Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast

Ep. 105: ChatGPT MD: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Pearl Nov 11, 2024

Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group and a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses his latest book, ChatGPT, MD. He shares how generative AI could transform health care by empowering patients and clinicians through real-time data analysis and insights. These AI tools could significantly improve chronic disease management, helping to reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. In this wide-ranging interview, we explore his vision for the potential of generative AI in reshaping the future of health care.

Guest:
Robert Pearl, MD, author, podcaster, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group, Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine

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.

Ep. 104: More Than Words: Understanding & Stopping Bullying Nov 04, 2024

Bullying is more than “I know it when I see it” behavior. According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is distinguished by certain specific elements: it is repetitive, aggressive, threatening behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. From name-calling and teasing to hitting and spitting and beyond, the negative effects of bullying on our youth are well-documented.
Guest:
Daniel J. Flannery, PhD, Director, Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Case Western Reserve University
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.

Ep. 103: Kids & Guns: A Conversation on Firearm Safety Oct 28, 2024

In September 2024, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions released its annual report analyzing 2022 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data on firearm deaths in the U.S. The report highlights a 106% increase in firearm deaths among children ages 1 to 17 since 2013. Since 2020, firearms have been the leading cause of death for children and teens nationwide.

On this episode of Well Beyond Medicine, we explore firearm safety with two of the nation’s leading researchers on the topic.

Guests:
Lisa M. Costello, MD, MPH, FAAP, Assistant Professor, West Virginia University
Lois K. Lee, MD, MPH, Senior Faculty Advisor, Office and Health Equity & Inclusion; Senior Associate in Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital

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.

Ep. 102: care.ai and the Smart Hospital Oct 21, 2024

Health care transformation is starting to move from the realm of concept to reality. One example is a platform called care.ai, which brings together virtual care and artificial intelligence to create “smart hospitals” and “smart care teams.” It's already in action at such luminary health care providers as Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and Henry Ford Health in Detroit — and coming soon to Nemours Children’s Health.

care.ai President Bruce Brandes and Nemours Children’s Chief Nursing Executive Jane Mericle stepped up to the podcast mics during the 2024 American Academy of Pediatrics Experience National Conference in Orlando to talk about care.ai and the solutions it brings to myriad issues faced in today’s crucial care setting.

Guests:
Bruce Brandes, President, care.ai
Jane Mericle, DNP, MHS-CL, BSN, CENP, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Chief Nursing Executive and Patient Operations 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.

Ep. 101: Truth or Trend: Tackling Medical Misinformation on Social Media with Dr. David Stukus Oct 14, 2024

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 60% of Americans use the internet for health information. A GoodRx survey indicates that more than 70% of those people have been exposed to medical or health-related misinformation, with social media cited as the most common source.

Nationwide Children’s pediatric allergist David R. Stukus, MD, FAAP, believes pediatricians can play a key role in countering medical misinformation on social media, both in the exam room and on their social media platforms. He presented on the topic at the American Academy of Pediatrics Experience 2024, training his colleagues on how to tip the balance toward evidence-based information for 21st-century parents.

Interested in hearing more? Check out Conversations From the World of Allergy, a podcast from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) moderated by Dr. Stukus, AAAAI Social Media Medical Editor.

And, if you’re a parent looking for reliable health information, visit Nemours KidsHealth®, the world’s most-visited site for trusted health information with content specific to parents, teens and kids.

Guest:
David R. Stukus, MD, FAAP, Pediatric Allergist & Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Nationwide Children's

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.

Ep. 100: Healthy Eating Made Simple: The USDA’s MyPlate Blueprint Oct 07, 2024

We're celebrating our 100th Episode of Well Beyond Medicine — and we're pleased to feature special guests from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to share more about their MyPlate resource and other efforts to support access to healthy and nutritious foods.

Most parents and caregivers put a lot of thought into how their children are fed and fueled, especially as they head off to school each day. Yet feeding their children can be a challenge for those unsure of what foods best support their children’s healthy development or who struggle to consistently access healthy, safe, affordable food. That’s where the USDA and the resources and programs it provides, including MyPlate, can help fill in the gaps.

