A Stanford Children’s team is deploying a systematic new way for our healthcare providers to ask about and respond to needs in patients’ lives that occur outside the medical system.
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Erin Digitale
Back to School: Jason Yeatman on How Children Learn to Read
An expert answers questions that parents may have about how children learn to read and how to identify when a child is struggling.
Helping the Hospital Feel Like Home: Chief Nursing Officer Jesus Cepero on how workforce diversity makes patients feel welcome
Jesus Cepero, PhD, RN, reflects on how his journey has taught him the benefits of workforce diversity for health care workers, hospitals, and, most important, for patients and families.
Philip Sunshine, 92, a founder of neonatal medicine, retires from caring for babies
When Philip Sunshine, MD, now a professor emeritus of pediatrics, arrived at Stanford as a… Read more »
Helping Kids Cope with Separation Anxiety
Managing back-to-school separation anxiety for children and parents alike.
Predicting the Best Treatment for Young Ulcerative Colitis Patients
Children and teens with ulcerative colitis have many more treatment options than a decade ago,… Read more »
Stanford Research Uncovers Health Risks for Mothers Giving Birth in Two-Mom Families
A recently published study outlines several pregnancy and birth risks for mothers in two-mom families. Certain complications, including serious conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage, were substantially more common in these mothers.
Changing Infant Care to Improve Newborns’ Health in India
Modifying traditional infant massages led to more weight gain and fewer illnesses among newborns in a Stanford-led community study in India.
From Loss Comes Hope: Early Clinical Trial Results Show Promise for Treating Pediatric Brain Tumor
When Jace Ward came to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to join a clinical trial for a novel therapy, he had been fighting a deadly brainstem tumor for more than a year. A group of Stanford scientists published data from the trial Ward joined.
Stanford Team Finds Benefits to Online Autism Treatment
In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford Medicine researchers had to pause a study of autism treatment in preschoolers. The halt was stressful for kids and their families, so a team of pediatric psychologists pivoted to offering the treatment online.
Kids Fare Better With Early Use of Diabetes Technology
Providing continuous glucose monitors to kids with new type 1 diabetes improves their blood sugar levels a year later, a Stanford study showed.
Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids Aged 5-11
Stanford Medicine Children’s Heath experts answer parents’ FAQs, including how to schedule vaccinations.
Youngsters With ADHD Often Don’t Receive Best Treatment
About 2% of 4- and 5-year-olds have hyperactive and inattentive behaviors that interfere with their lives enough to warrant an ADHD diagnosis.
Children Born Early at Risk From Too Much Screen Time
Children born very prematurely are at risk for cognitive and behavioral problems linked to excess screen time.
When Can You Vaccinate Your Kids? What We Know as FDA Prepares to Consider Data From Studies
Stanford pediatricians helped conduct clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines for children. Data from the study will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for consideration.
Uneven Healthcare Access Stresses DACA Families, Study Finds
During four decades of caring for the children of immigrants who live in the U.S. without legal permission, Stanford pediatrician Fernando Mendoza, MD, often had to ask the parents of his patients a painful question: “Have you talked to your kids about what happens if you get picked up by immigration enforcement?”
Stanford Pediatrician Answers COVID-19 Vaccine Questions
In a series of short FAQ videos, Stanford Medicine pediatric infectious disease expert Yvonne Maldonado, MD, and two other pediatricians discuss the vaccines’ safety and efficacy, the need for everyone 12 years and older to be vaccinated and the status ofongoing clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines for younger children.
Preventing Kids’ Head Injuries: Tips from a Concussion Expert
After a lull early in the pandemic, head injury rates for kids are ticking up again. Parents should know what to do if their child gets hurt.
5 Questions: Elizabeth Reichert on Handling Back-to-School Anxiety in a Pandemic
Returning to school as the pandemic stretches on may spark anxiety in young students, but there are approaches parents can use to build children’s resilience.
5 Questions: Lisa Patel on California Wildfires and School Ventilation
As the peak of wildfire season coincides with the beginning of the school year, Stanford pediatrician Lisa Patel, MD, answers key questions about the effects of climate change and the dangers smoke can have in children.
Newborn Avoids Surgery With Stanford Medicine’s Unique Treatment for a Small Jaw
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is the first to provide this procedure in the country.
Helping Parents Respond to Anti-Asian Racism and Violence
Recent attacks on Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders may leave parents struggling with how to have conversations about racism with their children. Stanford Medicine Children’s Health’s Mari Kurahashi, MD, offers expert advice on the subject.
