Our Community
Women in Medicine Month: Celebrating women who paved the way
September is Women in Medicine Month, the perfect time to acknowledge the many brilliant, talented, and passionate women who care for our patients and innovate new discoveries every day at Boston Children’s Hospital. In honor of Boston Children’s 150th anniversary, we’d like to recognize a few of the many trailblazers who helped pave the way. ... Read More about Women in Medicine Month: Celebrating women who paved the way
Clinical Care
Four ways to manage the impact of cystic fibrosis on the GI system
Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and other organs, used to be considered a childhood disease with a very high mortality rate. But today, thanks to improvements in screenings, diagnosis, and treatments, as well as a deeper understanding of the importance of managing nutritional status, people with cystic fibrosis are living into ... Read More about Four ways to manage the impact of cystic fibrosis on the GI system
Clinical Care
A series of coincidences unite two people to fight childhood cancer
When Lauren Wolinski accepted a job as a summer intern in the oncology unit at Boston Children’s Hospital, she could not have anticipated how extraordinary the experience would turn out to be. “I expected it would be very intense and sad to work with children who have cancer, but I quickly found out Boston Children’s ... Read More about A series of coincidences unite two people to fight childhood cancer
Clinical Care
Feeding and growth difficulties in children: When to refer
Parents are bombarded with so much online information about the best ways to feed their children the nutrients they need to ensure they grow to the best of their potential. As we know, not everything they read is helpful or even accurate. The best thing you can do for your patient families is regularly plot ... Read More about Feeding and growth difficulties in children: When to refer
Clinical Care
Study sounds another warning about proton pump inhibitors
A recent study adds to growing concerns about a class of drugs frequently prescribed to suppress stomach acid in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Previous research has linked the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to an increased risk of various pulmonary and gastrointestinal infections in both adults and children. Patients treated with PPIs ... Read More about Study sounds another warning about proton pump inhibitors
Research
In high-risk neuroblastoma, two stem cell transplants may be better than one
Since the early 1990s, chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant has been the standard of care for high-risk neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that starts in nerve cells outside the brain, especially in the tissues of the adrenal glands, and sometimes the neck, chest, or pelvis. Before children receive chemotherapy to destroy the neuroblastoma, ... Read More about In high-risk neuroblastoma, two stem cell transplants may be better than one
Research
Pioneering microbiome findings shed light on aspiration
When children have respiratory infections, clinicians tend to blame gastroesophageal reflux, based on the assumption that bacteria-laden stomach contents rise into the mouth and are then aspirated. As a result, clinicians often recommend a type of anti-reflux surgery called fundoplication to treat these infections. Yet, despite undergoing this procedure, many patients don’t improve. A new ... Read More about Pioneering microbiome findings shed light on aspiration
Our Community
A lifetime of care: Looking back with nurse Donna Morash
On August 30, Donna Morash, a registered nurse in the Boston Children’s Hospital Advanced Fetal Care Center (AFCC), will retire after 46 years of service to families. We asked her to share some of her favorite memories from her career at Boston Children’s. Why did you originally choose to work at Boston Children’s? I was ... Read More about A lifetime of care: Looking back with nurse Donna Morash
Research
New insights on medulloblastoma from single-cell sequencing
Medulloblastoma, a malignant tumor in the cerebellum, is one of the most common malignant brain cancers in children. Survival rates range from 20 to 90 percent, depending on the genetic subtype. There are at least four: WNT and Sonic Hedgehog (named for the signaling pathways that drive them), Group 3, and Group 4. Group 3 ... Read More about New insights on medulloblastoma from single-cell sequencing
Our Community
Meet Sylvia, the ‘calm before the storm’ of cardiac surgery
I’ve been here for 21 years — first in the Department of Cardiology and now in the Department of Cardiac Surgery. I’m the administrative assistant for Drs. Emani and Kaza, but I do a little of everything. With 10 surgeons and four assistants, we all help each other out. In person, I call some of the doctors by their first names — ... Read More about Meet Sylvia, the ‘calm before the storm’ of cardiac surgery