Antonio Riera, MD

Why POCUS?

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a pivotal diagnostic tool, providing immediate visualization of pathology that empowers clinicians to deliver smarter, faster, safer, and better care for children. Beyond its diagnostic value, POCUS advances a more patient-centered approach by harnessing technology not to distance clinicians from patients, but to strengthen that vital connection.

In today’s clinical workplace, many innovations unintentionally shift attention away from the bedside. Electronic medical records and other digital demands consume increasing amounts of clinicians’ time in front of screens. Emerging tools such as artificial intelligence may further reshape the doctor–patient relationship, underscoring the importance of preserving human connection in clinical care. POCUS brings the clinician back to the patient, encourages more meaningful time at the bedside, and honors the art of medicine.

POCUS represents one of the most transformative clinical technologies of our era, elevating diagnostic precision while supporting thoughtful decision making in complex and undifferentiated patients. It fulfills our need for clarity in the face of uncertainty and leverages technology to promote health equity. This is why we POCUS.

Dr. Riera is Global Health Chair for the P2 Network.

Antonio Riera completed pediatric residency at Weill Cornell-New York Presbyterian Hospital and a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. He is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine, an Attending Physician at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, and Director of Pediatric Point-of-Care Ultrasound at Yale. Dr. Riera’s clinical and research interests include the use of point-of-care ultrasonography to improve health care outcomes in children and advancing health equity in pediatric emergency care.