It Takes a Team: Caring for Kids with COVID-19
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health physician Alan Schroeder, MD, talks about his work caring for kids with COVID-19 symptoms in the pediatric intensive care unit.
5 Questions: Tandy Aye, MD, on What Transgender Teens Need from Their Parents
A recent Stanford study showed that, for teens exploring their gender identity, simple acts of caring from their parents were what they valued most.
Names on Surgical Caps Boost Communication During C-sections, Study Finds
New Stanford research finds labeled surgical caps improve communication among patients and health care providers during C-sections.
COVID-19 Vaccine Answers from a Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Expert
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health pediatric infectious disease expert Roshni Mathew, MD, answers common questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Nation’s pediatricians push for safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines
The country’s pediatricians have called for new COVID-19 vaccines to be appropriately vetted for safety and efficacy for everyone, including children.
Stanford Team Improves Diagnostics for Newborns’ Brain Bleeds
Mini-strokes, caused by breaks in tiny blood vessels, can occur during or soon after birth. New Stanford research expands the capability of ultrasound diagnosis of these injuries to provide a real-time window into brain function.
Helping Parents Talk about Racism with Kids
An overview of resources that exist at Stanford and beyond designed to guide families’ conversations about racism.
Learning in the Age of COVID-19: How to Help Kids with Distance Learning
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health experts offer ideas and advice for helping kids with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, including children with special needs.
Inflammatory Syndrome and COVID-19: What Parents Need to Know
Infectious disease experts at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health discuss the rare pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome that has been linked with COVID-19.
Preventing Prematurity: Stanford Leads Research to Help Moms and Babies
Stanford researchers develop a new noninvasive blood test to help predict premature births.
Virtual Pitch Competition Recognizes Pediatric Device Innovators
Seed funding awarded to start-ups working to develop health technology for children.
Helping Kids and Families Cope with COVID-19
As COVID-19 continues to spread, Stanford Medicine Children’s experts have advice about communicating with children and reducing their anxiety.
Eva and Erika: Mastering kindergarten, movement and big vocabularies!
We checked in with formerly conjoined twin sisters Eva and Erika Sandoval, who in 2016 were surgically separated at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Stranger Donates Kidney to Save Young Packard Children’s Patient Thanks to the Power of Social Media
NBC Bay Area Proud tells the story of a stranger who saved a two-year-old Packard Children’s patient in need of a kidney transplant.
Stanford Trial Shows Parents Can Learn Therapy to Help Their Children With Autism Learn to Speak
When James Pim was small, he struggled to express himself. His mom enrolled in a Stanford trial of an autism therapy called pivotal response treatment with the hope that she could help him understand how to use words to communicate.
What One Speech Therapist Wishes You Knew About Stuttering
Many young children develop a stutter as they learn to speak—as their brains are processing thousands of new words and sounds in the first few years of their lives.
An Unusual Stem Cell Transplant Saves Two Brothers
Brothers Ronnie and Levi Dogan were born with a very rare condition called IPEX syndrome. Packard Children’s was the first in the U.S. to offer a unique stem cell transplant they would both need for survival.
Rising To Meet the Need for Pediatric Device Innovation
The second annual Pediatric Innovation Showcase brought together pediatric experts and innovators to highlight progress in pediatric device development.
A decade of advances in prematurity research at Stanford
Babies who are born prematurely, arriving three or more weeks early, face a variety of… Read more »
Seeking a better way to match donor hearts with children awaiting transplant
Doctors leverage 3D imaging software to expand the potential donor pool for children in need… Read more »
What parents need to know about acute flaccid myelitis
5 questions with Dr. Keith Van Haren, pediatric neurologist and expert on polio-like illness. It’s… Read more »
Congenital heart patient happy and healthy at 8 months
Lola is happy and healthy at 8 months after undergoing open heart surgery for a congenital heart defect.
Stanford expert explains how border separations can traumatize children
Unplanned separation from parents is among the most damaging events a young child can experience, according to trauma research. A Stanford expert explains how it can hurt kids’ development.
New documentary describes heart transplant family’s journey
On Saturday, MSNBC aired a two-hour documentary called “Heartbreak: Saving the Binghams”.
Formerly conjoined twins Erika and Eva Sandoval are thriving
When they are not hopping, both girls are scooting quickly around on three limbs, playing and talking with gusto, and expressing themselves as individuals.
