Every year, thousands of people are added to organ transplant waiting lists, but not all patients have equal access to the life-saving procedures they desperately need. As transplant programs around the world continue to expand and improve, it's important for healthcare providers to consider potential disparities in care, all while working hard to create an even playing field for patients. Socioeconomic status, geography, wait times and access are just a few of the factors to keep in mind.

Children's Hospital Colorado is one of the top transplant programs for kids, with some of the best outcomes in the nation. In this episode, we welcome specialists from our heart, kidney and liver transplant programs. Pediatric cardiologist Melanie Everitt, MD, is the Director of Pediatric Heart Transplant. Margret Bock, MD, is the Medical Director of Kidney Transplant and specializes in pediatric nephrology. Amy Feldman, MD, is the Program Director of the Liver Transplant Fellowship, the Medical Director for the Liver Transplant Center, and she specializes in pediatric gastroenterology. All three of our experts also teach at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• The current landscape of solid organ transplant in the United States and how the waitlists work
• Why some children have better access to these life-saving treatments than others
• How primary care providers can identify potential barriers ensure their patients have the best chance at receiving a transplant
• The evolution of live-donor liver transplant and how it's changing opportunities in pediatrics

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

Anaphylaxis is a serious, systemic hypersensitivity reaction with rapid onset and can be potentially fatal. It is frightening for patients, families and medical providers. Currently, the standard treatment is epinephrine as an injection. At this very moment, we are on the cusp of transforming how we treat severe allergic reactions. If approved by the FDA, a new sublingual form of epinephrine would be the first non-invasive and orally administered epinephrine treatment.

Joining us for this episode is Matthew Greenhawt, MD, the Director of the Food Challenge and Research Unit at Children's Hospital Colorado. He specializes in allergy and immunology and is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• The history of epinephrine
• Fears around needles and using an epi-pen
• How this new treatment could increase the life-saving capability of epinephrine
• Next steps to get the sublingual film into use

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

Podcasts have become one of the most popular content mediums, captivating millions worldwide. Their convenient, on-the-go format allows people to multitask while they listen. From entertainment to education, podcasts are changing the way people engage and interact with information. In medicine, they are changing the way residents are able to learn.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Christopher Demas, a pediatrics chief resident with the University of Michigan Pediatrics Residency Program. Dr. Demas, inspired by Charting Pediatrics, created his own podcast made for and by residents, First Pediatrics.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• Why Dr. Demas started his own podcast for residents
• The importance of changing how we learn and leveraging podcasts for education
• Understanding the way students learn today is different
• Why podcasts are shaping medical education

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

Around the country and across the globe, children's hospitals play an essential role in kid's health and well-being. They provide specialized care, crucial research, essential education and vital community outreach. As we kick off the new year, we take a deep dive into the evolving child health landscape to better understand what issues our patient families are currently facing and identify solutions for the future.

Joining us for this strategic conversation are three experts: Raphe Schwartz, Chief Strategy Officer at Children's Hospital Colorado; Rhae Gamber, associate principal at Sg2 Healthcare Intelligence; and Brian Thygesen is a senior partner in strategic transformation at Chartis.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• The current demographics of pediatric healthcare and how that influences care
• How and why the workforce is vastly changing
• The current landscape of behavioral health
• The financial barriers and the role of Medicaid and other government programs

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

It's hard to fathom why certain children receive life altering diagnoses. Pediatricians simply want to help, and that help usually comes in the form of early diagnosis. Duchenne muscular dystrophy, otherwise known as Duchenne or DMD, is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed in childhood, affecting approximately one in every 5,000 live male births. Early screening and identification can mean quicker access to care, early intervention programs and special education resources. Thanks to early diagnosis and advances in care, life expectancy is increasing.

Our guest joining us to discuss diagnosing and treating DMD is Michele Yang, MD, who specializes in pediatric neurology and neuromuscular medicine at Children's Hospital Colorado. She is also an associate professor of pediatric neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• How diagnosis of DMD has changed over the years.
• Understanding the new, advanced treatments that exist.
• Tips and tricks for primary care providers to utilize.
• Realistic outcomes for these kids with DMD.

