On March 7, 2020, most of the U.S. population will move their clocks forward one hour, which means losing one hour of sleep. This adjustment can be difficult for kids’ sleep schedules.
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Angie Lucia
Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Kids
Ring in 2017 with healthy New Years Resolutions that the whole family can do together. Tips about healthy eating habits and how to keep them all year long from our Pediatric Weight Control program which is now enrolling patients for January.
Successful Mentoring Program Grows Beyond Nursing
The mentoring program provides new graduate nurses with the support they need to navigate their first year and practice their leadership skills.
Groundbreaking 3-D Imaging and Pain Control Innovations Help Math Whiz Recover Quickly
Doctors diagnose and repair sunken chest using Nuss procedure with 3-D imaging and ESP block for pain, minimizing exposure to radiation and recovery time.
Hope Sparks from Camp Fire Aftermath for Boy with Clubfoot
Rider is running and playing after surgery and bracing to treat his clubfoot.
Teen Adopts USC’s Fight-On Rally Call to Tackle Injuries
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital saves limb of teen with complex orthopedic surgery and microvascular surgery with skin, bone and vein grafts.
Cleft and Craniofacial Center Fosters Patient’s Dream to Entertain
Mathias had bilateral cleft lip and palate when both sides of his lip from his mouth to his nose were open along with the roof of his mouth or palate.
Hefty Nicknames for 2019’s Tiniest Baby
There’s a little superhero in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Welcomes the Addition of Town and Country Pediatrics
The Stanford Medicine Children’s Health network continues to grow with our newest addition, Town and Country Pediatrics, located in San Francisco and Mill Valley.
Traveling with an Infant or Toddler? Tips for a Healthy, Happy Summer Vacation.
Here are a few helpful reminders to keep the younger set feeling fine whether they are on a road trip or 30,000 feet in the air.
Five Things to Look for When Choosing an IVF Center
Selecting an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program to assist in family building can be a stressful decision.
Youth wheelchair basketball tournament rolls into Stanford
Four teams of young wheelchair basketball players took to the court at Stanford’s Arrillaga Family Recreation Center last month.
New country, new bone marrow
Seven-year-old Ikkei Takeuchi likes to say he has two birthdays, the day in April when… Read more »
Expert advice on traveling while pregnant from Jagdip Powar, MD
Jagdip Powar, MD, an obstetrician for the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health network, shares his expertise on the dos and don’ts of traveling while pregnant.
Medicaid changes would hurt health care for all kids
Although only some children and families are publicly insured, all children are dependent on Medicaid funding, Christopher Dawes, president and CEO of Packard Children’s, writes in a recent Huffington Post op-ed.
Urgent Care or the ER for your child?
It is important to know when and where to go when a sudden illness or injury occurs. When in doubt, dial 911.
A New Vision for Palliative Care: Partners for Hope
One mother shares why the palliative care program has become a staple in her whole family’s care plan.
Stanford’s d.school students integrate artwork into expanding children’s hospital
Graduate students from the Institute of Design at Stanford joined forces with the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital expansion team to explore ways to integrate artwork for the expanding pediatric and obstetric hospital campus.
Winter Sports Safety and Injury Prevention Tips
Tips from one of our orthopedists, Christine Boyd, MD of how to stay safe while having fun on the slopes.
Shaping a Brighter Future
In medicine we often refer to the “natural history of disease”— the normal course that a disease takes in an individual if no treatment occurs. In the case of congenital heart disease, the “natural history” was often death or, at best, survival with significant limitations. Fortunately, that history has changed.
About the Zika virus
Infectious disease experts Yvonne Maldonado, MD, and Desiree LaBeaud, MD, MS, discuss the mosquito-borne infection.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health orthopedists seeing a rise in ACL injuries among young girls
Young, athletic girls like Aminah Carter, 8, are being treated for sports injuries typically associated with adults and professional athletes.
InMenlo highlights hospital expansion chronicler Barry Fleisher, MD
Menlo Park-based photographer and retired neonatologist, Barry Fleisher is continuing to document the construction progress for the new hospital.
Healthy living in the New Year
Most of us will make a New Year’s resolution – maybe to lose weight, quit smoking or drink less – but only one in 10 of us will achieve our goal. This story is about a group of colleagues at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health who worked more than year to eat right and improve their health.
Surgery to find your voice: A Q&A with a pediatric otolaryngologist
When we’re in a noisy restaurant, it’s really difficult to hear my young niece speak. She can only talk very quietly, because she has a paralyzed vocal cord. But Stanford’s Anna Messner, MD, is bringing hope to kids like her via a rare surgery that attaches more nerve fibers to the affected vocal cord.