Every day is Father’s Day for the Berquist family
For pediatric gastroenterologist Bill Berquist, MD, the phrase “works with children” has a double meaning. Three of his grown children are following in his scientific footsteps.
Stanford Medicine Children’s gender clinic helps young people affirm their identities
When Noah Wilson realized he was transgender, he was afraid to tell his parents. When he did gather the courage to come out, his family had many questions. Together, they sought help from the Pediatric and Adolescent Gender Clinic at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
Baby born with half a heart supported with unusual ventricular assist device
Brayden McQuillan, now 3 months old, had a ventricular assist device implanted on his 18th day of life to help his failing heart pump blood.
Christopher Almond, MD discusses pediatric heart pump trial
Stanford is leading a multisite study of a new ventricular assist device for children who are awaiting heart transplantation.
Heart transplant for Gage Bingham
Early Wednesday morning, after 512 days on the transplant wait list, 8-year-old Gage Bingham became the third child in his family to receive a new heart.
Immunotherapy may help treat kids’ brain tumors
In trials in mice, a therapy developed at Stanford safely and effectively treated five types of pediatric brain tumors.
Teens use photography to depict journeys through chronic pain
Stabbing or dull? Burning? Throbbing? Constant or intermittent? How bad on a scale of 1 to 10?
Formerly conjoined twins returning to Sacramento
Formerly conjoined twins Eva and Erika Sandoval are one step closer to going home. The 2½-year-old sisters, who were surgically separated on Dec. 6, moved from Palo Alto to UC Davis Children’s Hospital in Sacramento.
Is marijuana safe for teens? American Academy of Pediatrics says no
Marijuana use isn’t safe for teenagers, and pediatricians need to be ready to explain why, according to a new clinical report published this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Formerly conjoined twins update: Erika and Eva
Formerly conjoined twins Erika and Eva Sandoval, who were separated December 6 are making good progress on learning to live as two people.
Advances in stem-cell and gene-therapy
Using stem cells and gene therapy to treat or cure disease may still sound like science fiction, but it is moving closer and closer to fact.
“Lifting the hood” on rare immune diseases can help patients get the treatment they need
When a patient has an unusual immune dysfunction, a few generalized therapies — steroid medications, for instance — are given to try to quiet the problem.
Stanford researchers expand comparison of males and females with anorexia
Research on anorexia nervosa often excludes boys and men, who make up about 10 percent of those affected by the serious eating disorder.
Stem cells give Stanford scientists a new window into the biology of a rare disease
Recently, Stanford pediatric cardiologist Marlene Rabinovitch, MD, and her team published new research that advances their quest to understand a serious — and very puzzling — lung disease.
Mental-health resources for Bay Area teenagers increasing in 2017
For the last several years, adolescent mental health experts from Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford have been partnering with many other community organizations to improve options for teens’ mental health care, a response to mental health crises among local teens.
Stanford team helps patient who is “unique in the world”
In the age of genetic medicine, it’s still surprisingly difficult to diagnose rare genetic diseases, and even more complicated to identify brand-new ones. But several Stanford scientists are working on ways to change that.
Infant at Stanford first to get drug for deadly neurodegenerative disease
If the only hope for your baby daughter lay in a brand-new experimental drug, would you want doctors to give it to her? What if she would be the first infant in the world to receive it?
PTSD affects boys’ and girls’ brains differently, Stanford study finds
For many years, scientists have known that adolescent girls are about twice as likely as boys to develop post-traumatic stress disorder after being exposed to a psychologically traumatic event. But no one has been sure why.
New hormone helps explain how high-fat diets make us fatter
A Stanford team published their discovery of a hormone that signals when the body needs more fat stores. It sends its message in response to two external signals that we already knew could make people fatter.
Iron nanoparticles prompt immune system to attack cancer, Stanford researchers find
Recently, a team of Stanford researchers was testing a new way to fight cancer when something strange happened. The team, led by pediatric radiologist Heike Daldrup-Link, MD, was studying whether tiny bits of iron could act as Trojan horses, sneaking chemotherapy into tumor cells. They tested the idea in mice, but the results were not what they expected.
How does a heart defect start? Stanford scientists use stem cells to find out
For years, pediatric cardiologists have been trying to understand the origin of a puzzling congenital defect that creates a spongy texture in the heart muscle wall. Now, Stanford researchers have shown that they can use stem cell techniques to turn donated skin and blood cells from real patients into a useful tool for figuring out how the disease gets started.
Does anorexia affect girls’ and boys’ bones differently? Probably not.
