Pediatrics

How childhood pain shaped a neurologist’s path to healing

Physician
February 22, 2025

Childhood medical challenges can leave lasting imprints, not only on the child but also on those inspired to turn their personal struggles into a path of healing. This narrative explores the transformative journey of a pediatric neurologist whose early encounters with debilitating pain shaped a career rooted in empathy and innovation. Three key themes define this journey: The influence of personal adversity on career choice, the role of resilience in …

Read more…

Advocating for immigrant children: a doctor’s perspective

Physician
February 19, 2025

As a rising developmental pediatrician, I often become a small part of a life-changing moment in my patients’ lives. I help them navigate the challenges of autism, ADHD, and other developmental disabilities. I celebrate their successes and offer support during their struggles.

Like myself, most of the patients I serve come from immigrant backgrounds, and English is not their first language. We work through tears and frustrations but also hang onto …

Read more…

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces confirmation, a look at his vaccine stance

Physician
January 29, 2025

The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services raises concerns about the potential impact on public health policy. As hearings on his candidacy take place, it is important for senators to consider how his views and public statements have influenced physicians, children, and the broader health care system.

Kennedy has been a prominent figure in the discussion around vaccines, often promoting claims that contradict established …

Read more…

When “do no harm” falls short: a pediatrician’s plea for long COVID care [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 27, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Navigating the uncharted waters of long COVID in children, Elham Raker shares a deeply personal journey of advocating for her daughter’s health while questioning the medical system’s approach to chronic illness. This episode …

Read more…

What early retirement taught me about burnout and purpose [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 25, 2025
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Susan Landers shares her heartfelt journey as a neonatologist navigating the challenges of burnout, the rewards of practicing medicine, and the complex emotions surrounding early retirement. From her intimate experiences in the NICU …

Read more…

How natural disasters reveal resilience and the power of community

Physician
January 21, 2025

Watching the images of fires burning in and around Los Angeles is very triggering. I’m sure it is the same for other Western North Carolinians. It has not been that long since Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding that devastated our communities, and it is not over for us.

At first, you are energized to do what needs to be done in the moment. But then, you are left with emptiness, exhaustion, …

Read more…

How attention therapy transforms speech delay in young children

Conditions
January 17, 2025

In order to develop good speech and conversation skills, a child must pay attention to the speaker and respond back when spoken to. The importance of sustained attention, listening to, and focusing on another person by the young child is often overlooked and not recognized by parents and therapists alike. Many children with a speech delay and those with suspected autism show decreased attention along with their speech delay. Many …

Read more…

The hidden crisis: congenital heart diseases in low and middle-income countries

Conditions
January 16, 2025

The cries of a newborn baby are usually a sign of life and hope, but for many families in low and middle-income countries, these cries can signal the beginning of a long and arduous journey. Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are a significant health burden, particularly in these regions, where they account for the highest years of disability. Despite advancements in medical science, the incidence of CHDs remains constant or may …

Read more…

Christmas in a children’s hospital

Physician
December 25, 2024

In December, the questions parents ask in the hospital are different. Instead of “Will my child be OK?” we pediatric hospitalists hear:

“We have plane tickets to go skiing for Christmas. Will he be well by then?”

“She’ll be home for Christmas, right? We’ve never been away from home for Christmas.”

“It’s his first Christmas. He’ll be discharged by then, right?”

And every other variation you can think of. The hospital for Christmas is …

Read more…

How early intervention changes the game for children with developmental delays [PODCAST]

Podcast
December 21, 2024
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

We explore the critical role of early intervention programs in supporting children with developmental delays. Pediatrician Maria Mba Wright shares insights into recognizing red flags like poor joint attention, navigating therapy options, and …

Read more…

Doctors must rethink “do no harm” to help children with long COVID

Conditions
December 16, 2024

As medical students, we all take the Hippocratic oath—a pledge to help patients and, of course, not to cause harm in any treatments we provide. It is a core element in the care of our patients. We would never want to do anything that could make things worse. But is it that simple?