The Gift of Meals: How Our Pediatric Advocacy Program and a Community Partnership Brightened the Holiday Season
Our Pediatric Advocacy Program, along with some passionate community partners, helped feed hungry children and families over the winter break.
What’s wrong with baby Wyatt?
What should have been one of their family’s happiest moments quickly turned somber as they feared the seriousness of Wyatt’s condition. The dermatology team suspected it could be a skin disease, but they couldn’t know for sure. Wyatt needed to be transferred to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
After radiation-free treatment for their son’s brain cancer, family travels 6100 miles every year to reunite with their care team at Packard Children’s
Recently, the Loh family, originally from the Bay Area, was in town for their annual visit from Shanghai to check in with son Elliot’s care team. They reflected on the experience of traveling across the world to give their son the best treatment possible.
Chikungunya is on its way to a neighborhood near you
Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that has arrived from the tropics to affect patients in many U.S. states, usually strikes with a fever, aches, and joint pain. But sometimes it’s much worse. Stanford pediatric infectious disease expert Desiree LaBeaud, MD, is trying to figure out why some people are hit hard, and others experience a relatively minor illness, according to recent news coverage from NPR.
An optimist’s approach to improving global child health
Globally, more than six million children die before their fifth birthday each year, most having been born into poverty. While great strides have been made over the last few decades in reducing global child mortality, some countries, like Pakistan, have lagged behind. In a recent Stanford podcast, Anita Zaidi, MD, an internationally renowned pediatrician and director of the Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, spoke about the state of child health in her home country of Pakistan and what it takes to lift a nation up.
C-section rates up to 19 percent help save women and their newborns, global study finds
Cesarean sections are the most commonly performed operations around the world. But just how effective are these procedures, which have their own risks and complications, in saving the lives of women and their newborns?
Emergency resuscitation training saves lives—even the same day
Doctors and nurses at our Bass Childhood Cancer Center practice their resuscitation skills several times a year, thanks to a new, hospital-wide, cutting-edge program that provides lifesaving training.
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford Expansion Reaches Weather-Tight Construction Milestone in Advance of El Niño Season
We’re one step closer to opening the nation’s most technologically advanced, family-friendly and environmentally sustainable hospital for infants, children and expectant mothers.
Helping Families Fight Hunger
Stanford clinicians collaborate with the community and how you can help this holiday season.
Stanford alumnus writes children’s book to inspire next generation of curious minds
Soon there will be a new superhero children’s book available, but these superheroes aren’t from Marvel comics. The book, Rose’s Superhero Birthday: An Immune Cell Treasure Hunt, is about the immune cell superheroes that keep us healthy.
Thanksgiving Table Talk
Using the Thanksgiving holiday as a platform to build healthy meals.
California’s vaccination exemptions cluster in white, affluent communities
A new study by Stanford health-policy researcher Michelle Mello, PhD, JD, found the highest resistance to childhood vaccinations among white, affluent communities. In contrast to previous studies, however, Mello’s team did not find a correlation between higher levels of education and vaccine exemptions.
Cure is not enough for young cancer survivors
People that survive cancer at a young age are expected to live many decades after diagnosis and treatment, so they are the most vulnerable population to long-term damaging effects from cancer therapy. Stanford’s Karen Effinger, MD, MS, and Michael Link, MD, explore this issue in an editorial published today in JAMA Oncology.
Helping kids with chronic medical conditions make the jump to adult care
Specialists who treat chronically ill adolescents have long recognized the challenges related to this patient population: Young adults may be grown in body, but they aren’t always ready psychologically or socially to take full responsibility for consistently following complicated medical routines and practicing lifestyle restrictions. Nor are most adult care doctors trained in the after-effects of childhood cancer, for instance, or the lifelong need to monitor adults with childhood heart repairs.
It’s that time of the year. Get protected from the flu!
The kick-off of the 2015-2016 flu season is upon us. To head influenza off at the pass and protect your children, it’s time to put flu protection on your to-do list, and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is here to help.
From A to ZZZZs: The trouble with teen sleep
Teenagers who don’t sleep enough pay a heavy price, potentially compromising their physical and mental health. Study after study in the medical literature sounds the alarm over what can go wrong when teens suffer chronic sleep deprivation: drowsy driving incidents, poor academic performance, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and even suicide attempts. “I think high school is the real danger spot in terms of sleep deprivation,” says Stanford sleep expert William Dement, MD, PhD. “It’s a huge problem.”