Access additional resources and information on how to support healthy nutrition created in collaboration with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.

Guests:
Caree Jackson Cotwright, PhD, RDN, LD, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service
Yetunde Akingbemi, MPH, RDN, Nutritionist, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, MS, Vice President, Chief Policy and Prevention 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.

Ep. 99: Ballots & Wellness: Talking Civic Health with Aliya Bhatia of Vot-ER Sep 30, 2024

The American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services all recognize voting as a social determinant of health. In a year when more than 60 nations have or will hold elections (including the United States), the Well Beyond Medicine podcast examines the concepts of civic engagement and voting as ways to improve health.

On this episode, we’re joined by Aliya Bhatia, Executive Director of Vot-ER, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to integrate civic engagement into health care.

Register to vote

Guest:
Aliya Bhatia, Executive Director, Vot-ER
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.

Ep. 98: Breaking Barriers: The Power of Workforce Diversity in Health Care Sep 23, 2024

Diversity in health care is more than just a buzzword — it is essential for delivering culturally competent care, addressing health disparities, and creating an inclusive environment for patients, families and providers. For the Latino/Hispanic community, which constitutes a significant and growing portion of the U.S. population, having health care providers who understand their cultural context can lead to better patient outcomes. Building a workforce pipeline for Latino and Hispanic individuals is essential to serve this population and to create an inclusive health care environment.

Joining in the discussion are nurse innovator Dr. Bonnie Clipper as well as Nemours Children’s workforce partnership development director Dr. Margaret LaFashia, and Merry Ann Carde Garcia, a member of Adelante — a Latino/Hispanic employee resource group, who weigh in with national and system perspectives.

Guests:
Bonnie Clipper, DNP, Nurse Futurist and Founder & CEO, Virtual Nursing Academy
Margaret LaFashia, DNP, Director of Workforce Partnerships, Nemours Children's Health
Merry Ann Carde Garcia, RN, Administrative Manager, 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.

Ep. 97: From Crew to Career: Transforming Lives with McDonald's Archways to Opportunity Sep 16, 2024

McDonald’s is more than just the home of burgers, fries and shakes. It's a place where employees can learn valuable basic customer service skills and gain needed entry-level managerial experience. One in 8 Americans has worked at a McDonald's at some point in their lives, gaining these life-changing skills firsthand.

In addition to on-the-job experiences where McDonald's provides chances to learn these skills — a program called Archways to Opportunity® offers employees and their family members the chance to learn English, access tuition assistance for college, and earn high school diplomas through an online program!

Our podcast team recently traveled to a McDonald’s franchise in Bridgeville, Delaware, to learn about this program and hear the story of a teen mom and former McDonald's employee who now has a career at Nemours Children’s Health after earning her high school diploma through Archways to Opportunity.

Guests:
Erin Voss, Manager, Education Strategy & Analytics, McDonald's Corp.
Michael Meoli, President and Owner/Operator, The Meoli Companies
Quontisha Chisholm, Medical Administrative Assistant, Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley

Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 96: Fighting for the Future: Childhood Cancer Awareness with the Phillies Sep 09, 2024

This week’s episode features two compelling stories of strength and perseverance in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

In our first segment, we remember Corey Phelan. At 19, Corey achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a professional baseball player, signing with the Phillies organization. His dream, though, and his life were cut short by pediatric cancer just after his 20th birthday in 2022. His legacy, however, lives through his family’s foundation, Corey’s Promise, which helps other families offset the financial burdens they endure during their child's cancer diagnosis.

In our second segment, we speak with 20-year-old Elisha Rodriguez-Ford, an accomplished singer with a proven track record. In fact, hers is the voice you hear singing “God Bless America” at the top of this episode. At age 17 Elisha was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Swyer Syndrome. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Swyer Syndrome is characterized by the failure of the sex glands – in this case, her ovaries – to develop fully, leaving only functionless scar tissue, and a 30 percent risk of developing tumors from that scar tissue – which is what happened to Elisha.

