Nemours Children’s Health is the official Children’s Hospital of the Phillies, and the team graciously opened its doors to our podcast team during their Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night so that we could bring you the inspiring patient story of 13-year-old Madison Handley. Diagnosed with cancer twice in her lifetime, Madison and her parents, Erin and Rob, share how cancer has affected their lives and why they feel it's important to share their story.  In our second segment, we meet Nemours hematology/oncology nurse Dyane Bunnell, who has treated patients like Madison for 41 years. Her commitment and leadership have earned her a place on the national stage as the 2023/2024 president of the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses.Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Pediatric psychologist Dr. Erica Sood joins us again in this episode to talk about her work improving the emotional health of children with chronic health conditions and her research into the care of moms, dads, and other family members following a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease. We also talk with Dr. Zachary Boynton, Co-Chief Resident at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, on heart health in high school athletes and the effectiveness of including an electrocardiogram, or ECG, in a student-athlete’s pre-participation health screening. Recorded at the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Washington, DC.Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

The recent "Well Beyond Medicine Day" in Orlando, Florida saw the Nemours Children's Podcast truck on site and ready with microphones open to hear from Nemours associates at all levels, including six members of the Nemours Children's Health, Florida Leadership Team:Martha McGill, President, Nemours Central FloridaDr. Daniel Podberesky, Chief Medical OfficerVonda Sexton, Vice President and Chief Strategy OfficerJacob Horner, Enterprise Associate Vice President of State External AffairsDr. Todd Glass, Division Chief of Emergency MedicineDr. Jared Capouya, Chief Quality and Safety OfficerOf them, we asked three specific questions, eliciting a variety of thought-provoking answers. Listen in as we bring you, in their own words, the Nemours Children's Health, Florida leadership perspective on the barriers and challenges surrounding the social determinants of health, and firsthand accounts of patients and families working with Nemours associates to overcome such barriers, both large and small. Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Dr. Carissa Baker Smith is a preventive and transplant cardiologist whose research includes a high concentration of work looking at the social determinants of health and working to mitigate health disparities for patients with congenital heart disease. She sat down with us when we took the podcast on the road to the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, a biennial gathering of international experts. Dr. Baker-Smith was there to moderate panel discussions on topics ranging from her area of specialty to the need for diversity in the health care workforce, all of which we discuss. Carol Vassar, producerGuest: Carissa M. Baker-Smith, MD, MPH, MSDirector, Preventive Cardiology Program atNemours Children's Cardiac Center, Delaware ValleyThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

As harvest season approaches, we're checking in on the Can Grow Garden, part of the Nemours Estate in Wilmington, Delaware. This encore episode was originally recorded for the  Champions for Children series.The Can Grow Garden is a collaboration between the Nemours Estate and Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, to grow plants and provide a place for patient, family, and associate education and respite. The grown plants - mainly vegetables - provide food for the community helping to alleviate food insecurity and providing a platform to teach healthy cooking and eating. For more information about the Can Grow Garden, contact Judy Lieberman.Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

At Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, associates (staff) and patients celebrated “Well Beyond Medicine Day" with some very honored guests. These VIPs stopped by the podcast to talk about osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic disease in which bones fracture (break) easily, often with no obvious cause or minimal injury. Detroit resident Stephen Sheehy is a remarkable man who answered the Nemours Children's Health call for an adult male with OI to be part of the Nemours Children's "Reflections” ad campaign. Already lined up was 4-year-old Nemours OI patient MJ Strickland. Guest host Cheryl Munn boarded our mobile Well Beyond Medicine podcast truck to talk with Steve, MJ’s mom Alex Rice, and the leader of MJ’s care team, Nemours orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alec Stall about OI: how it’s diagnosed and treated today versus when Steve was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s; barriers faced and overcome; the importance of community connection; and how Steve became a model for Nemours.Host: Cheryl Munn Producer: Carol VassarGuests: Stephen Sheehy, husband, father and adult living with OIAlex Rice, mom to Nemours Children's Health OI patient MJAlec Stall, MD, Vice Chair, Department of Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nemours Children's Hospital, FloridaThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Pediatric Cardiologist Mary Mehta, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer at Nemours Children’s Health, Pensacola. For more than 20 years she has served the communities of the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. It's a vast swath of land that draws visitors from around the world to its beautiful white sand beaches. It's also a hurricane-prone area dotted with rural communities and military bases. Dr. Mehta discusses the challenges and opportunities that exist to ensure families can access the care and services they need for their children, when and where they need them.Hear more from Dr. Mehta on Nemours Champions for Children's Health Episode 58.Thanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Navigating Misinformation and Becoming An Academic Sleuth in the Social Media Age was the topic presented as a panel discussion at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC. Panel member Dr. Atul Malhotra advises healthcare professionals on how best to present evidence-based medical information on social media to avoid misinterpretation and he shares advice for parents and caregivers on how to steer clear of medical misinformation on social media. We also dig into Dr. Malhotra's neonatal cell therapy research at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where he serves as Associate Professor Consultant Neonatologist & Head of the Early Neurodevelopment Clinic at Monash Children's Hospital.Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Dr.  Brian Alverson is a healthcare clinician, educator, innovator, and patent-holder who currently serves as the Nemours Pediatric Residency Program director. We met up with Brian at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting to talk about his vision for the Residency program, his recently granted patent for children undergoing spinal taps, and his leadership in working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to create evidence-based guidelines to diagnose and streamline the care of children with urinary tract infections.Carol Vassar, producer/hostSubscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Hear about the development of Nemours Children's Health's newest brand campaign, Reflections, which depicts the future of children whose lives are positively impacted when social, cultural and healthcare delivery barriers cease to exist. The campaign also serves as an invitation to every person and organization already on this journey to address the social impacts of health to come together to make full health and wellness a reality for every child across the U.S.  Featuring:Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer, Nemours Children's HealthDrew Landmeier, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Nemours Children's HealthShanky Das, Co-Founder, and Chief Creative Officer, TiltCarol Vassar, host/producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Anaphylaxis is a word that sends shivers down the spines of parents, grandparents, and caregivers everywhere, and with good reason - it can be life-threatening. Joining us to define anaphylaxis and give us an update on what’s happening in the research world to prevent and treat it is Dr. Timothy Dribin, Associate Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Dribin is one of the world’s leading researchers on anaphylaxis in children. He presented primary data on that subject at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Washington, DC, where we spoke with him.Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Dr. Thomas Babcock is a pediatric otolaryngologist — an ear, nose, and throat specialist, commonly referred to by the acronym ENT. He joined Nemours Children's Health, Pensacola in December 2022 with a specific task: rebuild a much-needed pediatric cochlear implant program for Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama. Dr. Babcock was born and raised in the Gulf Coast Region. Serving his community as an ENT specialist has become his mission, one that began just steps from the specialty clinic in Pensacola where we conducted this interview.Carol Vassar, host/producerGuest: Thomas Babcock, MDNemours Children's Health, PensacolaSubscribe, review or leave a voicemail with your thoughts at NemoursWellBeyond.org.Thanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

There is no single solution to the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in health care today. But myriad efforts are being made. In this episode of the podcast, we’re focusing our conversation on one such effort: The New Century Scholars Resident Mentoring Program from the Academic  Pediatric Association. The New Century Scholars program aims to decrease racial/ethnic disparities by increasing the number of pediatricians working in academic settings such as education, research, and clinical care.  Here to talk about the program are three past New Century Scholars: 2023 program co-director Dr. Brandi Freeman, an academic pediatrician at the University of Colorado where she also serves as their Vice Chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion; co-director Dr. Morgan Walls, a general academic pediatrician at Atrium Health Wake Forest in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dr. Rachel Thornton, Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer for Nemours Children’s Health. Learn more about the New Century Scholars Resident Mentoring Program.Carol Vassar, host/producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

