Second Opinions

Beyond A Bigger Workforce: Addressing the Shortage of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists
Beyond A Bigger Workforce: Addressing the Shortage of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists 1024 575 David Axelson, MD

How can the psychiatrists we have make the greatest impact for the most children? The United States does not have enough child and adolescent psychiatrists. Nearly anyone who works in the field knows about the months-long wait times for new appointments that families can face, or the great distances that some must travel for those…

The Path to a Long Career in Medicine
The Path to a Long Career in Medicine 150 150 William Long, MD

I want to be a pediatrician forever. But the laws of nature won’t let me. In addition, many of us of all ages, are feeling increased pressure and demands that come with our profession.  From insurance issues, and just about everything with the EMR, to the rise in patient behavioral health complaints — it is…

From Lab Work to “Home Work:” Tips on the Transition to Work From Home
From Lab Work to “Home Work:” Tips on the Transition to Work From Home 1024 683 Adrianna Matos-Nieves

PhD candidate Adrianna Matos-Nieves shares tips for research employees who are suddenly finding themselves transitioning from the wet lab to their home office. PhD students have a significant advantage when enduring coronavirus-imposed social distancing. We decided to do it voluntarily many years prior. But in all seriousness, the transition to working from home can be…

A Decade of Healthy Homes
A Decade of Healthy Homes 1024 683 Kelly Kelleher, MD, MPH

Dr. Kelleher and Rev. John Edgar, executive director and pastor emeritus, Church and Community for All People, discuss the first decade of a collaboration aimed to take on housing issues in the South Side of Columbus as a way to improve health outcomes and answer the question: What’s on the horizon? The last decade has…

How Does a Children’s Hospital Excel in the Discovery and Development of New Therapies?
How Does a Children’s Hospital Excel in the Discovery and Development of New Therapies? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
conceptual art of DNA

A conversation with Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE chief scientific officer, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Nationwide Children’s has become an epicenter for gene therapy discovery and development. The discovery in 2009 that adeno-associated virus (AAV) could cross the blood-brain barrier was a milestone in the development of dozens of gene therapy products for neuromuscular…

Oral Food Challenges: The Most Important Test in Diagnosing Food Allergy
Oral Food Challenges: The Most Important Test in Diagnosing Food Allergy 1024 683 David Stukus, MD

I routinely hear the same question from pediatricians, parents, friends, and acquaintances: Why are we seeing so many more kids develop food allergies now compared with 10 or 20 years ago? Unfortunately, there is no single answer as to why the prevalence of food allergies has doubled among children over the past two decades. Food…

When Is It Appropriate to Send Pediatric Patients to an OB/GYN?
When Is It Appropriate to Send Pediatric Patients to an OB/GYN? 150 150 Geri Hewitt, MD

This post was reviewed by Dr. Hewitt and updated on June 4, 2021.  The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) recommends that young women have their first visit with an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) between the ages of 13 and 15. Making sure that first appointment is with a pediatric gynecologist can have added benefits. Specific…

Meet Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD
Meet Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD 1024 575 Abbie Miller

In August 2019, Nationwide Children’s welcomed Oluyinka Olutoye, MD, PhD, as surgeon-in-chief. In a Q&A, the internationally renowned fetal surgeon shares his thoughts about the past, present and future of fetal surgery and the challenges and opportunities facing pediatric surgeons today.   Q: What brought you to Nationwide Children’s Hospital? I was initially attracted to…

Why Advocate?
Why Advocate? 1024 575 Ray Bignall

Several months ago, I had the privilege of attending a panel discussion on health in the African American community hosted by my local church. It was an opportunity for our largely African American congregation to hear from Black health professionals promoting health-seeking behavior in communities of color. Sitting in the audience, I listened as each…

The Search to Identify Tumor Cells Evading Chemotherapy
The Search to Identify Tumor Cells Evading Chemotherapy 150 150 Sanjana Rajan

Graduate research associate Sanjana Rajan shares why her work to label and track cells before and after chemotherapy is the next step to preventing tumor relapse. For a long time, the cells within a tumor were thought to be similar to one another, like a bowl of chocolate chips. However, scientific studies have identified that…

Medical Marijuana 101: What Does Increasing Legalization of Medical Marijuana Mean for Pediatrics?
Medical Marijuana 101: What Does Increasing Legalization of Medical Marijuana Mean for Pediatrics? 479 272 Chet Kaczor

The legalization of medical marijuana has been front and center in community conversation over the last several years. As more states turn to legalization under specific conditions, the federal law has not changed. Experts in pediatric health care are carefully considering what legalization of medical marijuana could mean for children and adolescents with chronic or…

Not an App, We Need a Digital Health Ecosystem
Not an App, We Need a Digital Health Ecosystem 1024 575 Emre Sezgin

For teens with chronic health conditions and their caregivers, a digital health ecosystem may improve self-management and independence. Teens with chronic conditions and their caregivers encounter a number of challenges while teens are transitioning to health independence. We have investigated these challenges and proposed a “digital health ecosystem” as a roadmap to help families and…

