Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast

Asthma and food allergies remain major health concerns, especially as students head back to school. Chris Martinez, President and CEO, Asthma and Allergy Impact and Rescue (AAIR), joins us to share life-saving, practical solutions that keep kids healthy and learning. From stocking albuterol in schools to equipping families with diagnostic kits and advancing key policy initiatives, AAIR is transfor...

Caring for a child with a chronic condition can feel overwhelming – especially when it involves coordinating specialists, therapies and countless appointments. That’s where Health Hug   helps. By combining technology with a personal touch, Health Hug streamlines pediatric care, connects families to resources, and eases burdens for both parents and providers. On this episode, Health Hug’s CEO &...

Mama Glow founder Latham Thomas shares her personal journey into birth work, breastfeeding and the difference between doulas and midwives. A SuperSoul 100 honoree, she’s advancing maternal health through advocacy, education and birth equity. Guest: Latham Thomas, Founder, Mama Glow Host/Producer: Carol Vassar Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management....

Tina Aswani-Omprakash began experiencing symptoms as a child – joint pain, eye inflammation and digestive issues – but no one connected them. Without a diagnosis, health insurance, or support due to the cultural stigma surrounding inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Crohn’s disease, Tina endured a long and painful journey to understand her own body. Today, she’s a patient advocate, storyteller an...

Anne Snowdon, PhD, Chief Scientific Research Officer, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), joins us to discuss how information, innovation and digital technology are transforming health care worldwide. From AI tools that support early-career clinicians to cross-border collaboration on system design, this conversation explores how digital health is improving outcomes, addr...

Early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong health and success – yet reading scores across the U.S. are falling at an alarming rate. In part two of our series on early literacy and health, we highlight Nemours Children’s Reading BrightStart! , a proven, science-based program celebrating 20 years of impact. Reading BrightStart! supports children from birth through first grade with...

Early literacy is one of the strongest indicators of lifelong health and success – yet reading scores across the U.S. are declining at an alarming rate. In part one of this two-part series, we dive into what the latest data reveals, how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the literacy crisis, and what actions educators and health care providers can take to reverse these trends. Celebrating its 2...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 60 million Americans – one in five – live in rural areas, including 12 million children. But hospitals in these communities face growing challenges: cybersecurity threats, aging infrastructure, staffing shortages and limited funding are all jeopardizing access to care. Laura Kreofsky, Director of Rural Health, Microsoft Philanthropies, highlights the crit...

Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group and a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses his latest book, ChatGPT, MD . He shares how generative AI could transform health care by empowering patients and clinicians through real-time data analysis and insights. These AI tools could significantly improve chronic disease management, helping to reduce the incide...

Achondroplasia advocate Chandler Crews, founder of The Chandler Project , joins us to discuss life with the most common form of skeletal dysplasia. She shares her personal journey, including her decision to undergo limb-lengthening surgery. We also explore emerging treatments and the evolving conversation around advocacy, research and innovation in the achondroplasia community. Guest: Chandler Cre...

Dr. Jackie Gerhart, Chief Medical Officer for Epic, and Phil Lindeman, Vice President of Data and Research at Epic, join us to explore how real-world data is transforming pediatric care with the power of Epic's Cosmos and EpicShare platforms. We also discuss how data-sharing collaborations across health systems are advancing pediatric research and innovation, with a special focus on the groun...

The United Nations and World Health Organization have long recognized health as a fundamental human right. Yet barriers to care persist — not only in the United States, but around the world. PERSOWN Connect is introducing a bold new care model designed to help break down those barriers. Its innovative platform empowers underserved communities by combining AI-powered diagnostic tools, microloans an...

From melatonin to probiotics, more parents than ever are turning to herbs and supplements to support their children’s health. But are these products safe? Do they work? And how can pediatricians partner with families to make informed decisions? In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Cora Collette Breuner of Seattle Children’s shares her insight on the rising use of natural remedies in pediatrics, exp...

Hurricanes, wildfires, power outages — disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. But how do they affect children’s health, and how can we better prepare? This episode looks at disaster response through a pediatric lens to highlight the unique risks kids face and the steps we can take to protect them. We hear from Dr. Cindy Calderon in Puerto Rico, who shares lessons from Hurricane Maria and the 2020...

Mental health is an essential part of overall health – and pediatric primary care providers are increasingly serving on the front lines. With one in five children facing a diagnosable mental health disorder and rates of anxiety and depression on the rise, the routine pediatric well visit has become a critical opportunity for early identification, intervention and support. To explore how primary ca...

When a parent is recovering from a substance use disorder, stigma can impact the entire family – including kids. This episode explores how that stigma affects children and what physicians and others can do to promote a more compassionate approach in pediatric health care. Guests:  Andrew Terranella, MD, MPH, FAAP, Medical Epidemiologist, Division of Overdose Prevention, Centers for Disease Control...

According to the CDC, nearly 1 in 5 children between the ages of 3 and 17 has a diagnosable mental health disorder, and more than half of those children never receive treatment. The reasons most cited for this lack in care include problems getting an appointment, issues related to cost, and lack of access to services in the child’s geographical area. Certainly, these challenges are not good for ki...

Dr. Anita Ravi, President, CEO and Founder of PurpLE Health Foundation, shares how the organization provides free, trauma-informed health and mental health care to children and adults affected by violence, including human trafficking and sexual assault. PurpLE Health Foundation also uses data to identify best practices and trains other providers to better care for populations facing threats and ba...

We honor National Nurses Week by featuring an in-depth interview with Margo B. Minissian, PhD, ACNP-BC, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAAN, cardiac nurse practitioner and leader, Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles. Dr. Minissian's broad scope of work bridges bedside care and scientific research, and she is a passionate champion for a future where nurse-led innovation drives better outcomes for all.  Watch the video e...

In 2024, an estimated 186 million health care records were breached across the U.S. Jen Waltz and Rob Courtney, both cybersecurity experts, share an update on the state of health care cybersecurity, outline actions being taken by regulators and providers, and offer tips to help protect private health information. Guests: Rob Courtney, Healthcare CTO, Carahsoft Jennifer Waltz, Chief Cybersecurity O...

According to Larry Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP, President and CEO of Nemours Children's Health, delivering on Whole Child Health is the next step toward creating the healthiest generations of children. This approach emphasizes accountability for every child's health — not just for those in geographic areas served by Nemours Children’s and not just for kids in need of medical care — for all chil...

The Family Resource Center at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, offers a fresh approach to the traditional family resource center. For starters, it’s run entirely by volunteers who will be future health care providers. These student volunteers work closely with community partners and the hospital’s social work team to share up-to-date resources with families. The goal is to meet both immediate...

Peggy Greco, PhD, Vice President and Chief Patient Experience Officer at Nemours Children's Health, joins us to discuss patient experience, including the Speak Up program, which empowers families to share feedback that improves children's health and safety. She also explores how AI enhances patient care. Guest: Peggy Greco, PhD, Vice President, Chief Patient Experience Officer, Nemours C...

For many residents of Wilmington, Delaware’s Jessup Street neighborhood, Nemours Children’s Health, Jessup Street is more than a primary care office – it’s a trusted source of support in both joyful and challenging times. That trust and loyalty stem from the dedicated people who work there — we meet two of them in this episode. Guests : Hal C. Byck, MD , primary care physician, Nemours Children’s...

It is essential to support children with developmental differences at an early age, but they often miss the opportunity for early intervention services provided under federal law. Pediatricians Toni Whitaker, MD, and Jennifer Poon, MD, join us to increase awareness of early intervention services for children ages 3-5 years. They provide insights on the work they're doing with pediatric peer p...