One serious consequence of anorexia nervosa is that it hurts patients’ bones, but until now most studies of patients’ bone health have been conducted in girls and women. A new Stanford study asked whether anorexia might affect boys’ bones differently.
Extra chemo drugs don’t improve treatment of rare bone cancer
A large clinical trial, published today in The Lancet Oncology, should spare young people with a rare bone cancer from the side effects of too much chemotherapy. Current treatments for osteosarcoma, a malignant bone tumor that usually affects teenagers, are less effective than doctors would like, so in recent years they’ve sometimes added extra chemotherapy drugs to the standard regimen.
One approach prevents both obesity and eating disorders in teenagers
Doctors and parents can use a single approach to prevent both obesity and eating disorders in teenagers. That’s the message from new guidelines released this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Automating genetic analysis could speed diagnosis of rare diseases
Stanford researchers recently published a scientific study describing how and why they’re trying to automate the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases.
Reducing alarm fatigue: Packard Children’s researchers apply big data to a big problem
Alarm fatigue is a big problem in hospitals, where automated monitors that track patients’ vital signs sound their alarms frequently, but the vast majority of alarms don’t indicate true crises. All the false alarms desensitize doctors and nurses to the beeping and can slow their responses to real emergencies.
Peeking inside the expanding Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Ever since I started my job in 2008, I’ve been hearing about the huge expansion of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford that is slated to open in 2017. First it was an abstract idea, then a set of floor plans and renderings, then a fenced-off patch of dirt, then an enormous hole in the ground. Now the new building is a real, three-dimensional place, with floors, walls, windows, a roof.
WIC policies should help kids drink less fruit juice, Stanford experts say
Every day of my 1980s childhood began with orange juice, which my mom served because it was considered a good way to get our daily vitamin C. Since then, nutritionists’ thinking has changed. Daily consumption of fruit juice has been linked with childhood obesity and dental cavities, and kids are thought to be better off getting their vitamins from whole fruits. Yet some health policies haven’t kept up.
Keeping kids with grown-up diagnoses from falling through the cracks
Once in a while, kids suffer grown-up medical problems such as multiple sclerosis, sleep apnea or stroke. None of these conditions are rare, but the fact that they hardly ever occur in children causes special frustrations and challenges for young patients.
Bottle size may help explain extra weight gain in bottle-fed babies
Scientists who study childhood obesity often wonder how excess weight gain in kids can be prevented. Some experts suggest that prevention efforts should start in infancy, since formula-fed infants grow faster than those who are exclusively breast-fed. A study published this month in Pediatrics adds an interesting twist to the debate: The researchers found that babies fed with larger bottles between 2 and 6 months of age gained more weight.
Mom’s voice gets special recognition in many brain circuits, Stanford study finds
Children respond strongly to the sound of their mothers’ voices, but until now the brain circuitry involved has been a mystery. A new Stanford study changes that, showing that moms’ voices get special treatment in a far wider variety of their children’s brain areas than researchers expected.
The mysterious story of a boy who survived a rare and deadly cancer
What would you do if your toddler had a very rare blood cancer and his treatments were failing? At what point would you decide that it was time to stop those treatments and make him as comfortable and happy as possible for whatever time he had left? That was the terrible decision faced by the parents of a young child with a form of leukemia so unusual and deadly that his doctors at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford didn’t know if anyone had ever survived it.
Stanford Trauma Center saves 10-year-old’s hand — and his life
When Elijah Olivas’s hand was severed in a car accident, dozens of experts from our pediatric trauma team coordinated to perform 20 hours of life- and limb-saving surgery.
Stanford researchers are getting closer to understanding prematurity predictors
Doctors would love to be able to predict and prevent preterm births. Right now, they mostly can’t. But research at the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Stanford University is poised to change that.
Eating disorders in college athletes highlighted in NBC Bay Area story
Years ago, as a college varsity swimmer, I was surprised when one of my teammates told me she had struggled with an eating disorder. I knew this was a common problem in sports such as gymnastics and figure skating, where an athlete’s appearance is constantly judged, but had assumed – wrongly – that a sport where speed trumped glamour would confer protection against disordered eating.
Child Life specialists help hospitalized kids handle stress and have fun
When children who’ve been ill or injured go home from the hospital, they often carry fond memories of their child life specialists, the folks who brought toys and games to their bedsides, explained medical procedures in a non-scary way, and helped their families worry less.
