James P. Keating, MD

James P. Keating, MD, W. McKim Marriott Professor of Pediatrics, is considered a master clinician gifted at teaching and mentoring the next generation of pediatric physicians.

Over a span of more than four decades, this pediatric gastroenterologist has had a profound influence on hundreds of trainees in pediatrics and throughout Washington University Medical Center. Colleagues and trainees alike point to his encyclopedic knowledge base and humble, supportive manner as keys to his success in teaching the skills needed to provide complete, comprehensive and compassionate care — including how to dissect the critical elements of a patient’s history, how to interact with children and families, and how to build a successful career.

Keating directed the St. Louis Children’s Hospital residency program from 1969 to 2002, and since then has served as its associate director. He directed the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit for 12 years and its gastroenterology division for more than 20. He currently heads the Division of Diagnostic Medicine.

He earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Harvard in 1959 and 1963, respectively. He continued his training with pediatric residencies at Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, then a chief residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Washington University Medical Center. He joined the Washington University faculty in 1968 and became a full professor 10 years later. In the early 1980s, he extended his education further, earning a master’s of science in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He has been recognized nationally by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology. Local honors include the Pediatric Award of Excellence from the St. Louis Pediatric Society and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Distinguished Service Award. In 1998, the Department of Pediatrics created the James P. Keating, MD, Outstanding Resident Award in his honor.