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Monthly Archives :

September 2026

Post-concussion Screen Time: Amount and Type Matter for Recovery
 Post-concussion Screen Time: Amount and Type Matter for Recovery 1024 661 Laura Dattner
By: Laura Dattner

A new study found that moderate screen time may speed recovery in youth with concussion. In a study published in British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that about 141 minutes of screen time each day for the first three days following concussion was associated with quicker recovery. “These findings support that moderate screen time –…

A New Therapeutic Era for Sickle Cell Disease
 A New Therapeutic Era for Sickle Cell Disease 1024 320 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Decorative gold bar and circles on a white background

Transformative therapies, coupled with novel approaches to supportive care, provide increasing hope for a normal life. For more than 100 years, progress in sickle cell disease (SCD) treatment has been slow. Its mainstay treatment, hydroxyurea, approved about 30 years ago, is a repurposed cancer drug. Its first curative therapy, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT),…

Therapy Fit for a King
 Therapy Fit for a King 1024 588 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
King Robinson - a young patient at Nationwide Children's - smiling and standing next to a window inside the hospital

Marsha Marshall decided to raise King Robinson when he was just a baby at the request of his mother, Tameka Robinson, who was suffering from complications of sickle cell disease. It wasn’t long before King was diagnosed as well. For a woman in her late 50s, it was a lot to manage, especially after her…

Turning Evidence Into Advocacy
 Turning Evidence Into Advocacy 1024 574 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
A girl in a bright pink shirt smiles while sitting beside a large hospital window and looking outside.

The healthcare community is increasingly recognizing their role in shaping policy, leveraging front-line experience, injury data and research. In June 2024, 11-year-old Avery Russell was playing at a friend’s house when she was viciously attacked by two dogs. What happened that day changed her life — and it ultimately led to a change in Ohio’s…

Stronger Together: The Unique Power of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association
 Stronger Together: The Unique Power of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association 595 212 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA) was formed 40 years ago when the CEOs of Ohio’s six children’s hospitals got together to address a new methodology for reimbursement that did not take into consideration pediatric conditions and acuity. “Ohio’s children’s hospitals are safety net hospitals for kids and the largest Medicaid providers in the state;…

A Blueprint for Better Care: The Constant Drive for Quality Improvement in Primary Care
 A Blueprint for Better Care: The Constant Drive for Quality Improvement in Primary Care 1024 683 Alaina London
By: Alaina London
A smiling girl sits on a table at a doctor's office. A smiling female doctor is checking the girl's ear.

A culture of quality improvement at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has become the model of care for children across the country. Every day, thousands of children walk through the doors of Nationwide Children’s Primary Care Centers for well visits, follow-up care, acute illness and so much more. Across 14 primary care sites where more than 150,000…

Beyond the Clinic: Bipolar Disorder Care Where Kids Live, Learn and Grow
 Beyond the Clinic: Bipolar Disorder Care Where Kids Live, Learn and Grow 1024 320 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm

For many children and adolescents with bipolar disorder, care begins in a crisis: severe mood symptoms, suicidality or hospitalization. They are evaluated in an emergency department or admitted for inpatient care. Stabilization is an immediate priority. But what happens next? A new state-of-the-field review from Eric Youngstrom, PhD, director of the Institute for Mental and…

Iron Deficiency Begins Before Anemia
 Iron Deficiency Begins Before Anemia 1024 683 Amanda E. Jacobson-Kelly, MD, MSc
By: Amanda E. Jacobson-Kelly, MD, MSc
teenage patient and doctor talking in an exam room

Why Pediatricians Should Recognize and Treat Iron Deficiency Before Anemia Develops For generations, pediatricians have been taught to think about iron deficiency in the context of anemia. We routinely screen infants for anemia and, when hemoglobin is low, diagnose and treat iron deficiency. If hemoglobin is normal, we generally assume iron status is adequate. Today,…

Delays and Disparities in Uptake of Effective Antiseizure Medications
 Delays and Disparities in Uptake of Effective Antiseizure Medications 1024 562 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Doctor in a white coat holding a clipboard pad and fill medical history list with silver pen.