New Stanford research offers hope for faster autism diagnosis
What’s the first step in getting help for a child who may have autism? Discouragingly, the answer is often “A long wait.” But Stanford systems biologist Dennis Wall, PhD, wants to change that. His research team is using a big-data approach to devise simple questionnaires that enable parents and primary-care doctors to screen children for developmental disorders using a mobile device.
New cystic fibrosis screening test developed at Stanford
Stanford researchers have invented a new technique to detect cystic fibrosis in infants. The test, described in a paper published today in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, is more comprehensive, faster and cheaper than current newborn screening methods.
World-first treatment for rare heart defect saves baby born at Packard Children’s
Linda Luna was five months pregnant with her first child when she got the bad news: Ultrasound scans showed a deadly defect in her baby boy’s heart. He had a 90 percent chance of dying before or just after birth. But thanks to a groundbreaking treatment at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, two-month-old baby Liam, who just went home to San Jose last week, is beating those odds.
Teens need healthy brain food, says Stanford expert
This week, U.S. News and World Report released their 2016 ranking of the best diets. For their story on healthy eating for teenagers, Neville Golden, MD, division chief of adolescent medicine at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, explained how diet can affect teens’ brains and moods.
Stanford ingenuity + big data = new insight into the ADHD brain
Attention-focusing brain networks interact more weakly than usual in kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, new Stanford research shows. The research, published online this week in Biological Psychiatry, is part of an ongoing effort to figure out how the brain differs from normal in people with ADHD.
Newly identified gene mutation explains why one family experiences unusual pain response to cold
If you’ve ever plunged your hand into a tub of ice water, you know about the overlap between cold and pain: That deep, biting ache makes you want to get your hand out of the water – fast. While the protective value of that sensation is obvious, scientists have always been a bit mystified by how pain-sensing nerves register cold temperatures. But now, Stanford research on a family with an extremely unusual gene mutation may help clarify what’s going on.
Parents now help doctors decide what care is right for the sickest babies
Today, NPR’s Morning Edition featured an in-depth story on the evolution of decision-making in neonatal intensive care units – hospital nurseries for the sickest infants. Parents now have much more say in their babies’ care than in the past, and Stanford experts who were on the front lines of the change, including William Benitz, MD, chief of neonatology at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, explained how it happened.
A family’s story changes the science of a rare tumor
When Danah Jewett’s 5-year-old son, Dylan, was dying from a brain tumor in 2008, she wanted to know if there was anything her family could do to help other children who might someday face the same terrible diagnosis. Yes, said Dylan’s doctor, Michelle Monje, MD, PhD: Would you be willing to donate his tumor for cancer research after his death?
Beyond behavior: Stanford expert on recognizing and helping traumatized kids
When Victor Carrion, MD, was a pediatric psychiatry fellow in the mid-1990s, he had an “a-ha” moment about some of his poorly behaved patients that set the trajectory of his career. These kids had been traumatized, and the adults around them didn’t recognize it.
Forget perfection and just cook for your kids, says new book by Stanford author
“Our children are in trouble because we’ve outsourced the job of feeding them,” says Stanford child nutrition expert Maya Adam, MD. To tackle the problem, Adam is spreading a refreshing message: Forget celebrity-chef culture and food fads, and just cook for your kids. Her new book shares stories about how parents around the world find a healthy approach to feeding their children.
61-year-old grandfather gets new heart valve at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
One little-known fact about children’s hospitals: A number of their patients are not children. Local grandfather Sang Hee Yoon became one of these patients when he had a malfunctioning heart valve replaced in May, thanks to the expertise of our Adult Congenital Heart Program.
Maternal obesity increases risk for stillbirth, new Stanford study finds
Women who are obese when they become pregnant are more likely than other expectant mothers to have a stillborn baby. A new Stanford study gives the first detailed information about which obese women are at greatest risk and which stages of pregnancy are most likely to be affected.
Higher blood sugar in pregnancy tied to heart defects in baby, even if mom isn’t diabetic
For many years, doctors have known that women who had diabetes during pregnancy faced an increased risk of giving birth to a baby with a congenital heart defect. But now, for the first time, researchers have shown that the risk isn’t limited to women with diabetes.
Missing out on “normal”: Advice from an expert on how to help kids with serious illnesses
Children and teenagers with all kinds of chronic and serious conditions want normalcy in their lives, says pediatric psychologist Barbara Sourkes, PhD, who directs the palliative care program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Sourkes helps our patients and their families navigate the divide between living with a difficult diagnosis and simply being a kid. Here, she offers advice on how to help children who must “commute” back and forth between the medical world and their everyday lives.
