Brenda M. Schiltz

Brenda M. Schiltz, M.D., M.A., is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, triple-board-certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Critical Care, and Hospice & Palliative Medicine. She practices in the Departments of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine and Critical Care, serves as Chair of the Pediatric Ethics Advisory Group, and holds multiple safety and educational leadership roles at Mayo Clinic Rochester.

Education & Training:

• 2004 MD – Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science / Chicago Medical School
• 2000 MS Applied Physiology – Rosalind Franklin University
• 1999 BS Biology & Chemistry – University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
• 2005–2010 Post-graduate clinical training (internship, residency, fellowship) – Medical College of Wisconsin & Affiliated Hospitals
• 2010 MA Bioethics – Medical College of Wisconsin

Research & Scholarly Focus: Dr. Schiltz’s scholarly work integrates pediatric critical care, palliative medicine, and clinical ethics. She investigates consultation patterns, resource stewardship, end-of-life decision making, and cross-cultural care for seriously ill children. Additional interests include quality-improvement methodologies, medical professionalism education, and global pediatric critical-care capacity building.

Her peer-reviewed output spans prospective cohort studies, mixed-methods global-health projects, systematic reviews, and quality-improvement reports, with a clear trend toward embedding palliative principles into high-technology PICU environments and optimizing health-system processes to reduce non-beneficial treatment and shorten length of stay.

Honors & Awards:

• 2024 Founders Award, Children’s HeartLink
• 2020 Top Doctor, Minnesota Monthly
• Multiple Favorite Faculty Awards, Mayo Clinic Rochester (2018, 2019)
• Society of Critical Care Medicine Family-Centered Care Innovation Award (2013)
• Gold Humanism in Medicine Charter Member & Dean’s Award, RFUMS (2004)

Leadership & Service: Dr. Schiltz chairs the Pediatric Ethics Advisory Group, serves as Associate Patient Safety Officer for the Children’s Center, sits on the Minnesota Medical Association’s Committee on Ethical & Legal Affairs, and represents Mayo Clinic in state POLST and palliative-care coalitions. She has directed the Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship program and continues to mentor residents and fellows through the Clinical Competency Committee.

She is active in the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine (Fellow), American Society for Bioethics & Humanities, and multiple Mayo institutional committees ranging from trauma performance improvement to integrative medicine.