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

Pediatricians don't often screen children and adolescents for a lipid profile, an important tool for identifying cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is considered a life-course condition, meaning it can begin in childhood, so why aren't we screening kids more regularly? Does early intervention make sense for some kids? In this episode, we discuss cholesterol, family history, genetics, and what pediatricians should be doing to educate and screen their patients.

Stephen Daniels, MD, is the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, as well as a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is also a pediatrician in chief at Children's Hospital Colorado, specializing in pediatric preventative cardiology. Additionally, he is the L. Joseph Butterfield Chair in Pediatrics.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• What we know about the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease in kids
• The role of obesity and other important factors to watch
• What questions to ask to understand the role of genetics and family history
• Steps pediatricians can take for earlier diagnosis

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

In this special holiday episode, we reflect on our favorite episodes from the past year and look forward to the year ahead. From all of us at Children's Hospital Colorado, we wish you a happy holiday season. Charting Pediatrics would not be the success it is today without your support, wonderful topic ideas and intrigue. It's providers like you who are changing pediatric healthcare around the world.

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

The United States has the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income nations and women of color, are disproportionately affected. For Black women in this country, the rate jumps from 22 deaths with every 100,000 births to 50 deaths for every 100,000 births. When it comes to postpartum depression, these same women are several times more likely to suffer, but less likely to receive treatment.

To understand these disparities and discuss ways to combat them, we are joined by three experts. Shaleah Dardar, MD, and Brigitte McClellan, PsyD, specialize in child and adolescent psychiatry at Children's Hospital Colorado and are both assistant professors at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Whitney Dunlap is a lactation consultant and health educator.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• Barriers and biases that put Black mothers and their babies at a disadvantage
• How primary care providers can create a safe space for parents to be vulnerable
• The overlap of adult care and newborn care during post-partum

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

Pediatric providers around the world are focused on helping sick children — finding cures, creating new treatment options and developing innovative techniques to improve care. But when it comes to conflict zones and border areas, there are fewer doctors available to protect the health of vulnerable children. Paul Wise, MD, MPH, is a physician who has dedicated his career to taking on that complex and sometimes daunting problem, working to improve and reform systems so that no child suffers needlessly.

Dr. Wise has served as the Juvenile Care Monitor for the U.S. Federal Court, overseeing the treatment of migrant children in the United States detention system. He's also served as the senior advisor to St. Jude Global's SAFER Ukraine collaborative since 2022, and he's supported international work in Gaza, Central America and Venezuela. As a professor and fellow of multiple disciplines at Stanford University, he is dedicated to bridging the fields of child health equity, public policy and international security studies. He is also Co-Director for the Stanford Center for Prematurity Research. He has served in a variety of professional and consultative roles, including special assistant to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• A discussion of Dr. Wise's experiences at the southern border and how they shaped his care recommendations for migrant children.
• A global understanding of what children face in unstable environments like border areas and war zones.
• A close look at what changes have already been implemented at local, national and international levels to better protect vulnerable children.
• Suggestions on the role primary care providers can play in making conflict zones around the world safer for children in need.

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

2024 marks 100 years since the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. In the aftermath of World War I, this declaration called for universal attention to the needs of children, including their health. A century later, we've made progress, but children still face vast challenges here in the United States and around the world. How can we advance the global cause of children's health? In this episode we talk to one of the world's foremost ambassadors for this work about the struggles and opportunities facing children's healthcare.

Professor Ann Skelton is a renowned children's rights expert and Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. She is a professor of law at the University of Pretoria and Leiden University, as well as a visiting professor at the University of Oxford and the University of Strathclyde.

Some highlights from this episode include:

• A look into Ann Skelton's work
• The current state of children's rights in the U.S. and around the world
• The challenges facing children's healthcare and how health advocacy can help change that
• Tangible opportunities to engage in to ensure all children have access to the healthcare they need

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.