For babies born before 28 weeks and full-term infants born with serious complications, the small baby unit team at Cook Children’s NICU adds an extra level of care, and a fighting chance for a bright future.

Cook Children’s pediatric neurologist, Stephanie Acord, M.D., delves into selective dorsal rhizotomy for children with spastic cerebral palsy with a deep dive into the evaluation of each patient, the neurosurgical process, role of the motion lab, and rehab therapies post-surgery. She also discusses the long-term outlook for these kids as more strides are made in the future.

When a child's immune system doesn't work properly, it can cause problems like severe, frequent or unusual infections and autoimmune disorders. Immunologist, Dr. Natalia Chaimowitz, and Pediatrician, Dr. Alice Phillips, discuss the roles of primary care, immunology and fast-breaking medical advancements in genetics research, diagnoses and treatments in pediatric immunology help kids live their best lives.

A podcast on DNA, diagnosing genetic conditions, optical genome mapping for diagnostic accuracy, comprehensive patient histories, and equitable genetic research participation across all ethnicities.

Dr. John Robertson and his team at Cook Children's Exercise Respiratory Center specialize in diagnosing and treating exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) and dysfunctional breathing in children and young adults. They use the Continuous Laryngoscopy During Exercise (CLE) test, a pioneering method since 2019, to observe airway, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems during exercise. The center, founded in 2023, offers personalized treatment plans involving speech and physical therapies. Research by Dr. Andy Kreutzer aims to develop a single exercise session to diagnose EILO and other respiratory issues. The team emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and collaboration with coaches and trainers to help athletes manage symptoms and continue their sports.

Dr. Rhem shares a promising new gene therapy for children living with Duchenne.

Childhood obesity is a significant national epidemic, with approximately 20% of children and teens in the U.S. classified as obese. This condition, if untreated, leads to severe comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular diseases, among others. Adolescents with severe obesity often carry these health issues into adulthood, doubling their risk of premature death before age 55 compared to their non-obese peers.

A look at the importance of interprofessional care to improve the outcomes of young people with leukemia, with pediatric leukemia specialists Paul Bowman, M.D. and Kenneth Heym M.D.

As the fentanyl and opioid crisis continues to grow here in the U.S., those on the frontlines have seen firsthand the impact of drug overdoses on young people, families, first responders, law enforcement and health providers. While the fight to end the flow of illicit drugs continues, there is a glimmer of hope in the lifesaving drug known as naloxone. Dr. Artee Gandhi, Dr. Shakyryn Napier, Callie Crow and Eduardo Chavez explore the life-saving importance of naloxone and the challenges that continue to face our communities.

The causes of tumors in children and young adults are different than those in adults. Yet, much of the diagnoses and treatments for pediatric patients have been based on those from adults. But thanks to great strides in research, that's changing. Dr. Anish Ray, Dr. Kelly Vallance. and Dr. Heidi Trinkman take us on a journey through research, oncology, and pharmacology and their impact on pediatric precision medicine.  

Children and teens can have difficulty with bladder and bowel incontinence (leaking urine or stool), constipation, pain when using the restroom (dysuria) or pelvic pain. There are myriad reasons why kids have pelvic floor issues. This could be due to pelvic floor dysfunction, muscle imbalance or diet, Join us in a lively discussion with Cook Children’s pediatric pelvic floor therapists Caitlin Smith, MOT, OTR/L, and Kathy Manthuruthil, PT, DPT, PCS, CPST on the many causes and when to refer patients to pediatric pelvic floor rehabilitation/

Join Cook Children’s team of experts on blazing new trails in treating and curing hyperinsulinism (HI) for children across the nation and around the globe. Hear what’s being done to cure more patients and expand treatment most difficult cases.

There is a misconception that palliative means end of life care.  But that's not how we think about palliative surgery at all. Palliative surgery is when we're looking at not necessarily curing something, but alleviating something. Cook Children’s Palliative epilepsy neurosurgery explains how kids with intractable epilepsy are getting a better quality of life.

Any surgery can be challenging and come with risks. But when that surgery involves children, it comes with a unique set of things the surgery team has to consider that are very different from adults. Dr. Kanika Bowen-Jallow delves into how those differences impact both the surgical team and patient outcomes. Meet the speaker Meet Dr. Bowen-Jallow Related information Cook Children's Pediatric Surgery Adolescent Bariatric Surgery: Effects of Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Hospital Characteristics on Cost, Length of Stay, and Type of Procedure Performed. - Abstract - Europe PMC A call to action: Multi-disciplinary care and treatment of obesity in pediatrics - PubMed (nih.gov) Wearable Activity Tracking Device Use in an Adolescent Weight Management Clinic: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial - PubMed (nih.gov) One Size Does Not Fit All: Sociodemographic Factors Affecting Weight Loss in Adolescents. - Abstract - Europe PMC Cook Children’s Endocrinology REACH Clinic Breaking barriers: Meet the 9th black female pediatric surgeon in the U.S. GMA: Woman makes history as 9th Black female pediatric surgeon in US Cook Children’s community task force leading discussion on suicide prevention and mental health Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Doctor Groups Ask for Tougher Stance on Kids’ Sugary Drinks They're active, eat healthy … and they have high cholesterol? https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/theyre-active-eat-healthy--and-they-have-high-cholesterol/