Guests:
Chris Phelan, Corey Pheland's father and co-founder of Corey's Promise
Dickie Noles, retired MLB player and Phillies advisor
Elisha Rodriguez-Ford, professional singer and cancer survivor
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 95: Shining a Light: Childhood Cancer Awareness with the Phillies Sep 02, 2024

On a single night each September, Major League Baseball holds Childhood Cancer Awareness Night at games nationwide. This major initiative focuses on both educating the public about childhood cancer and providing respite for cancer patients, survivors, and their families.
Join us as we visit Citizens Bank Park - home of the Philadelphia Phillies - for the 2024 edition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Night and hear about one family's ongoing battle against childhood cancer. We'll also talk with a representative of the Phillies organization about the history and purpose of this effort and the partnership forged between the Phillies and Nemours Children's Health, the official children's health provider of the Phillies.
GUESTS:
Michele DeVicaris, Phillies Director for Community and Charity Events
Eric Newton, parent of cancer patient Eric "EJ" Newton
Onilisha Newton, parent of cancer patient Eric "EJ" Newton
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 94: The Period Equity Imperative (ENCORE) Aug 26, 2024

In this encore presentation of Well Beyond Medicine, we explore the topic of period equity with Nemours Children’s Health adolescent medicine specialist, Robyn Miller, MD.

Menstruation is something half of the world's population experiences. Yet having the right resources — access to period products and health information about menses — can prove elusive for some due to financial concerns or lack of communication and openness on the topic due to stigma, or cultural and religious considerations.

Nemours Period Pantry Amazon Wish List
Guest:
Dr. Robyn Miller, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, Nemours Children's Health
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 93: Digital Detox – Schools Without Cell Phones Aug 19, 2024

Smartphones have become a collective distraction in the classroom. One 2024 Pew Research survey of public-school teachers says 33% of middle school teachers and a whopping 72% of high school teachers see cell phone use in the classroom as a major problem: a disruptor to the educational process.
Here to discuss the benefits of public school cell phone bans are Jay Bastianelli, Principal of HB du Pont Middle School in Hockessin, Delaware, part of the Red Clay Consolidated School District, and Nemours pediatric psychologist Dr. Meghan Walls. Dr. Walls provides insights on the topic from a professional and personal perspective.
GUESTS:
Jay Bastianelli, Principal, HB du Pont Middle School. Hockessin, DE
Meghan Walls, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist and Director of External Affairs, Nemours Children's Health
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 92: Transforming Pediatrics and Embracing Value-Based Care with Alex Koster Aug 12, 2024

When discussing methods of paying for health care in the U.S., you'll often hear the terms fee-for-service and value-based care. What do they mean? And what value can value-based care models bring to pediatric patients and their families?

We discuss these questions and more with Alex Koster, Associate Vice President of Value Transformation for Nemours Children's Health.

Guests:
Alexander Koster, MA, CHCIO, CHD-E, AVP, Value Transformation, 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.

Ep. 91: Forum - Supporting Our Military Families and Hidden Helpers (Pt. 2 of 2) Aug 05, 2024

In 2021, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF) released a study indicating that roughly 2.3 million children across the U.S. serve as primary or secondary caregivers to family members wounded, injured or ill due to their service in the U.S. military. They are our nation’s hidden helpers.

To better support these children, EDF partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and the White House's Joining Forces Initiative, led by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, to create the Hidden Helpers Coalition. The coalition comprises over 100 partner organizations, including government agencies, non-profits like Nemours Children’s Health, and private sector entities.

To highlight coalition efforts over the last three years and announce new commitments, Nemours Children’s, the Office of United States Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and EDF held a forum at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, entitled “Supporting Our Military Families and Hidden Helpers.” This podcast is the second of a two-part episode series featuring event highlights.

Featuring an introduction from Jill Biden, Ed.D., First Lady of the United States, and closing comments from R. Lawrence Moss, MD, CEO, Nemours Children's Health, and Steve Schwab, CEO, The Elizabeth Dole Foundation.

