Autism is an often misunderstood neurodevelopmental condition—both by the general public and even many healthcare professionals. Autistic individuals of all ages often face stigma and discrimination. How can we work toward a healthcare culture and neurodiverse society that is inclusive and optimizes wellbeing of autistic individuals? 

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Alice Kuo, the division chief of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UCLA.

Credits: Kalei Hosaka recorded the original music, designed the cover art, and edited the podcast.

Have you or a loved one lived with a chronic health condition in late adolescence or young adulthood? Perhaps it is more common than you’d expect. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health data query, an estimated 25-35% of transition age youth and young adults (ages 12 to 26) in the United States have one or more chronic health conditions [1, 2]. And yet for many—particularly those with complex medical conditions—the transition to adulthood is a time marked by vulnerability and risk for poor health outcomes. On today’s episode, we explore how our health system can best support transition of care from childhood to adulthood. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Janet Ma, Dr. Becca Tsevat, and Dr. Susan Duan, expert clinical instructors in UCLA’s Internal Medicine and Pediatrics program, who each have a special interest in the transition from adolescence to young adulthood.

References:

[1] McManus M, White P, Schmidt A, Barr M, Langer C, Barger K, Ware A. Health care gap affects 20% of United States population: Transition from pediatric to adult health care. Health Policy Open. 2020 May 27;1:100007. doi: 10.1016/j.hpopen.2020.100007. PMID: 37383315; PMCID: PMC10297759.

[2] Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Center for Child and Adolescent Health; Baltimore, MD: 2016-2017. National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) data query

Selected resources:

- Got Transition, the national resource center on healthcare transition (HCT): https://www.gottransition.org/

- Six Core Elements™ to healthcare transition: https://www.gottransition.org/six-core-elements/

Credits: Kalei Hosaka recorded the original music, designed the cover art, and edited the podcast.

In his Being Mortal, physician-author Atul Gawande writes: “We think our job is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well-being.” How do we “enable wellbeing” in a world of medicine that is changing rapidly? What does wellbeing look like when many in our world do not achieve the type of flourishing they aspire to and when our world is unjustly full of inequity and disparities in health outcomes?

In the Cradle to Grave: Med-Peds Podcast, we explore ways to enable wellbeing for patients across the lifespan. As physicians trained in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, we believe in the importance of supporting healthy flourishing at all ages. 

Come along for the journey. Through the process, I hope we each will learn more about the world we live in and ourselves, and how we can create better health systems for all of us. 

Credits: Kalei Hosaka recorded the original music, designed the cover art, and edited the podcast.