Dr. Lisa Vaughan, manager, Cook Children’s Audiology Program takes us on a deep dive into the exciting research, osseointegrated devices and technological advancements, the latest treatments in pediatric audiology, along with the challenges and rewards for children with hearing loss.

Cook Children's pediatric gastroenterologist, Clifton Huang, M.D., shares fascinating insights into the advancing treatments and procedures, including endomicroscopy, that are bringing new hope for children with rare or complicated conditions.

Dr. Scott Perry, Medical Director of Neurosciences and Dr. Christos Papadelis, Director of Neurosciences Research along with Dianna Grado, Clinical Coordinator for Neurosciences Research, explore how breaking research boundaries creates limitless possibilities, paving the way for world-class research – and results once thought impossible for kids and young adults with neurological disorders.   Meet the speakers Meet Dr. PerryMeet Dr. PapadelisDianna Grado, RN Related information Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Research Center Clinical Research Adult Genetic Epilepsy Clinic Comprehensive Epilepsy Program Movement Disorders Movement Disorders Clinic Cerebral Palsy Clinic Cook Children’s Neurology Cook Children’s Neurosciences Research Center Dodson Neuro Research Endowment The Arcuate Primary steps for primary care: Sleep disorders in epilepsy and cerebral palsy Infantile Spasms- Primary Steps for Primary Care Staring Spells – Primary Steps for Primary Care Febrile Seizures – Primary Steps for Primary Care The Arcuate – Neuroscience Research Early Identification and Improving Life-Long Outcomes in Cerebral Palsy Patients New-Onset Seizure Clinic Seeks to Decrease Wait Time for Initial Evaluation BE FAST to Recognize the Signs of Pediatric Stroke Pioneering Surgery Disconnects Left Side of Brain to Stop Child’s Daily Seizures Teen Becomes First in North Texas to Undergo Landmark Brain Surgery for Epilepsy   Transcript 00:00:11   Host:  Hello and welcome to this edition of Doc Talk. We're honored and excited today to be speaking with key researchers at Cook Children's Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center. We're joined by Dr. Scott Perry, Medical Director of Neurosciences, Dr. Christos Papadelis, Director of Neurosciences Research and Diana Grotto, C...

With the growing number of pediatric congenital heart patients growing up thanks to ever improving medical care, Dr. Scott Pilgrim takes us inside one of the few programs in the nation that bridges the gap to adult care without missing a beat. Meet the speaker Meet Dr. Pilgrim Related information Cook Children's Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program Adult Congenital Heart Disease Conditions Cook Children's Heart Center Specialty Programs Cook Children’s Heart Center Coming home: nurse returns to Cook Children’s for open heart surgery Diving heart first Heart-to-heart. Mother and daughter share the same cardiologist   Transcript 00:00:02 Host  Hello and welcome to Cook Children's Doc Talk. Today we're talking with Dr. Scott Pilgrim, who is the medical director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease program here at Cook Children's. Dr. Pilgrim is board-certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, pediatric cardiology and adult congenital cardiology. Prior to coming to Cook Children's, Dr. Pilgrim founded the adult congenital heart disease program at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center in Long Island. Today, under his leadership, the Adult Congenital Heart Disease program at Cook Children's Medical Center has shown tremendous growth with over 500 adult visits every year. Welcome Dr. Pilgrim. 00:00:42 Dr. Pilgrim  Thank you. 00:00:43 Host  So growing up with a sister who had heart surgery as a child had a major influence in your life, and ultimately led you to your role here at Cook Children's as medical director of the ACHD program, compared to many other cardiac specialties, adult congenital as a specialty is relatively new, can you give us a little history. 00:01:03 Dr. Pilgrim  So, as you mentioned, my sister was born with a congenital heart disease. And so growing up with this in my family, it became of interest to me at a very young age. But as a field, congenital heart disease is something that has been around obviously, for several decades, this field of adult congenital heart disease has grown primarily because of the success stories that we've had in pediatric cardiology, namely, the surgical outcomes and the longevity of patients related to improved surgical care, improved surgical technique, you know, recognizing disease, early on fetal diagnosis, and so on and so forth. And so the incidence of congenital heart disease really hasn't changed. But the lifespan of individuals growing up with congenital heart disease has tremendously improved. And so when we think about the growth of adult congenital heart disease in the country, it really has grown out of necessity, because these kids are now growing up and becoming adults. In fact, the number of adults with congenital heart disease now far outweighs the number of children with congenital heart disease in the United States, almost to a 60-40 split. That care gap that...