National prescribing trends suggest many children may receive suboptimal epilepsy therapy. In the wake of landmark trials (SANAD II) firmly supporting the use of lamotrigine for focal and valproate for generalized epilepsy, neurologists at Nationwide Children’s expected these drugs would be increasingly prescribed. Instead, their analysis of nearly 150,000 children receiving their first antiseizure monotherapy…

Evaluating Adherence and Safety Outcomes for Neonatal UTI Diagnosis and Treatment
 Evaluating Adherence and Safety Outcomes for Neonatal UTI Diagnosis and Treatment 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
Newborn baby in an incubator at the NICU

Neonates are at increased risk for developing urinary tract infections, yet a knowledge gap exists regarding defining, diagnosing and treating them in the NICU. A study across seven Nationwide Children’s neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) reported 80% adherence to diagnostic criteria for urinary tract infection (UTI) and no safety concerns, with 90% of infants receiving…

Depression Medication Adherence Varies Among Medicaid Youth
 Depression Medication Adherence Varies Among Medicaid Youth 1024 270 Lynn Dosky
By: Lynn Dosky
Graphic is titled Prevalence of Depression in Youth. It shows 3 pie graphs depicting 3% School-aged Children, 20% Adolescents, and 18% Young Adults

Poor medication adherence increases risk of persistent depression, suicide and self-harm. A national study of nearly 200,000 Medicaid- enrolled youth ages 9 to 24 found major gaps in the quality of antidepressant treatment and adherence for a new major depressive episode. Researchers analyzed Medicaid claims from 2016 to 2019 to assess consistency with Healthcare Effectiveness…

Better Transitions From NG Tube to Oral Feeding
 Better Transitions From NG Tube to Oral Feeding 1024 683 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Woman is spoon feeding a toddler

An intensive program helped 76% of children with nasogastric tubes transition to oral feeding, avoiding gastrostomy tube placement. Some children with pediatric feeding disorder who require prolonged nasogastric tube (NG tube) feeding may be able to avoid gastrostomy tube (G-tube) placement through intensive multidisciplinary intervention, according to new research from Nationwide Children’s. Nationwide Children’s operates…

Evaluation of New-to-Market Coin-Cell Battery and Medical Management Recommendations
 Evaluation of New-to-Market Coin-Cell Battery and Medical Management Recommendations 1024 790 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
X-ray image showing a button battery lodged in a child's throat, with a callout showing a close up of the battery, highlighting the double ring around it

First peer-reviewed evaluation of a commercially available esophageal-protective lithium coin-cell battery demonstrates substantially reduced tissue injury, but researchers emphasize that current emergency medical management should remain unchanged. When a lithium coin-cell battery becomes lodged in a child’s esophagus, severe tissue injury can develop rapidly. According to the first peer-reviewed scientific evaluation of a commercially available…

New Classification System Links Wound Complications to Cancer Treatment Delays in Pediatric Bone Sarcomas
 New Classification System Links Wound Complications to Cancer Treatment Delays in Pediatric Bone Sarcomas 150 150 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

Study identifies patients at highest risk and provides a framework for earlier multidisciplinary intervention. Children with osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma, the two most common pediatric bone sarcomas, typically start treatment before tumor resection, then promptly resume chemotherapy or their clinical trial protocol after surgery. Because these patients are often immunosuppressed, postoperative wound complications can delay…

Featured Researcher – Beth Kozel, MD, PhD
 Featured Researcher – Beth Kozel, MD, PhD 150 150 Gina Vitale, PTA
By: Gina Vitale, PTA

Genomic medicine is a revolutionary chapter within science, evolving at an exponential rate. At Nationwide Children’s, the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute of Genomic Medicine brings the rapidly advancing science to the clinic to improve diagnosis, therapies and outcomes for children with gene-based conditions. At the center of this research-to-clinic integration sits physician-scientist Beth Kozel,…

Renal Artery Stenosis Perspectives: A Conversation With Nephrologist Mahmoud Kallash, MD
 Renal Artery Stenosis Perspectives: A Conversation With Nephrologist Mahmoud Kallash, MD 1024 683 Gina Vitale, PTA
By: Gina Vitale, PTA
Dr. Kallash standing in an office hallway, wearing a white coat and red tie.

