Talking Pediatrics

When speaking about neutropenia, most pediatricians will recall oncology patients they cared for in residency who were floridly septic, mucosal sores evident, and too vulnerable to infection to safely take a rectal temperature. Outside of oncology, however, neutropenia has many "flavors" and is often an incidental lab finding in an otherwise healthy, smiling child. While understanding every possible cause for neutropenia is outside the scope of today's episode, we will focus on major findings that offer insight into two important questions: (1) is this patient at risk for serious infection? And (2) do these findings point to a dangerous underlying pathology that needs to be explored further?

In the midst of a COVID pandemic, our pediatric hospital systems have been tested by a different viral surge....bronchiolitis. Arriving unexpectedly early this year, our already strained hospital systems have been full of sick kids, many of whom have bronchiolitis. On this Guidelines with Gabi episode, Dr. Gabi Hester talks with fellow pediatric hospitalist, Dr. Nadia Maccabe Ryaboy, about current patterns of RSV and bronchiolitis and evidence based and effective strategies for management.

Not yet a decade into his career, Dr. Nate Chomilo is already blazing trails through adovcating improved childhood literacy, raising awareness about social determinants of health and tackling the tough problem of racial health inequities. On this Trailblazers episode, we learn about Dr. Chomilo's early advocacy work in residency, as he found a passion for the social determinant of health of childhood literacy, through the Reach Out and Read program, where he would eventually become the Medical Director for Minnesota. This led him to broader work with the Minnesota Governor's Early Learning Council and eventually into his current position as Medical Director for the State of Minnesota's Medicaid and MinnesotaCare programs. Through his work with the State of Minnesota, as well as co-founding the Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity, Dr. Chomilo shares with us his passion for early childhood intervention and healthcare access and how clinicians and health systems can address racial and health equity.

Antimicrobial Stewardship as a strategy to get the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. On this episode of Talking Pediatrics, Dr. Gabi Hester talks with Dr. Christina Koutsari, Pediatric Infectious Diseases pharmacist and co-leader of the Antimicrobial Stewardship committee about growing concerns for antibiotic resistance and ways to combat this potentially lethal situation.

Last week, the ACIP and the CDC approved FDA emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID vaccine for ages 5-11 years old. And it seems like it couldn't have come soon enough, with kids back in school this year and rising pediatric positivity rates for COVID. Now comes the hard work of figuring out a vaccination strategy for younger patients and having important conversations with parents and caregivers to help them understand the importance and safety of COVID vaccination in younger kids. Here to help us understand the landscape for pediatric COVID and help us with the science and data we need to talk to families are Dr. Anu Kalaskar, Medical Director of Infectious Disease and Joseph Kurland, Infection Preventionist, at Children's Minnesota.

On today's episode, we have the unique experience of not only talking with two of our Kid Experts in pediatric oncology, Dr. Julie Chu and Trinayani Freeberg, from our adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology program, but also Isadora, an 18 year old who has been a patient in the AYA program for the last 3 years. Today Isadora bravely shares her story with us, as we have the opportunity to hear from one of our amazing patients and her healthcare team what it's like to be an adolescent and young adult cancer patient and learn from Isadora ways that we can all improve our care for kids by helping them be at the center of their own stories.

On this episode of Talking Pediatrics, guest host James Burroughs, VP and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children’s Minnesota talks about walking, living and breathing Equity Actions with his special guest, Michael Currie, Sr. VP and Chief Health Equity Officer at United Health Group. Listen to two leaders in the field as they describe the journey of identifying where health disparities exist by various demographic variables, followed by the process of developing interventions to eliminate those disparities and create equitable health outcomes.

But wait! There's more!! On this week's podcast episode, Dr. Gabi Hester continues her conversation with guests who love kids' books. If you happened to miss last week's episode, please be sure to go back and listen to "Kids'Books You Don't Want to Miss! Part 1".

On this week's podcast episode, Dr. Gabi Hester is joined by several great guests who love to read. And to read with kids. They'll explore some of their favorite books to open up important conversations about identity, emotions, and to discuss some difficult current events. There was so much to talk about that the conversation will be continued in a future episode!
For the episode transcript, go here:
https://www.childrensmn.org/for-health-professionals/talking-pediatrics-podcast/talking-pediatrics-guidelines-gabi-kids-books-dont-want-miss-part-1-10-15-21/

Many of us are seeing the ongoing mental health impact of the COVID pandemic, as young kids and adolescents are struggling now more than ever with depression, anxiety and stress, often to overwhelming degrees, ending up in the emergency department and looking for hard to find inpatient mental health beds. But what about the kids who are processing their stress, anxiety and trauma primarily through physical symptoms? How might kids be presenting to our offices with physical complaints that are exacerbated by stress and how might we help them? Here to talk to us about a few ways that psychosocial symptoms show up in the pediatric ENT office is Dr. Tim Lander, medical director of our Pediatric ENT program here at Children’s Minnesota.
For the episode transcript, go here:
https://www.childrensmn.org/for-health-professionals/talking-pediatrics-podcast/talking-pediatrics-looking-deeper-manifestations-covid-related-stress-pediatric-ent-office-10-8-21/