Dr. Holly Pacenta, Pacenta takes us into the future of curing and treating pediatric cancer through the use of the patient's own immune system to target the cancer. At the forefront of the technology is CAR T-cell therapy targeting relapsed and refractory B-ALL cells to eradicate cancer with minimal side effects. Meet the speaker  Meet Dr. Pacenta Related information Cook Children's Cellular Immunotherapy program Cook Children’s Leukemia and Lymphoma care Cook Children's Oncology program  Cook Children's Hematology and Oncology   Transcript 00:00:02  Host:  Hello and welcome to Cook Children's Doc Talk. Our guest for this episode is pediatric hematologist oncologist Dr. Holly Pacenta. Dr. Pacenta began her career at Children's Hospital Colorado, where she developed her primary interest in new treatments for children with relapsed leukemia, including immunotherapy, cellular therapy and targeted therapy. She has been heavily involved in research, has published several works and received awards and recognition for her work. Today, Dr. Pacenta oversees the Cellular Immunotherapy program at Cook Children's where she and the oncology team are very excited about providing CAR T-cell therapy to patients with relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL. Cellular immunotherapy introduces a new era in the treatment of children and young adults here at Cook Children's. Welcome Dr. Pacenta. We are very excited to have you here to talk about this incredible program and CAR T-cell therapy. 00:01:01  Dr. Pacenta: Thank you so much for having me. 00:01:03 Host: Can you start by giving us a little background on the cellular immunotherapy program and an overview of immunotherapy and CAR T-cell therapy? 00:01:11  Dr. Pacenta  Sure. So I think first to give an overview of immunotherapy and CAR T-cell therapy, we think at the forefront of the future of curing and treating pediatric cancer is to use, help use the patient's own immune system to target the cancer. So that's what immunotherapy is. Immuno meaning the immune system in therapy meeting treatments, so using the immune system to help treat your own cancer. And then CAR T-cell is a form, kind of a hybrid, of cellular immunotherapy. So we use one of the cells as part of the immune system, the T cells that typically help fight infection, and those get sent to a lab where they're reprogrammed to target the leukemia. So that's CAR T-cell therapy is. Then, our cellular immunotherapy program is a dedicated group of oncologists and stem cell transplant doctors here at Cook Children's along with some supportive services like pharmacy, dieticians, psychologists, etc., that will help provide these types of therapies to our patients. 00:02:13  Host:  So KYMRIAH® is the CAR T-cell therapy currently approved for pediatric treatment of children and young adults with refractory or relapsed B-cell ALL, why this particular condition? 00:02:26 Dr. Pacenta:  Immunotherapy and cellular therapy are a big interest in pediatric cancer in general. And there has been a lot of research to try to use this type of treatment for many different cancers....

Listen Now Preventing adult heart attacks in early childhood? Don Wilson, M.D., explains why it's absolutely within REACH. Children with high cholesterol, especially those who have a genetic cause, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, also know as fH, are at a higher risk for developing premature heart disease, such as heart attack or stroke as they become adults. At the forefront of developing guidelines for lowering this risk, Dr. Wilson details how the Risk Evaluation to Achieve Cardiovascular Heath, or REACH, clinic at Cook Children's is putting those guidelines to work and changing the outcomes for these in the future, and saving the lives of parents today. Meet the speaker Dr. Don Wilson Related InformationRisk Evaluation to Achieve Cardiovascular Health (REACH) Clinic Diabetes Program Endocrinology Program They're Active, Eat Healthy, and Have High Cholesterol-Why? Harper's Story Kids at Risk of Smoke Exposure in Smoke-Free Areas? A Simple Blood Test Could Save Your Child's Life The Unique Risks of Being a Woman with Diabetes Number of Children and Adolescents Who are Obese 10 Times Higher than 40 Years Ago   Transcript: 00:00:03   Host:  Hello, and welcome to Cook Children's Doc Talk. Today we're talking with Dr. Don Wilson about genetic dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. But first, here's just a little about Dr. Wilson. He is board certified in pediatrics, pediatric endocrinology and clinical lipidology. He is the founder and currently the medical director of Cook Children's REACH program, one of the first cardiovascular risk assessment clinics for children and adolescents in the nation. Dr. Wilson is a fellow of the National Lipid Association and an associate editor for The Journal of Clinical Lipidology and a member of the board of directors of the Southwest Lipid Association...