Sunshine solves a life-threatening newborn health problem — with a little help from Stanford experts
In developing countries, well over 150,000 babies a year currently die or suffer severe brain damage from newborn jaundice. But that’s set to change, thanks to Stanford research that evaluated a safe, low-tech, inexpensive method for treating jaundice with filtered sunlight.
Spanish-speaking families prefer surgical care in their native language, study finds
The hospital’s Hispanic Center for Pediatric Surgery offers patients and families the ability to receive all of their pre- and post-surgical care in Spanish. Every interaction, from registering the patient to giving post-surgical instructions, happens in the families’ first language.
Rare gene variants help explain preemies’ lung disease, Stanford study shows
Because they’re born before their lungs are fully mature, premature babies are at risk for a serious lung disease. Over the last several decades, this disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, has evolved into both a great medical success story and a persistent mystery. But a new Stanford study, published this week, is helping clarify the mysterious part.
Girls with autism show behavior and brain differences compared to boys, Stanford study finds
Girls with autism tend to have less severe manifestations of one of the disorder’s core features, repetitive and restricted behavior, and they show brain-scan differences from boys that help explain the discrepancy, a new Stanford study has found.
Stanford team shows that one-on-one tutoring relieves math anxiety in children
Kids who suffer from anxiety about doing math problems can find relief in a program of one-on-one tutoring, which not only improves their math skills but also fixes abnormal responses in the fear circuits in their brains.
Stanford team uses brain scans to forecast development of kids’ math skills
Gray matter volume and connections between several brain regions better forecast 8-year-olds’ acquisition of math skills than their performance on standard math tests, a new Stanford neuroscience study has shown.
Stanford microbiome research offers new clues to the mystery of preterm birth
Premature birth affects 450,000 U.S. babies each year and is the leading cause of newborn deaths. But in about half of cases, doctors never figure out what triggered premature labor in the pregnant mom. Now, there’s a new clue.
Stanford doctors unraveling mysterious childhood psychiatric disease
A story in Sunday’s Wall Street Journal highlights Stanford’s leadership in treating a mystifying disease in which a child suddenly develops intense psychiatric problems, often after an infection. The disease, called pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, can be terribly disabling, altering kids’ personalities, interfering with their school work and making it hard for families to function.
Cystic fibrosis is deadlier for Hispanic patients, Stanford study finds
A new Stanford study of all kids in California diagnosed with cystic fibrosis between 1991 and 2010 shows that Hispanic patients were three times as likely to die from the disease as their non-Hispanic counterparts, despite similar access to specialty care.
Teens confused about harms of marijuana and e-cigarettes, Stanford study finds
Today’s teenagers are familiar with the dangers of smoking conventional cigarettes, but they’re much less sure of the risks posed by marijuana and e-cigarettes, according to a Stanford study published this week in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Study of outcomes for early preemies highlights complex choices for families and doctors
A tiny fraction of babies born at 22 weeks of gestation survive to childhood without major impairments or disabilities, according to a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. But, although some of these babies can do well, there is variation between hospitals in the rate at which they are resuscitated after birth.
Existing drug shows early promise against deadly childhood brain tumor
An existing drug may help treat the deadliest form of childhood brain cancer, according to a Stanford-led study published this week in Nature Medicine. The findings are the first to show an effect of any FDA-approved drug on the cancer, which is called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.
Counseling parents of the earliest-born preemies: A mom and two physicians talk about the challenges
When Juniper French was born in April 2011, her mom had been pregnant for 23 weeks and 6 days – a little more than half of a typical 40-week pregnancy. Shortly before her birth, doctors had to try to explain the possible consequences of her very early arrival to her parents.
Eye injuries in children from non-powder guns on the rise, new study says
Eye injuries from BB guns, pellet guns and other non-powder firearms have become more common in recent years in U.S. kids, according to a new study by Stanford pediatric ophthalmologist Douglas Fredrick, MD.
A serendipitous save that changed treatment of the most common tumor of infancy
Serendipity played a key role in the success of Isabella Manley’s treatment for a life-threatening tumor that made it difficult for her to breathe.
Raw milk still a health hazard, says Stanford expert
In spite of looser regulations around the sale of unpasteurized milk, it’s still unsafe to drink. That’s the message from Yvonne Maldonado, MD, chief of pediatric infectious disease at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, who is quoted in a new story on Today.com about the relaxation of raw-milk regulations.