Helping newborns through song
Instead of drugs or fancy devices, a small village in India is using dhollak and dafali — drums traditional to the region — to spread awareness about post-natal care and to battle infant mortality. The effort started as part of a public-health research project led by Stanford global health expert Gary Darmstadt, MD.
Keeping kids safe at Halloween
We know Halloween is a special time for kids to dress up as their favorite super hero, princess or scary zombie while getting their hands on those coveted goodies. But with all of the excitement that comes with this festive time of year, it’s important to be aware of how to keep kids safe.
The rocket men and their breathtaking invention
It’s a gadget straight out of Star Trek — a breath analyzer that may someday quickly and noninvasively detect everything from diabetes to cancers. In a new Stanford Medicine magazine story, you can read about how three Stanford rocket-combustion experts designed and tested a Breathalyzer-like device to measure toxic ammonia levels in critically ill children, all in about a year.
Is a healthy Halloween possible?
While parents work hard in developing healthy eating habits in their children and educating them to make informed choices about food, there comes one night in which society encourages a total reversal of all parental efforts and messages.
Why chronic disease harms kids’ bone development — and what to do about it
Mary Leonard, MD, is trying to make sure children with chronic diseases build as much bone as possible before puberty ends. Once that window closes, she and other researchers believe, it’s too late to do much about it. And the likely consequence of emerging from adolescence with inadequate bone mass is early osteoporosis.
Stanford Medicine magazine tells why a healthy childhood matters
I’ve forgotten most of my childhood experiences – which is perfectly normal. But apparently my body remembers many of those experiences – and I learned while editing the new Stanford Medicine magazine that’s normal too. The fall issue’s special report, “Childhood: The road ahead,” is full of stories of researchers realizing the impact early experiences can have on adult health. Some of their discoveries are surprising.
Inspired by one boy’s vision – youth patients stay engaged in their classrooms back home even from the hospital
Thanks to a collaboration with the Omar’s Dream Foundation, youth patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford don’t have to sacrifice their education while they undergo treatment.
Even during the fall, parents need to be mindful of open windows
On warm fall days in California, families may leave windows open to cool off. here are some tips to keep kids safe and prevent accidents.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Pediatrics – Mountain View joins the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health network
Top-ranked group in Mountain View is now a part of one of the most comprehensive and sought-after health-care brands in America.
Building bridges: The role of interpreter services in our hospital
The interpreter facilitates communication involving vital details of a patient’s care and helps navigate very complex conversations in our hospital’s often-complicated medical cases.
Where are they now? Quadruplets edition
The Wang family is truly one in a million.
Bariatric surgery provides San Jose siblings with a new lease on life
Thanks to dedication, hard work, and an experienced medical team, Michelle, 17, and Miguel, 15, the Rangel siblings from San Jose, are looking ahead toward a brighter future and much-improved medical outlook.
Including Parents in the Care of Premature Babies
(This blog first appeared online in U.S. News & World Report.) Two of our biggest assets in the care of premature babies are decidedly low-tech: the baby’s parents.
It’s never too late for a child’s back-to-school checkup
Whether your child is entering kindergarten or heading off to high school, the beginning of the school year is a good time to schedule your child’s annual physical.
Five lifesaving organ transplants in 48 hours means a very busy weekend at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
“When something like this happens, we’re prepared,” said Carlos Esquivel, MD. “It really shows the depth of the institution and our transplant programs.”
“There’s my doctor from TV!”
Pediatric urologist William Kennedy, MD, is a leader in expanding access to high-quality care through telehealth.
Girls’ Day Out event helps unite—and nurture—teens battling cancer
There are many treatments, therapies and drugs for cancer, but sometimes a day of pampering with friends is just what the doctor ordered.
Mom of ‘surprise’ twins takes skin-to-skin time seriously in the intensive care nursery.
Vanessa Applegate was not expecting twins. The very day she discovered her one baby was in fact, one of two growing in-utero, she was admitted into Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Sharing the experience of transplant through summer camp
On Monday, July 20, 50 kids boarded a bus at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. The occasion? To spend an entire week up north, 100 miles away, at St. Dorothy’s Rest in Camp Meeker, Calif.
San Francisco Giants “Donate Life” Day
On July 8, the San Francisco Giants held their 18th Annual Organ Donor Awareness Day (now known as Donate Life Day).
