Talking Pediatrics

Guest host James Burroughs, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, interviews David Hamlar, MD, DDS, an ENT physician who has been advancing actions toward health equity in his work with patients, in partnerships with health care leaders and in growing the next generation of black physicians. Listen as James and Dr. Hamlar talk about "starting early and often" when it comes to cultivating equity actions, the importance of mentorship, and what we can all do to reduce racial health inequities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new stressors for teenagers, many of which have generated a decent amount of media attention. But what about sex? For many “quanteenagers”, they are just beginning to discover dating and explore their sexuality, and there has been very little information circulating about adolescent sexual health considerations. How are teenagers and young adults responding to dating during the COVID-19 pandemic? What are their social lives like under lockdown? And how can we as pediatric clinicians support the sexual health of our teenage patients during quarantine? Dr. Kylie Fowler, pediatric and adolescent gynecologist at Children’s Minnesota, joins us to discuss the essentials of sexual health during a pandemic.

While we all wait with baited breath for a COVID-19 vaccine, we have another public health problem on our hands. Immunization rates for vaccine preventable diseases, like measles, have fallen sharply since the onset of the pandemic. Are we setting ourselves up for another measles outbreak? Join Dr. Gabi Hester and her guest, nurse practitioner Patsy Stinchfield, senior director of Infection Prevention at Children's Minnesota and the president-elect for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, as they talk about pediatric vaccination rates, measles outbreaks, "community immunity", Vitamin A and what we need to do to prevent additional pandemic problems.

It's estimated that schools are closed to nearly 1.5 billion children worldwide because of COVID-19, while parents and caregivers face increased stress and anxiety due to economic and health impacts of the pandemic. Kids are also spending increasing amounts of time online, often unsupervised. What does this mean when it comes to child abuse and maltreatment? Here to talk to us about the risks of child abuse during the pandemic is Dr. Mark Hudson, a pediatrician who specializes in child abuse and neglect, and the medical director of the Midwest Children's Resource Center.

On this week's episode, Dr. Samreen Vora highlights the intersection of simulation with quality and safety as she interviews guest Karen Mathias, clinical nurse specialist and director of Children's Simulation Center. We discuss how simulation can be used across a healthcare system to prepare for a global pandemic, as well as react to ever changing conditions while providing care in the midst of one. Taking lessons from Ebola preparation and applying them to COVID-19, simulation is able to reduce not only staff anxiety during patient care but also risk to patients and staff during these unprecedented times.

We talk withDr. Samreen Vora, the medical director of simulation at Children's Minnesota., We got to chat with Dr. Vora about her passion and path to pediatrics as well as what to expect for her episodes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented focus on science, while at the same time producing often confusing and conflicting information, as we learn in real time while actively treating patients, how best to fight the pandemic. On this episode, Dr. Gabi Hester cuts through some of the noise and reviews available evidence to get to the heart of the matter: what works for COVID-19 infections in kids. Joining Dr. Hester is Dr. Christina Koutsari, PharmD, infectious disease pharmacist who sheds insight on everything from remdesivir to dexamethasone.

Guest host James Burroughs, interviews a special guest who talks about the importance of providing affirming care to LGBTQ youth, including the importance of pronouns for transgender and gender diverse kids and equity actions we can all take to help end health disparities for LGBTQ kids and families.

We estimate that 12-15% of kids have asthma and as the weather turns colder and respiratory viral season kicks in, many of us who care for kids with asthma are worried about how COVID-19 might impact them and if they are at higher risk for complications. Pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Christina Mikesell joins us to discuss what we know about kids with asthma and SARS-CoV2 and how to optimize care for our patients with asthma this fall and winter.

Election season is upon us, and while much is at stake this year, close to 1/5 of our population won't get a chance to vote on the issues that impact their lives: kids. What you need to know to protect kids health at the polls this year, including the important policies and issues at stake this election year, what questions to ask candidates and how to use your voice on behalf of your patients.