Stanford Medicine Children’s Health adds Fertility and Reproductive Health Services
The longstanding expertise of Stanford Medicine’s Fertility and Reproductive Health team has a new home: This month, the team moved to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
To protect teens’ health, marijuana should not be legalized, says American Academy of Pediatrics
A new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics opposing marijuana legalization was written in response to recent research on adolescent brain development and the biology of addiction, as well as a changing national climate on marijuana laws.
Large donation launches new allergy research center at Stanford
Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker has announced that he is donating $24 million to establish an allergy research center at Stanford. Scientists at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University will study the underlying mechanisms of all types of allergies in children and adults and will aim to develop lasting allergy cures.
Stanford-led study suggests changes to brain scanning guidelines for preemies
A Stanford-led research team has examined how brain scans can help doctors predict preemies’ neurodevelopmental outcomes in toddlerhood. The researchers found that for babies born more than 12 weeks early who survive early infancy, brain scans performed near their original due date are better predictors than scans done near birth.
What does a cardiac electrophysiologist do? Anne Dubin explains her profession.
Other cardiologists are plumbers; I’m an electrician,” says Dubin. “Most cardiologists deal with structural heart disease: how the plumbing works and how the heart pumps. I focus on the electrical system that drives the pump.
An easy plan for healthy school lunches
It’s fall! Now that the school year is underway, you may be looking to streamline some healthy family routines, such your system for making simple and nutritious school lunches.
Early Support Program for Autism, a collaboration between Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and Children’s Health Council, connects families to autism resources
Finding autism caregivers and treatments is a daunting challenge for families facing a new autism diagnosis. But now there’s help. The Early Support Program for Autism, a free service with no waiting list, gives parents someone to call for up-to-date information about doctors, therapists, treatment programs and other community resources.
Study validates oxytocin levels in blood and suggests oxytocin may be a biomarker of anxiety
To conduct research on the connection between oxytocin and emotion, scientists want to assess the hormone’s levels in the brain. But sampling cerebrospinal fluid, the liquid bathing the brain, requires an invasive technique called a lumbar puncture. Measuring blood oxytocin is much easier, but some researchers have questioned whether blood oxytocin levels truly reflect what’s happening in the brain.
Parents can learn autism therapy in groups to improve kids’ verbal skills, Stanford study shows
Autism is more than twice as common as it was 15 years ago. But the number of clinicians who treat the developmental disorder is growing more slowly than the number of new cases, prompting caregivers to look for novel ways to share their expertise as widely as possible.
Dietary supplement helps lung function in cystic fibrosis patients, Stanford/Packard study finds
Life expectancy for people with cystic fibrosis has improved dramatically in the last few decades, but those with CF still struggle with a very basic action: breathing easily. However, a new study indicates that a specific dietary supplement might stave off the decline in lung function that characterizes this genetic disease.
Stanford/VA study finds link between PTSD and premature birth
Scientists have long suspected that post-traumatic stress disorder raises a pregnant woman’s risk of giving birth prematurely. Now, new research from Stanford and the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs confirms these suspicions.
Talking to kids about the Ebola virus
Heavy media coverage of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and isolated cases in the U.S. may leave parents wondering how to talk to their children about the disease. The American Academy of Pediatrics, along with Drs. Yvonne Maldonado and Victor Carrion of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, have information to assist parents in these conversations.
Q & A about Enterovirus-D68 with infectious disease expert Yvonne Maldonado, MD and Keith Van Haren, MD, pediatric neurologist
Yvonne Maldonado, MD, service chief of pediatric infectious disease at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, answers questions about the respiratory symptoms caused by this virus. In addition, Keith Van Haren, MD, a pediatric neurologist who has been assisting closely with the California Department of Public Health’s investigation, comments on neurologic symptoms that might be associated with the virus.
Families can help their teens recover from anorexia, new study shows
A large new study comparing two treatments for anorexia nervosa offers a hopeful message to parents of teens affected by the eating disorder: Families can work with therapists to help their children recover.
Study: Pregnancy causes surprising changes in how the immune system responds to the flu
Pregnant women have an unusually strong immune response to influenza, an unexpected finding that may explain why they get sicker from the flu than other healthy adults, new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has found.
Stanford team develops nanotech-based microchip to diagnose Type 1 diabetes
Years ago, when patients showed up at the doctor with excessive thirst, frequent urination and unexplained weight loss – in other words, the classic symptoms of diabetes mellitus.