Let’s Talk About Having “The Talk”
Let’s Talk About Having “The Talk” 1024 575 Sarah Saxbe, MS, MSW, LISW-S

Known famously as “the talk” due to its taboo nature, the conversation with children about healthy sexual practices is often considered daunting for many parents, but this conversation doesn’t have to be difficult. Practicing open communication and being honest with children can lead to positive conversations about reproductive health that educates kids so they make…

How Research Reinforces the Collaborative Culture of a Children’s Hospital
How Research Reinforces the Collaborative Culture of a Children’s Hospital 1024 575 Steve Allen, MD
Steve Allen, MD

As he retires, the CEO of Nationwide Children’s Hospital reflects on the less-obvious effects of scientific discovery. Nationwide Children’s Hospital has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last two decades, from an important regional resource into a nationally preeminent medical system. One of the clearest signs of our growth, and one that we’re particularly proud…

The Joys and Challenges of Rural Pediatrics
The Joys and Challenges of Rural Pediatrics 1024 575 Jill Neff, DO

I often tell my medical students to choose not just a specialty but, first, a place where they want to live. Being happy with one’s life is more important than just being happy with one’s job. If a person prefers to live in a rural setting, then they probably should not become a neuro- or…

Bacteria Hiding Out Inside Epithelial Cells May Promote Recurring Ear Infections
Bacteria Hiding Out Inside Epithelial Cells May Promote Recurring Ear Infections 1024 575 Rachael Hardison

Middle ear infections, also known as otitis media (OM), remain a health care concern for children in the United States and across the world, despite recent therapeutic and technological advances. For the subset of children with chronic or recurring infections, OM becomes a significant socioeconomic burden for caregivers. Chronic or recurrent episodes of OM can…

Moving From Child Health Care to Child Health
Moving From Child Health Care to Child Health 1024 575 Kelly Kelleher, MD, MPH

As pediatricians, we want children to be healthier, even the ones who never come through our doors. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the board and leadership have aimed to do just that by setting the highest bar yet for our organization – we want central Ohio children to be the healthiest in the United States. But…

8 Ways You Can Support Families in Need of Behavioral Health Services
8 Ways You Can Support Families in Need of Behavioral Health Services 150 150 Nancy Cunningham, PsyD

Long wait times and difficulties accessing behavioral health services cause stress for many patients and families. As awareness grows about the prevalence of behavioral health challenges for children and adolescents, more patients and families are seeking specialized care. However, due to a shortage of behavioral health specialists, wait times can seem daunting. As the pediatrician,…

The Equity Equation
The Equity Equation 1024 575 Deena Chisolm, PhD

Deena J. Chisolm, PhD, director of the Center for Population Health and Equity Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, applies a health equity approach to improving infant mortality outcomes. Health care quality and outcomes differ by race, ethnicity, wealth and place of residence. In fact, we know that health outcomes such as life expectancy, health-related quality…

How Can We Increase the HPV Vaccination Rate?
How Can We Increase the HPV Vaccination Rate? 150 150 Michael T. Brady, MD

Cancer is a terrifying diagnosis for a patient to receive or a doctor to give. So it would make sense that a vaccine proven to prevent cancer would be welcomed by everyone. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine could prevent 28,500 HPV-related cancer cases – cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, rectal, penile and oropharyngeal – each year. The Centers…

Using Social Media to Advance Care
Using Social Media to Advance Care 150 150 Nationwide Children's

As the use of social media has grown, so has the medical community’s understanding of how it can be harnessed for health care. From collaborating with peers and educating the public to building your career, physicians have a growing responsibility and growing presence in the social media arena. David R. Stukus, MD Section of Allergy…

Informing the Discussion on rhGH for Idiopathic Short Stature
Informing the Discussion on rhGH for Idiopathic Short Stature 150 150 Juan F. Sotos, MD

Growth hormone treatment for children with idiopathic short stature has remained controversial. Based on my experience and that of others, I recommend treatment. The use of growth hormone for idiopathic short stature has remained controversial in the field of endocrinology, mainly because of previous reports of its modest benefit and high cost. These reports led…

Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Let’s Finish What We Started
Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Let’s Finish What We Started 150 150 Curt Daniels, MD

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, diagnosed in nearly 1 percent of all births in the United States. Traditionally, life expectancy in many infants with severe CHD was limited to months. However, advances in medical and surgical care have led to remarkable improvements in survival: the median age of those living with severe…

“Learning” Health Care Organizations
“Learning” Health Care Organizations 150 150 Kelly Kelleher, MD, MPH

In the push toward innovative health care, “learning” systems may offer solutions for evaluating new technologies without the challenges of randomized trials. “The only constant is change.” – Heraclitus The pace of innovation in health care is breathtaking and unlikely to slow in our lifetimes. The former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and…

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