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Monthly Archives :

April 2026

Testing for Alpha-gal Syndrome: Clinical Clarity for Primary Care
 Testing for Alpha-gal Syndrome: Clinical Clarity for Primary Care 1024 683 David Stukus, MD and William Long, MD
By: David Stukus, MD and William Long, MD
Photo of lone star tick on a leaf, the tick has a white dot on the center of its back

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) presents a unique diagnostic challenge for clinicians, often leading to unnecessary testing in patients with vague allergic symptoms or solely due to a history of a tick bite with no other symptoms. Understanding when — and when not — to order testing can prevent overdiagnosis, patient anxiety and unnecessary costs. AGS is…

Closing the Kindergarten Readiness Gap With Direct Literacy Screening in Primary Care
 Closing the Kindergarten Readiness Gap With Direct Literacy Screening in Primary Care 1024 683 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm
A woman sitting on a couch reading a book with two young children, who smile and look at the pages together.

New research suggests direct literacy screening during pediatric well visits can complement traditional developmental surveillance and better support kindergarten readiness. Pediatricians have long relied on developmental screening tools during well-child visits to monitor whether children are meeting expected milestones prior to starting kindergarten. But new research suggests that these widely used tools may miss an…

Parent-Practitioner Collaboration Sparks New, Multidisciplinary Approach to Down Syndrome Care
 Parent-Practitioner Collaboration Sparks New, Multidisciplinary Approach to Down Syndrome Care 1024 661 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
A girl with Down syndrome smiling

An enhanced, family-focused clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital now offers appointments with multiple specialists in a single-location, single-day clinic. Even before birth, Down syndrome is a condition that demands the attention of multiple medical specialties. From geneticists and neonatologists to the cardiologists who often have to evaluate congenital heart defects in this special population, optimal…

The Kelly Procedure: A Groundbreaking Approach to Treating Bladder Exstrophy
 The Kelly Procedure: A Groundbreaking Approach to Treating Bladder Exstrophy 150 150 Alaina Doklovic
By: Alaina Doklovic

The Kelly Procedure, part of a revolutionary two-step approach to treat bladder exstrophy, provides continence quicker, improves outcomes and shortens recovery. Bladder exstrophy is a rare and complex condition that occurs in approximately one in 10,000 to 50,000 births. With this condition, the bladder develops outside the body, leaving children incontinent and requiring surgical intervention…

Gene and Cell Therapy at Nationwide Children’s: Leading Discovery, Driving Care
 Gene and Cell Therapy at Nationwide Children’s: Leading Discovery, Driving Care 1024 572 Nationwide Children's
By: Nationwide Children's
artistic illustration of adenovirus on a dark purplish background

Nationwide Children’s has been a pioneer in gene and cell therapy for more than 30 years. Since our first clinical trial in 1999, our team has only accelerated the pace of innovation, discovery and patient-centered care. On this page, you’ll find a collection of stories featuring our advances and our researchers. Because behind every breakthrough…

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Care: Evidence-Based, Future Focused
 Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Care: Evidence-Based, Future Focused 1024 448 Nationwide Children's
By: Nationwide Children's
simple cartoon illustration of lungs

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), also known as chronic lung disease, causes long-term breathing problems for premature babies, often resulting in poor growth and development. The team at the Comprehensive Center for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia at Nationwide Children’s saves babies from around the world with the most severe cases of BPD. As a result of being leaders in…

Featured Researcher: Sarah A. Keim, PhD, MA, MS
 Featured Researcher: Sarah A. Keim, PhD, MA, MS 150 150 Gina Vitale, PTA
By: Gina Vitale, PTA

Epidemiology studies and analyzes the who, what, where, when and why of disease. Applying this approach to studying children’s health is critically important, particularly given all the health challenges today’s children face. Children’s health needs are unique because they are still growing and developing. Pediatric epidemiology deepens understanding of diseases that affect children differently and…

Inside the Science of Pediatric Lung Disease: A Special Section
 Inside the Science of Pediatric Lung Disease: A Special Section 1024 624 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
colorful water color style illustration of lungs

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Our breath connects us with the moment, grounds us and has the power to calm our minds and bodies. But for millions of children, an easy breath is not guaranteed. Lung disease accounts for about a third of admissions to children’s hospitals. From the common culprits, such as asthma, to…

Beyond Modulators: Ensuring All Patients With Cystic Fibrosis Benefit From the Next Wave of Therapy
 Beyond Modulators: Ensuring All Patients With Cystic Fibrosis Benefit From the Next Wave of Therapy 1024 618 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Two smiling young children sit side by side indoors, facing the camera, with a colorful blurred artwork in the background.