New study shows standardization makes hospital hand-offs safer
A study published online this week in Pediatrics offers encouraging results from a large-scale effort to tackle a persistent safety problem in hospitals. The study is the first scientific investigation of a multi-hospital project to improve patient hand-offs, the times when a patient’s care is being transferred from one person to another.
Side effects of childhood vaccines are extremely rare, new study finds
As you may have heard about elsewhere, a new paper published today on the safety of childhood vaccines provides reassurance for parents and pediatricians that side effects from vaccination are rare and mostly transient. The paper, a meta-analysis appearing in Pediatrics, updates a 2011 Institute of Medicine report on childhood vaccine safety. It analyzed the results of 67 safety studies of vaccines used in the United States for children aged 6 and younger.
Transplant pioneer at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford celebrates 30 years of saving lives
Three decades ago, in the early days of liver transplant, babies with liver failure usually died. Transplants were saving adults and older children, but were not offered to patients younger than 2. For these youngsters, doctors thought, the operation was too risky and difficult. But an ambitious surgeon named Carlos Esquivel changed that.
New research shows how to keep diabetics safer during sleep
Life with type 1 diabetes requires an astonishing number of health-related decisions – about 180 per day. But patients’ vigilant monitoring of their daytime blood sugar, food intake, insulin and activity levels is perhaps less exhausting than the worries they face about getting a safe night’s sleep.
Cardiac arrest in pregnancy: New CPR recommendations for expectant moms
When a pregnant woman’s heart stops, two lives are threatened. Yet few caregivers know how to modify their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) technique for the expectant mom and her fetus, and few hospitals are optimally prepared for such an event.
Empowerment training prevents rape of Kenyan girls
Adolescent girls in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, are frequent targets of sexual harassment and… Read more »
Q&A with Greg Enns, MD, about NGLY1 deficiency, a newly discovered genetic disease
Gregory Enns, MD, pediatric geneticist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and a professor of… Read more »
Automated checklists increase safety and lower costs
Pilots, astronauts and workers in other high-risk industries follow rigorous safety checklists to help them… Read more »
Relief on the horizon for multiple food allergies
Living with one food allergy is a challenge; living with more than one can make… Read more »
Q & A: Rare polio-like disease emerges in California
(Updated March 25, 2014.) Keith Van Haren, MD, pediatric neurologist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital… Read more »
Global Impact: Self-Defense Training for Kenyan Girls Reduces Rape, Stanford/Packard Study Finds
A low-cost, empowering approach makes a huge difference for high school girls in Kenya, thanks in part to a collaboration with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.
Center for Fetal and Maternal Health – 1,000 patients
Zoë Bower was 18 weeks pregnant when she and her husband, Dan Edelstein, received devastating… Read more »
Neuro NICU Supports Babies at Risk for Brain Injury
From brain monitoring to therapeutic cooling, babies at risk for brain injury get their strongest start in life at Packard Children’s Neuro NICU.
Mother Earth: Pollution Impacts Pregnancy
Breathing traffic pollution in early pregnancy is linked to higher risk for certain serious birth defects, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
“Downton Abbey” revisited: Modern medicine’s approach to a dangerous complication of pregnancy
Maurice Druzin, MD is leading efforts to equip every California hospital for saving moms’ and babies’ lives when confronted with pre-eclampsia.
Sugar intake, diabetes and kids: Q&A with a pediatric obesity expert
Sugar may play a stronger role in the origins of diabetes than anyone realized, according… Read more »
Addie and Max Have a Christmas to Remember
The Graham twins from Texas are celebrating a lifesaving gift, thanks to their parents and Packard Children’s.
News about Newborns, Delivered Each Morning
For parents dealing with a sick newborn, access to their baby’s condition needs to be clear and immediate. While conversations with the physician or nurse are a key source of information, Packard Children’s found another way to keep parents updated and in the loop.
Improving the Odds of Breast Milk for Preemies
Premature babies benefit from consuming breast milk, but their chance of receiving it is strongly influenced by the hospital where they spend their early days.
Online Health Records Benefit Teens in Juvenile Justice System
Teens who get in trouble with the law often have serious untreated health problems. But a strong collaborative relationship between Packard Children’s and the local juvenile justice system is helping physicians improve the health of high-risk adolescents.
Something to Smile About
A year ago, Jon and Kristi Cannon feared their young son would never smile again…. Read more »
Noah’s Tiny Voice Speaks Volumes
Noah Jackson was born without a voice. Because of a rare genetic disease, his airway… Read more »