Designing a Water-Wise Hospital at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Our new Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford expansion incorporates best practices for saving water and other natural resources, including 38 percent less water usage than in a comparable hospital. Recycled water sources will save as much as 800,000 gallons of water per year.
Jaundice in Babies
Seeing yellow? Here’s what you need to know about identifying and treating jaundice in your newborn.
Patients’ artwork showcased in Palo Alto
On June 5, the Pacific Art League in downtown Palo Alto was buzzing with excitement as some talented young photographers displayed their works of art.
Our 1st Annual Craniofacial Team Picnic was a major success
More than 35 patients and their families turned out for Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s 1st Annual Craniofacial Team Picnic on June 6 to connect with one another in an enjoyable and supportive environment.
An Evening at the Oasis for our patients
Patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital experience: An Evening at the Oasis
Why Babies Don’t Have Freckles
Freckles are a phenomenon that occurs when genetically predisposed people (often those with fair skin, red hair, and light eyes) are exposed to UV light over time, according to Joyce Teng, MD, director of pediatric dermatology for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Kids with dangerous heart arrhythmias receive lifesaving support from high-tech, implantable devices at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
Our implantable cardioverter defibrillator team provides lifesaving support for young people like Reina Villarreal, who suffers from an abnormal heart rhythm.
Mom of Multiples #3: Overwhelmed as a mom of multiples
Learning to cope when left alone with twins for first time
Five questions about the new Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer (AYA) Program with Pam Simon, CPNP
Pam Simon, certified pediatric nurse practitioner and director of the program, explains how this unique program is going to make a big difference for patients.
Santa Clara woman with cystic fibrosis thanks CF Center at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health for successful journey to adult care
Lauren Catron, 26, credits the specialists at the Pulmonary and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford for keeping her alive.
Mom of Multiples #2: The Whys of Multiples
Multiples attract attention, there’s no getting around it. People approach you in public, sometimes just to look at your babies and say “Aw,” sometimes to tell you about twins they know, sometimes to tell you they are a twin! Amy Letter shares more in part two of her series on having multiples.
Teen’s rare congenital heart defect fixed at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
A Salinas teen faced a heart defect that could lead to sudden death, so our Heart Center leads the way in fixing a defect more common that most doctors realize.
Mom of Multiples #1: Finding Out You’re Having Multiples
Hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time is amazing. Hearing the second heartbeat is harder to describe.
Illinois boy saved by super-surgeon
Jordan Ervin, 6, had 26 areas of blood flow blockage from his heart to his lungs. Surgeon Frank Hanley repaired all of the blockages in one marathon surgery.
Phoenix baby saved by heart surgery pioneer
Baby Jackson Lane’s heart problems were “about as dramatic as you can get.” Famed surgeon Dr. Frank Hanley and his team stepped in to save Jackson’s life. “We are just so lucky that we found Dr. Hanley and that our son fought for his life,” said mom Elyse.
Ensuring parents’ changes for a healthier lifestyle don’t negatively affect their children
We all want to live a happy, less-stressful and healthy life; and to achieve this, we strive to make positive lifestyle changes to our routines. Here are some tips for parents to ensure that their healthier lifestyle goals are not negatively impacting their children.
Cochlear implants give young boy with Down syndrome a new lease on life at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Doctors at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health have proven that cochlear implants in deaf children with developmental delay can help them from falling further behind their peers.
A Heartfelt Valentine’s Party for CHD Awareness Week
On Sunday, February 8, dozens of patient families with children that have congenital heart disease gathered to celebrate lives saved and CHD Awareness Week (2/7/15 – 2/14/15).
3 signs your child is too old for the pediatrician
Recently, writer Stephanie Booth with Cafe Mom’s The Stir discussed with our chief of adolescent medicine, Neville Golden, MD, tips on when to transition a child from pediatric to adolescent care.
Reading, writing, arithmetic, and now, yoga
Integrating mindfulness into regular curriculum in the Ravenswood City School District
Teen traveled 3000 miles, from CT to Stanford, for life-changing neck surgery
Less than one month after reading about “stealth surgery” online, Jennifer traveled cross-country for an innovative surgery that helped her turn the corner from a painful past toward a brighter future.
Designing the future Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Students at Stanford’s d.school collaborate with neonatologist William Rhine, MD, to look at new elements of design in the NICU environment.
Teen in Shasta Lake already got her present, the gift of life
ABC 7’s Lilian Kim reports on heart transplant recipient Lizzie Johnson, 14, and her family, about receiving the ultimate gift for Christmas this year, a new heart and a second chance at life.