In a wide-ranging interview conducted at the 2023 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, we talk with Dr. Juan Salazar, Chief Medical Officer at Connecticut Children's, about the growing need for collaborative pediatric research, tackling health disparities in a multicultural capital city, and what it was like to be an infectious disease specialist leading a pediatric health care system through a pandemic. Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Beena Kamath-Rayne, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist with 20 years of clinical experience and expertise in clinical research, quality improvement, and medical education. Since 2019, she has served as vice president for Global Newborn and Child Health for the American Academy of Pediatrics.  While she was in Washington, DC, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting, we had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss the state of global pediatric health and some of the AAP initiatives designed to improve pediatric health no matter where a child lives. Carol Vassar, producer/hostThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

When it comes to preterm births, the World Health Organization estimates that 15 million babies are born before the completion of 37 weeks gestation. Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under five years of age, with approximately 1 million deaths in 2015. Strikingly, three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with current, cost-effective interventions. In an interview recorded at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Washington, DC, in May 2023, we spoke with Dr. Brett Manley on the research he is doing to add to those interventions. Dr. Manley is a Consultant Neonatologist at The Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of Melbourne. The research he’s doing right now as the co-investigator of the PLUSS trial seeks to determine whether a particular two-drug protocol can lessen the effects or even prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common and serious complication in extremely preterm babies.Carol Vassar, producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Genomics and precision medicine are becoming pillars of health care, but how do they apply to pediatrics — and how can we ensure equitable access? Dr. Pankaj B. Agrawal,  principal investigator (PI) of the NIH-funded Virtual Genome Center for Infant Health (VIGOR), joined us in our mobile podcast studio at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2023 meeting to discuss that and much more! VIGOR is an NIH-funded study that has created partnerships to develop and implement a novel virtual model for genomic care with the hopes of proving that tele-genomic care is feasible and reproducible to any Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) — increasing accessibility and equity for all families. Plus, hear the voices of PAS participants with their definitions of the phrase "well beyond medicine." Carol Vassar, host/producerGuest: Pankaj Agrawal, MD, MMSc, Chief, Division of Neonatology, University of Miami Jackson Health; Chair, Project Newborn; and Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineLinkedInLearn more about the Virtual Genome Center for Infant Health (VIGOR) StudyThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

According to the Pew Research Center, up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform, with more than one-third (35%) indicating they use social media “almost constantly.”U. S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy — who has already raised the alarm on the youth mental health crisis in the U.S. — released an evidence-based advisory in May 2023. In it, he cited the dangers of social media and how content on these platforms, as well as the algorithms they use, target children and youth likely serving to exacerbate our nation’s youth mental health crisis. Monica Barreto, PhD, is here to help us better understand this advisory and how social media affects the children she sees in her practice. Dr. Barreto is the Clinical Director of Behavioral Health for Nemours Children’s Health, Florida. Carol Vassar, producer/hostRead the Surgeon General's advisoryThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Kids worry, but should parents worry about it?A national survey released in April 2023 by Nemours® KidsHealth® and conducted by the Harris Poll indicates that more than one-third of children worry at least once a week, and it only gets worse as they get older. As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, we discuss the results of this survey with Meghan Walls, PsyD, pediatric psychologist and Director of External Affairs for Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley, and Rick Raber, Editor-in-Chief for Nemours Children’s Health. Carol Vassar, podcast host/producerThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has stated that burnout among healthcare workers has been at crisis levels since before the pandemic. Burnout is not limited to doctors or clinical providers - it can and does affect health care workers in non-clinical roles. Nemours Children's started planting the seeds of burnout prevention and well-being promotion in the pre-pandemic period. They redoubled its efforts beginning in 2020 with the appointment of Dr. Maureen Leffler as its Chief Well-being Officer. Under her leadership, Nemours has become a national model in pediatric health care for implementing strategies to ensure the well-being of health care workers. She joins us today to talk about burnout, well-being, and wellness. Carol Vassar, producer/hostThanks for tuning in today! Please visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to catch all our episodes and sign up for our monthly newsletter. You can also use the voicemail feature on the website to leave a message with your episode ideas or questions — you just might be featured on an upcoming episode of the show. Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.