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Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention | Overview

The Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention, based at Boston Children's Hospital, provides 24-hour treatment and advice to health care professionals and the public on all types of poisoning.

Our expertise

Our center handles on average 50,000 calls a year, providing information and assistance on a broad range of topics. In addition, we offer presentations on toxicology and poisoning prevention.

Our center at Boston Children's Hospital provides:

  • emergency care and treatment
  • follow-up services
  • educational resources and materials
  • expert consultations for complex poisoning cases
  • patient referral resources
  • assistance with the location of regional antidotes and unusual lab assays.

The center also manages the Harvard Medical Toxicology Fellowship Program. For more information, please visit the Clinician Resources page.

When to call 1-800-222-1222

Call our department at Boston Children's if your child may have swallowed poisonous material, taken medication incorrectly, ingested household products, been exposed to biologic and chemical substances, or suffered a bug bite or sting.

Our staff

  • Medical director: Michele M. Burns, MD, MPH
  • Clinical fellows: Takuyo Chiba, MD; Alexander Barbuto, MD; Michael Chary, MD, MPH
  • Toxicologists: Edward Boyer, MD, PhD; Katie Boyle, MD; Melissa Lai Becker, MD; Steven Salhanick, MD; Michael Ganetsky, MD; Katherine O’Donnell, MD; Peter Chai, MD
  • Certified specialists: Joel Myers, FNP; Adina Sheroff, RN; Iris Sheinhait, PharmD; Sneha Nair, PharmD; Yuka Yotsumoto, PharmD; Jessica Shi, PharmD; Carol Martinelli, RN
  • Specialists: Olivia DeFilippo, RN; Michelle Preston, PharmD

Administrative staff

  • Program Coordinator: Waqaas Bhutta, MBA, MPH
  • Administrative Coordinator: Michael Iocco, BS
  • Education Coordinator: Cheryl Lang, MPH

Related research

Contact us

Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention — MA & RI
Mailstop 3025
Boston Children’s Hospital
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115