Moderation, part 2: Good things come in small packages
From the first King Size KitKat bar that finds its way into a “lucky” trick-or-treater’s stash, to the “generous” servings of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie that are dished up at Thanksgiving feasts, I have one major learning objective for my kids: size matters. We can enjoy absolutely any food, as long as it’s consumed in moderation.
South Bascom Pediatrics in Los Gatos joins Stanford Medicine Children’s Health network of care
Top-ranked group group in Los Gatos, Calif., is now a part of one of the most comprehensive and sought-after health-care brands in America
5 Questions about Heart Murmurs with Pediatric Cardiologist Alaina Kipps, MD
When a child’s heart is not making the right sounds, it can make parents very nervous. Alaina Kipps, MD, pediatric cardiologist in our Heart Center, explains that it’s actually very common and usually not as scary as you would think.
Moderation, Part 1: Let Them Eat Cake (just not too much)
As the holiday season approaches, my excitement about the upcoming festivities is sometimes mixed with a little uncertainty. Halloween, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukah and Christmas: No matter which of these holidays you celebrate, they usually involve a whole lot of eating — and an endless stream of treats.
Interventional Radiology program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford leads the way with a child-friendly approach
Thanks to a new Pediatric Interventional Radiology program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, the first of its kind in the Bay Area, kids can often forgo anesthesia and, in some cases, surgery for many of their treatments.
Family Advocacy Program Celebrates Ten Years of Service
Care providers from Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford have partnered with an innovative medical-legal partnership to impact the lives of over 3000 families.
New study from Stanford Medicine Children’s Health points to importance of high-level NICU resources in California
California’s high-level, high-volume facilities have the lowest mortality rates when it comes to treating premature infants with necrotizing enterocolitis, a dangerous intestinal disease. However, the number of these centers is decreasing.
Our impact on patients
Together, we are creating the ultimate patient, staff, and provider environment so we can help our patients get back to “jumping off of coffee tables.”
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health develops innovative process for safely transporting patients during an emergency or crisis event
In case of an emergency or crisis, we’ve developed an innovative electronic medical records tool to make patient transfers as safe as possible.
Unusual leg surgery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford doesn’t hold wrestling champ back
A San Jose teen and wrestling champ has regained full function after a complex surgery on his leg and back.
Lifesaving kidney transplants at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford give Hawaii siblings the chance to get growing
Siblings Dominic and Julia Faisca had a rare kidney disease that stunted their growth. Thanks to our top-ranked transplant teams, the kids are now back home in Hawaii and “growing like weeds,” according to their doctor.
Nurse coordinator at Stanford’s Adult Congenital Heart Program has the same disease as those she cares for
Christy Sillman is one of the many adult survivors needing lifelong, specialized treatment for her heart. Sillman brings special insights to her work as the nurse coordinator for the Adult Congenital Heart Program at Stanford.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos Extend a $2.25 Million Challenge Grant to Fund Innovative Clinical Food Allergy Research at Stanford
Groundbreaking food allergy research at Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has received a major boost through the creation of a challenge grant by Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. Severe food allergies are a growing epidemic, with rates having doubled in the last decade. One out of every 13 children is affected, and over 30 percent are thought to have allergies to more than one food.
Make this year a healthy school year
With the days of summer vacation soon coming to an end, parents are getting in gear to send their kids back to school. Along with stocking up on school supplies and buying new clothes, it’s also a good time to think about their health needs.
San Francisco Giants “Donate Life” Day
On July 30, the San Francisco Giants held their 17th Annual Organ Donor Awareness Day. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has been a part of this event for several years. It’s an opportunity for community to celebrate the lives that have been saved through organ donation
Memories of “Lu”: Celebrating the founder and visionary of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
This week, we are celebrating Lucile Salter Packard, our hospital’s founder and visionary, in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday. Her dream was simple: to nurture both the body and soul of every child.
Concussions in Young Athletes: How Far Will We Go to Win?
Nearly 4 million sports-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of these cases affect young people. Concussions can have devastating consequences, including impaired cognitive function and other long-term neurological effects.
Teen is now able to eat, sleep and gain weight again
A gastroenterologist diagnosed teen with a swallowing disorder in which tight muscle fibers in the lower esophagus prevent food and liquids from passing
Partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital brightens children’s lives—and the walls of HP
Thanks to a partnership between HP and DreamWorks Animation, pediatric patients had a chance to design artwork that now hangs in HP’s Palo Alto facility.
Building community one onesie at a time
Cathy Siciliano’s son William was born at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in 2012. He… Read more »
