Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast

What happens when pediatricians bring their expertise beyond scientific journals and into the public conversation? Weijen W. Chang, MD, FAAP, SFHM, Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine, Nemours Children’s Health, explores how writing can be a powerful tool for advocacy in children’s health. From op-eds and essays to newsletters and personal storytelling, he discusses how clinicians can use their voices to elevate important issues, influence policy and connect with audiences beyond the clinical setting.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring:
Weijen W. Chang, MD, FAAP, SFHM, Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine, Nemours Children’s Health

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Narrative medicine invites clinicians into a simple yet profound practice: listening differently. Kristen Copeland, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, Nimisha Bajaj, MD, Palliative Care Specialist, Children’s National Hospital, and Anoushka Sinha, MD, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, explore how storytelling, reflective writing, close listening and the humanities can deepen understanding of children and families navigating illness, trauma, grief and uncertainty. Grounded in the pioneering work of Dr. Rita Charon and the narrative medicine program at Columbia University, the conversation highlights how these practices can strengthen trust, cultivate empathy and bring greater humanity into pediatric care.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring:
Kristen Copeland, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center
Nimisha Bajaj, MD, Palliative Care Specialist, Children’s National Hospital
Anoushka Sinha, MD, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Children’s health in America is at a critical crossroads. From Medicaid uncertainty and workforce shortages and burnout to rising mental health needs, misinformation and the growing impact of social media and AI, pediatric care is facing unprecedented pressure. Mark Del Monte, JD, CEO, Executive Vice President, American Academy of Pediatrics, explores the current state of pediatrics, why advocacy is central to the practice of medicine for children, and what continues to give him hope for the future of children’s health.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring:
Mark Del Monte, JD, CEO, Executive Vice President, American Academy of Pediatrics

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Caribbean American Heritage Month sets the stage for Dr. Myron Rolle’s extraordinary journey from his Bahamian roots to Rhodes Scholar, professional football player and pediatric neurosurgeon. He reflects on the experiences and values that shaped his path, and how family, discipline, education, and service continue to guide his work in the operating room and beyond. He also shares why teamwork, mentorship and giving back remain central to his mission in medicine and in the community.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring:
Myron Rolle, MD, MS, former NFL player, pediatric neurosurgeon, Nemours Children's Health, and President/Founder, The Myron L. Rolle Foundation

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Learn more about Caribbean American Heritage Month

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

What does the future of pediatric care look like when research, collaboration and evidence come together? Recorded in Boston at the 2026 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Physician-in-Chief and Chief Scientific Officer, Nemours Children's Health, joins us to explore the studies shaping what’s next in children’s health. From advances in sepsis treatment and newborn nutrition to the potential of precision population health and fetal interventions, this conversation shows how simple, evidence-based changes paired with strong partnerships can improve outcomes for generations of children.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring:  Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Physician-in-Chief and Chief Scientific Officer, Nemours Children's Health

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

One in five pediatric hospital deaths is linked to sepsis — a statistic that has driven decades of research and is now reshaping clinical guidelines worldwide. With the 2026 enhanced guidelines just published, there's no better time to dig into what the science is telling us. We're joined by Scott L. Weiss, MD, MSCE, Division Chief of Critical Care Medicine and Vice-Chair for Research at Nemours Children's Health — and co-author of both the 2020 and 2026 guidelines — to walk us through the research building a clearer, more consistent approach to recognizing and treating pediatric sepsis, and what it means for children and the clinicians who care for them.

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Learn more about pediatric research at Nemours.

Featuring: 
Scott L. Weiss, MD, MSCE, Division Chief, Critical Care Medicine; Vice‑Chair for Research, Department of Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Health

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Quality and safety in pediatric care have transformed over the past three decades, moving away from a culture of blame toward one centered on thoughtful system design and continuous improvement.

Pediatric quality and safety leaders from across the country discuss how that evolution has enabled more proactive approaches to preventing harm, along with stronger collaboration throughout hospitals and health systems. We also explore how insights from frontline care teams, partnerships with families, and the use of predictive analytics are helping identify risks earlier and improve outcomes for children across the care continuum.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring: 
Jared Capouya, MD, MS, HQS, Vice President, Chief Quality and Safety Officer, Nemours Children’s Health

Sandip Godambe, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, SVP Medical Affairs, Rady Children’s Health Orange County, Orange and Mission Viejo

Lara Wood, MN, RN, CPN, CPPS, Senior Associate Clinical Director, Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS)

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

“Food as medicine” is transforming the future of pediatric care. From programs like WIC to the essential role of registered dietitians, nutrition is emerging as a powerful driver of better outcomes for children. Allison Steiber, RD, PhD, Chief Mission, Impact and Strategy Officer, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shares her organization’s Food as Medicine roadmap and unpacks the critical gaps in access, funding, and awareness that stand in the way of impact. She also discusses what it will take to ensure every child has the nutrition they need not just to grow, but to truly thrive.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring: 
Allison Steiber, RD, PhD, Chief Mission, Impact and Strategy Officer, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, Executive Director, Infodemiology Initiative, and infectious disease epidemiologist, joins us to unpack the “infodemic,” the overwhelming flood of health information shaping how we think, decide and act. From misinformation to trust, she explains why science isn’t finished until it’s communicated — and what each of us can do to navigate today’s complex information landscape more responsibly.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring: 
Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, Executive Director, Infodemiology Initiative

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

The road to an autism diagnosis can sometimes take years between a family's first concerns and a formal evaluation. In this episode, we explore the science behind a new hair-based biomarker screening tool in the early stages of development, and seek to understand what researchers hope it could one day offer as part of a larger clinical picture.

Our guest, David Elkin, PhD, a pediatric clinical psychologist and VP, Clinical Liaison & Advocacy at LinusBio, talks about how the tool works, what the current research suggests, and, importantly, what the tool cannot do. The test is designed to help clinicians rule out autism risk, not confirm a diagnosis, and it remains one of many steps in a comprehensive evaluation process.

This is a conversation about emerging science, the complexity of autism diagnosis, and the ongoing search for tools that can support, not replace, the clinicians who serve these families.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Featuring: 
David Elkin, PhD, VP, Clinical Liaison and Advocacy, LinusBio

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management. 

Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.