, umbilical, epigastric and incisional hernias
• Undescended Testicles
• Muscle biopsies
• Circumcisions