As medical diseases have become more and more complex, can we ethically say we will not offer a …

Read more…

Perspective-taking in medicine: an important tool for educators to remember

Physician
December 14, 2024

I wrote an opinion piece, as a graduating medical student, in KevinMD a little over six years ago, expressing the importance of supporting medical students through confidence and encouragement. As a pediatric attending now, with my own trainees, I continue to support this “ask,” but I would love to add to it and give it a different perspective.

I recently realized that I have been feeling quite far removed from …

Read more…

Cannabis advertising takes a page from the tobacco playbook

Conditions
December 9, 2024

Imagine seeing a commercial featuring Ryder and Marshall from the popular kids’ cartoon Paw Patrol lighting up cigarettes and enjoying a smoke together. It’s hard to fathom that happening, but in 1961 beloved cartoon characters Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble happily smoked cigarettes in an ad for Winston. Most children of that era could easily recite the ad slogan: “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.”

With that sort of youth …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

Why physicians can’t let go of the golden RVU ring

Physician
November 17, 2024

There is something strangely captivating about the RVU (relative value unit) system in medicine. It’s as if it has become our own “precious”—a golden ring that offers power and financial viability, yet comes at a great cost. Just like the One Ring in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the RVU system exerts a powerful, almost mesmerizing hold on the medical profession. It promises us control—of our practices, our autonomy, …

Read more…

The influence of intergenerational trauma in families of Chinese descent on perceptions of microaggressions

Physician
November 16, 2024

“Do any of you have children?” the patient’s mother asked each of my team members during rounds. I (STG), as the attending, quickly jumped in and mumbled, “Yes, I have (as a foster parent),” and redirected the conversation back to the medical management of her child.

It was not until a week later, when I was attending a talk on microaggressions, that I realized my team members may have perceived the …

Read more…

Why the RVU system is failing health care and how to fix it

Physician
November 12, 2024

In medicine, when something isn’t working, we tend to fix it. Whether it’s a treatment plan that isn’t delivering results or a clinical process that’s creating inefficiencies, we identify the problem, adjust the approach, and find a better solution. But when it comes to the RVU (relative value unit) system—the very framework that dictates how physicians are compensated—we seem to be stuck. Despite growing evidence of its flaws, its inherent …

Read more…

Pediatrician shortage reveals deeper health care crisis impacting all physicians

Physician
November 12, 2024

There was an article published recently addressing the shortage of pediatricians. Though the article focused on this specific shortage, it actually raised many additional questions regarding the physician workforce in general. It is difficult to disagree that continuing to decrease reimbursement, increasing maddening payment schemes, and increasing regulatory requirements to pediatricians and physicians in general will have predictable results. There will be physician shortages, and patient access will be compromised.

Hospitals …

Read more…

How to engage parents in autism therapy [PODCAST]

Podcast
November 1, 2024
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

We sit down with Angela Nelson, a seasoned health care executive, to discuss the critical role of parent involvement in applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for children and teens with autism spectrum disorder …

Read more…

As a doctor, what I learned from knocking on doors for the presidential election

Physician
October 24, 2024

When I’m not knocking on exam-room doors as a pediatrician in New York City, I’m knocking on voters’ doors in Northampton, Pennsylvania—a small county that could determine the outcome of this year’s nail-biting presidential election.

Each time I walk up to a voter’s front door, my heartbeat quickens. You would think a doctor who talks to total strangers every day would be immune to such jitters. But even with a door-knocking …

Read more…

The enduring cycle of violence: lessons from history’s darkest moments

Physician
October 13, 2024

Ecclesiastes was probably written by many ancient scholars, although Jewish tradition holds that it was written by King Solomon. Whatever the provenance, I think the first chapter holds a nugget of wisdom that we need to try hard to remember:

What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, …

Read more…

26
pages