Before CFTR modulators transformed care, cystic fibrosis (CF) was defined by relentless daily treatment and progressive lung disease. Children grew up with thick airway secretions, chronic cough, recurrent pulmonary infections, and frequent hospitalizations. Maintaining weight was a constant struggle, and lung function typically declined year after year despite aggressive airway clearance, antibiotics and nutritional support.…

From Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Developmental Continuum
 From Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Developmental Continuum 1024 774 Yan Hu, PhD
By: Yan Hu, PhD
Blue-toned illustration showing lungs beside silhouettes of people across the lifespan, from a crawling baby and toddler to a child, adult, and older adult with a cane.

A Prolonged Window of Vulnerability Lung development is a highly orchestrated process that begins early in gestation and continues well into postnatal life. Following airway branching during the embryonic and pseudoglandular stages, distal lung maturation, including small airway and alveolar formation, extends through infancy and early childhood. This prolonged developmental window renders the lung particularly…

Sickle Cell Lung Disease: Opportunities to Advance Care and Research
 Sickle Cell Lung Disease: Opportunities to Advance Care and Research 1024 575 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
A close-up medical illustration of blood vessels showing normal round red blood cells flowing through the vessel, with a cluster of rigid, crescent-shaped sickle cells causing a blockage. White blood cells are also visible against the dark background.

A series of studies aims to close gaps by integrating immunology, microbiology and environmental health into clinical research.  For children with sickle cell disease, lung complications remain among the most serious and least predictable drivers of morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in supportive care and disease-modifying therapies, clinicians still lack reliable tools to predict which…

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Research: Innovating on All Fronts
 Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Research: Innovating on All Fronts 1024 509 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
Newborn with bronchopulmonary dysplasia sleeping in a NICU crib, wrapped in a hospital blanket and receiving oxygen through a nasal cannula.

From understanding the disease at a molecular level to improving strategies for oxygen support after discharge, researchers are tackling bronchopulmonary dysplasia from all angles. The doctors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children’s Hospital care for more babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) than any other institution in the country. Their Comprehensive Center for …

How Diabetes Rewires the Heart’s Smallest Vessels
 How Diabetes Rewires the Heart’s Smallest Vessels 1024 597 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Microscopy image of a mouse heart sample colored with red and green fluorescent dye, and marked for single-cell sampling.

A landmark study uncovers how diabetes alters the heart at the cellular level. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetes. While its effects on large arteries are well recognized, growing evidence suggests the earliest cardiovascular injury occurs in the heart’s smallest vessels. Coronary microvascular disease (CMD), marked by impaired endothelial…

New Health Challenges in the Post-CFTR Modulator Era
 New Health Challenges in the Post-CFTR Modulator Era 1024 576 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck

The remarkable progress in CF care has also revealed new challenges. As individuals with CF live longer, clinicians are seeing higher frequencies of complications and other down- stream health concerns that rarely emerged in the past and are now focused on aging-related diseases and maintaining their overall health. Karen McCoy, MD, pediatric pulmonologist and renowned…

Precision Medicine Brings Clarity to Preterm Infant Reflux
 Precision Medicine Brings Clarity to Preterm Infant Reflux 1024 492 Alaina Doklovic
By: Alaina Doklovic
Newborn baby in an NICU bed with a nasogastric tube.

Sudarshan Jadcherla, MD, and team aim to distinguish normal reflux from GERD in preterm infants. Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is common in preterm infants regardless of whether they are being fed formula or breast milk, often presenting as irritability, coughing or feeding difficulties. These symptoms often lead clinicians to suspect gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), prompting interventions…

Decoding Pediatric Asthma: From Cells to Care
 Decoding Pediatric Asthma: From Cells to Care 1024 448 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm
simple cartoon illustration of lungs

How clinician-scientist teams are mapping the molecular drivers of wheezing and asthma to guide smarter, faster and more personalized treatment. Asthma is one of the most common reasons children visit the Emergency Department (ED) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. While frontline clinicians work quickly to stabilize breathing, researchers across the hospital are probing deeper: What’s happening…

