The Lead in Peds

Pediatric nursing is at the heart of how care is delivered, shaping every moment a child and family spends in the hospital. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH sits down with Cicely "CC" Brooks, DNP-ENL, MSN, RN, NE-BC, FAB, and Christine Riley, NP, CPNP-AC, to explore how nurses lead at the bedside, drive research and push innovation forward. From supporting families i...

Shows like The Pitt have brought attention to emergency medicine, but pediatric emergency care is even more challenging. In this episode of The Lead in Peds , Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH , interviews Joelle Simpson, MD, MPH , and Kenneth McKinley, MD , about the realities of pediatric emergency medicine, nationwide pressures and how research and technology – especially AI –are enhancing care.

Survival is only the beginning. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, talks with pediatric cardiologist and researcher Pascal Amedro, MD, PhD, about redefining cardiac rehabilitation to help children move beyond survival toward better function, confidence and quality of life. They discuss how CPET and VO2 max can uncover early deconditioning, and why a three-pillar model...

What does whole-child care really look like for children with brain tumors? In this episode of The Lead in Peds, host Dr. Nathan Kuppermann is joined by Dr. Jennifer Dorr, a child and adolescent psychiatrist embedded directly in pediatric neuro-oncology at Children's National. They explore how integrating mental health into cancer care is transforming treatment, improving outcomes, and reshaping w...

Matthew Oetgen, MD, MPH, and Kevin Cleary, PhD, share how robotics, imaging and motion capture are transforming pediatric orthopaedics at Children's National. Between stories of coaching their kids' sports teams and leading breakthrough research, they reveal how innovation is helping kids move, heal and thrive.

Children's National is leading the way in tackling some of the most challenging pediatric brain tumors. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Drs. Roger Packer and Adriana Fonseca share how focused ultrasound, precision medicine and global collaboration are opening new doors for children and families. Their conversation is a reminder that behind every breakthrough is hope, humanity and the courage...

A point guard uses vision, precision and teamwork during a basketball game. These same strategies drive Dr. Anthony Sandler's approach to surgical innovation. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, he shares how Children's National is advancing robotics, artificial intelligence, T cell immunotherapy and augmented reality-guided imaging to make surgery better and safer for kids.

Federal funding for research is being cut - leading to potentially devastating impacts for our nation's health - especially for children. In this episode, our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, discusses the importance of investing in pediatric research, clinical trials, and training future generations of researchers, alongside Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, senior vice president and chief research...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming integral to enhancing specialized care in pediatrics. Our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH , chief academic officer and chair of Pediatrics, chats with Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc , principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Hospital about the role of AI in the future of pediatri...

Endocrinologist Andrew Dauber, MD,  lives the  Children's National Hospital  motto— Grow Up Stronger—every single day.  When many families of children with short stature and rare genetic growth disorders reach his clinic, they've found that traditional treatments have offered limited success and Dr. Dauber often has innovative ideas.    Our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chief academic officer...

In 2023, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported significant rates of adolescent substance use : over 10% of 8th graders, nearly 20% of 10th graders and more than 30% of 12th graders used illicit drugs. With the ongoing fentanyl and opioid epidemic, the need for specialized pediatric addiction care has never been more urgent. Recognizing this gap,  Children's National Hospital launched one o...

Congenital heart disease isn't just a childhood condition—it's a lifelong journey.   Our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chief academic officer and chair of Pediatrics ,  sits down with two world-renowned pediatric cardiology experts to explore how pioneering care at  Children's National Hospital  starts as early as the first trimester and continues into adulthood.  Wayne Franklin, MD, senior vi...