Nicholas Kuehnel

Nicholas Kuehnel, MD serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. He holds dual leadership roles as Vice Chair of Clinical Operations for the Department of Emergency Medicine and Division Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at American Family Children's Hospital, where he directs the region's only pediatric-specific emergency department serving infants through adolescents.

His educational journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and business certificate from UW-Madison, followed by medical training at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed pediatrics residency at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) and Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Dr. Kuehnel's research integrates machine learning and clinical decision support to address critical gaps in pediatric emergency care. His work spans early deterioration detection in hospitalized children, child abuse identification systems, and pandemic response optimization. As Co-Principal Investigator on NIH/NHLBI R01HL173037 (2024-2029), he develops interpretable clinical decision tools for pediatric cardiopulmonary deterioration. His methodology emphasizes equitable care delivery and safety science through health informatics innovation.

Recent publications reveal a clear trajectory toward AI-driven clinical prediction models, with 2025 works focusing on explainable pediatric risk algorithms and critical event forecasting. His 2020-2023 output demonstrates adaptation to pandemic challenges through EHR-based surveillance and operational resilience studies, while earlier work established foundations in child abuse detection systems across diverse electronic health record platforms.

His recognition includes:

• Safety Leadership Award, UW Health (2023)
• Physician Leadership Development Program, UW Health (2022-2023)
• Rising Star Clinical Excellence Award, UW Health (2021)
• Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Care, BerbeeWalsh Department (2019)

As an educator, Dr. Kuehnel directs the Administration, Quality, and Leadership Fellowship program and serves as Quality Improvement Coach for medical students. His NIH-funded research ($2.1M R01 grant) drives collaborative work with pediatric intensivists, data scientists, and EHR specialists. Current grants focus on developing actionable clinical decision support tools that balance accuracy with interpretability for frontline clinicians.

He operates within American Family Children's Hospital's specialized Pediatric Emergency Department, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams including pediatric emergency physicians, nurses, child life specialists, and social workers to advance evidence-based protocols for acute pediatric conditions ranging from oncologic emergencies to infectious disease complications.