Effectiveness and Adoption of a Mental Health Crisis App
 Effectiveness and Adoption of a Mental Health Crisis App 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
Upset confused Black woman holding cellphone having problem with mobile phone, frustrated angry mixed race girl reading bad news in message looking at smartphone annoyed by spam or missed call

Youth who used a statewide mental health crisis app in Utah reported significant declines in the intensity of their presenting concerns and were generally satisfied with the app. Youth who used SafeUT, a statewide crisis app in Utah, reported experiencing significant decreases in the intensity of their presenting concerns, according to a study led by…

Lowering Thrombin Levels Offers a Double Benefit in Glomerular Disease Model
 Lowering Thrombin Levels Offers a Double Benefit in Glomerular Disease Model 1024 410 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
microscopy image of podocytes, a type of cell found in the kidney, stained with blue and fluorescent yellow. small red dots mark the cell

Preclinical studies suggest that reducing levels of the clotting enzyme may simultaneously reduce kidney damage and lower risk of blood clots. Preclinical research in an in vivo model now confirms what Bryce Kerlin, MD, and his team first proposed in a publication 8 years ago: excess thrombin directly injures podocytes, and high levels in the…

Meeting the Challenge of Clinical Trial Recruitment and Retention
 Meeting the Challenge of Clinical Trial Recruitment and Retention 1024 483 Lynn Dosky
By: Lynn Dosky
Illustration of research and healthcare symbols, including gears, a clipboard with a checklist and medical cross, a magnifying glass, a lab flask, and green icons with a check mark, an X, and a question mark.

Participant recruitment and retention strategies are crucial features of any successful clinical study design. In fact, an article published in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science noted, “up to 85% of clinical trials fail to recruit or retain a sufficient sample size, leading to failures to meet accrual targets in four out of every…

Speeding Up Science With Patient-Derived Xenografts
 Speeding Up Science With Patient-Derived Xenografts 1024 483 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
cropped microscopy image of lungs tissue with tumors

A perfect storm of advanced technologies and scientific collaboration opens doors to rapid progress in pediatric oncology research. The world of pediatric cancer research faces the challenges of small patient numbers, increased ethical considerations, limited funding and poorly classified diseases. In some ways, these challenges reflect the field’s successes over the past half century, which…

Professionalism in Pediatric Medicine: Why We Must Get It Right
 Professionalism in Pediatric Medicine: Why We Must Get It Right 1024 580 Ashley Fernandes, MD, PhD
By: Ashley Fernandes, MD, PhD
Ashley Fernandes, MD, PhD, wearing a white coat with a Nationwide Children's logo, standing in front of a blurred hospital interior background

A talented junior attending physician on a high acuity service is impatient on rounds and visibly irritated by nursing concerns, making trainees and team members uncomfortable and anxious about speaking up. A senior medical researcher pushes the limits on deadlines for important grants and requests for proposals with his team, overcommitting to mentor gifted research…

Genetic Evaluation Practices for Neonates With Congenital Heart Disease
 Genetic Evaluation Practices for Neonates With Congenital Heart Disease 1024 614 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
abstract art of magnifying glass over DNA strand

Multi-institutional survey reveals wide variation in cardiac testing and care. Advances in genomic medicine have significantly improved the understanding of congenital heart disease etiology. However, the integration of genetic evaluation into neonatal cardiac critical care remains inconsistent. A recent multi-institutional study, led by Amee M. Bigelow, MD, and Vidu Garg, MD, both from Nationwide Children’s…

Early Temporization Linked to Better Early Development in Premature Infants With Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus
 Early Temporization Linked to Better Early Development in Premature Infants With Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus 864 576 Nationwide Children's
By: Nationwide Children's
Neurosurgeon Albert Isaacs posed in the operating room, looking at the camera.

A new HCRN study led by Nationwide Children’s links early temporary cerebral spinal fluid diversion and timely shunt conversion to better early development in preterm infants with posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus. A new Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) study, published in Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, suggests that starting with temporary cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion and converting to…

Finding the Unexpected: Pulmonary Sclerosing Pneumocytoma in a Pediatric Patient
 Finding the Unexpected: Pulmonary Sclerosing Pneumocytoma in a Pediatric Patient 1024 575 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

A case study demonstrates the need for a structured evaluation and consideration of genetic risk factors in rare pediatric tumors. Primary lung tumors in children are rare and present diagnostic uncertainty. A recent case study published in Pediatric Pulmonology highlights the evaluation and management of an unusual benign lung nodule in a school-age child. This…