Mahmoud Kallash, MD, is a glomerular disease expert, the director of the Comprehensive Hypertension Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a principal investigator and an associate professor in pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Here, Dr. Kallash discusses current treatment obstacles, ongoing collaborative research, and emerging strategies advancing renovascular care in pediatric populations.…

Rumination Syndrome May Be Underrecognized in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis
 Rumination Syndrome May Be Underrecognized in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis 1024 683 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm
physicians in white coats looking at a tablet

New research highlights the importance of considering co-diagnoses in children with persistent regurgitation. Regurgitation is a common symptom in both eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and rumination syndrome (RS), but new research suggests the overlap between the two conditions may be greater than previously recognized. The findings highlight a potential diagnostic challenge for pediatric gastroenterologists and underscore…

Study Reveals Challenges in Cardiac Transplantation Referrals for High-Risk Infants
 Study Reveals Challenges in Cardiac Transplantation Referrals for High-Risk Infants 1024 670 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

Findings from a recent retrospective study demonstrate challenges and inequities in cardiac transplantation referrals for infants with single ventricle congenital heart disease, suggesting the need to improve access to transplantation and the timing and rate of transplantation referral.   A retrospective study led by Lydia K. Wright, MD, pediatric cardiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, examined…

Robotic Pyeloplasty Is a Viable Option for Infants Younger Than 6 Months
 Robotic Pyeloplasty Is a Viable Option for Infants Younger Than 6 Months 1024 677 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Dr. DaJusta, urologist, standing in a hospital hallway smiling.

A Nationwide Children’s study found comparable outcomes with robotic and open pyeloplasty in infants younger than 6 months, suggesting patient size alone should not preclude a robotic approach.   Robotic pyeloplasty appears to be a viable alternative to open surgery even in infants younger than 6 months, with comparable surgical success and postoperative outcomes, according…

Early Vesicostomy May Help Predict Long-Term Urinary Outcomes in Girls With Cloacal Malformation
 Early Vesicostomy May Help Predict Long-Term Urinary Outcomes in Girls With Cloacal Malformation 1024 611 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Molly Fuchs, MD, chief of Urology at Nationwide Children's, wearing scrubs and a white coat standing in a hospital hallway.

The need for vesicostomy in infancy may help identify girls with cloacal malformation who are at greater risk for impaired bladder function, chronic kidney disease, and future reconstructive surgery.   Girls born with cloacal malformation who require a vesicostomy in infancy may be less likely to achieve independent voiding and more likely to experience long-term…

Supporting Brain Development While the Lungs Heal
 Supporting Brain Development While the Lungs Heal 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Baby with tracheostomy tube happily engaging with medical team who are holding a toy and wearing masks and gowns.

A new review presents a practical framework for incorporating neurodevelopmental care into the management of infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia. For infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), months in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can coincide with a critical period of brain development. Although treating severe lung disease is essential, clinicians at Nationwide Children’s…

Mutation-Specific Therapy Brings New Hope for Patient With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
 Mutation-Specific Therapy Brings New Hope for Patient With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 1024 484 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
A man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy sits in a wheelchair between two family members

Justin Nicholoff is the first patient at Nationwide Children’s to receive del-zota through a managed access program. Since research into exon skipping therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) took off about 15 years ago, Justin Nicholoff has waited for a therapy designed for his specific genetic mutation. In June, his wait ended as he became…

Brain Imaging Study Reveals Unexpected Glymphatic Pattern in Adolescent Psychosis
 Brain Imaging Study Reveals Unexpected Glymphatic Pattern in Adolescent Psychosis 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
MRI or magnetic resonance image of head and brain scan. Close up view, toned image

Higher glymphatic imaging markers in adolescents contrast with patterns reported in adult studies, highlighting the importance of developmental stage for biomarker interpretation. A new neuroimaging study from investigators at Nationwide Children’s Hospital suggests that adolescents with first-episode of psychosis (FEP) may have increased activity in the brain’s glymphatic (waste clearance) system as measured by an…

Insurance-Driven Switches to Adalimumab Biosimilars Maintain Disease Control in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease
 Insurance-Driven Switches to Adalimumab Biosimilars Maintain Disease Control in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Woman in scrubs with a stethoscope talking with teen.

New pediatric data may help clinicians reassure patients and families about nonmedical treatment switches Since biosimilar versions of adalimumab became available in the United States in 2023, more insurers have required patients receiving the originator medication to switch to a biosimilar. Researchers have deemed biosimilars safe and effective alternatives in adults. However, there is limited…