Guests:
Matthew Cook, MBA, CEO, Children's Hospital Association
Daniel Podberesky, MD, FACR, SVP, Chief Medical Officer, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
Tara Gleason, MEd, Director of Programs, Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)
Laurie Sisk, School Liaison Program Manager, Dover (DE) Airforce Base
Denise Stouffer, MEd, Head of School, Providence Creek Academy
Jeanette Betancourt, EdD, Senior Vice President, U.S. Social Impact, Sesame Workshop
Charo Bates, MBA, MS, MA, Program Manager for Hidden Helpers, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
Tina Atherall, DSW, LMSW, CEO, PsychArmor Institute
Annie Pabon, Hidden Helper

Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 90: Forum – Supporting Our Military Families and Hidden Helpers (Pt. 1 of 2) Jul 29, 2024

In 2021, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, or EDF, released a study indicating that roughly 2.3 million children across the U.S. serve as primary or secondary caregivers to family members wounded, injured, or ill due to their service in the U.S. Military. They are our nation’s hidden helpers.

To better support these children, EDF partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and the White House Joining Forces Initiative, led by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, to create the Hidden Helpers Coalition. The coalition comprises over 100 partner organizations, including government agencies, non-profits like Nemours Children’s Health, and private sector entities.
To highlight coalition efforts over the last three years and announce new commitments, Nemours, the Office of United States Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), and EDF held a forum at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, entitled “Supporting Our Military Families and Hidden Helpers.” This podcast is the first of a two-part episode featuring event highlights.

GUESTS:
R. Lawrence Moss, MD, President and CEO, Nemours Children’s Health
Steve Schwab, CEO, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
Tom Carper, U.S. Senator, D-Delaware
Silvia Lopez, Elizabeth Dole Foundation Fellow and military wife
Major General Michael R. Berry, Adjutant General, Delaware National Guard
Josette Manning, Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and Veteran wife
Steve E. Yeatman, Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families and Veteran
Amanda Brady, BSN, RN, MBA, CPN, CRCR, ACM-RN, Nemours Children’s Health and Military Family
Thomas Brady, Hidden Helper

Carol Vassar, producer/host

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.

Ep. 89: Summertime and the Learning is Easy Jul 22, 2024

George Gershwin says summer is when "the livin’ is easy." But there is something to be said for summer as an opportunity to maintain the learning, safety, and health of our nation’s children when they’re out of school. We dig into the importance of high-quality summer learning to our nation’s children in all its aspects: health, nutrition, safety, equity, workforce impact, and education.
Guests:
Aaron Dworkin, CEO, National Summer Learning Association
Rachel Thornton, MD, PhD, FAAP, Vice President, Chief Health Equity Officer, Nemours Children's Health
Nancy Molello, Executive Director, Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children's Health
Ashley Bernal, Patient Care Technician, Nemours Children's Health
Learn more about NSLA here.
Learn more about quality summer learning programs here.
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.

Ep. 88: PRAMS for Dads – Empowering Fathers in Pregnancy Health Jul 15, 2024

For decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with state health departments to conduct the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). Aimed at new mothers, the PRAMS survey asks women to provide information about their health, attitudes, and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy.

By the mid-twenty-teens, however, it was realized that surveying new fathers could also provide valuable insights and information about the health of both their newborn children and their partners. This led to the launch of a pilot PRAMS for Dads survey in Georgia. PRAMS for Dads is now in five states and growing, providing valuable public health data that informs public education, programming, outreach and policy development. We talked with two leaders of the PRAMS for Dads movement about its origins, growth and integration with PRAMS, which provides a clearer picture of the health of families across the U.S.

Guests:
Craig Garfield, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University and Attending Pediatrician, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Clarissa Simon, MD, PhD, Research Scientist, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Carol Vassar, producer/host

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.

Ep. 87: Early Years, Lasting Impact: Supporting Early Childhood Educators Jul 08, 2024

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Technical Assistance Program (TAP), started in 2018 and is led by the Rodel Foundation and the Nemours Children’s National Office of Policy & Prevention. It uses Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding to provide support and resources to early care education providers to make positive changes in their childcare centers and family childcare homes.

Guests:
Georgia Thompson, Senior Program and Policy Analyst, National Office of Policy & Prevention, Nemours Children’s Health
Diane Frentzel, Program Manager, Delaware Readiness Teams, Rodel and Healthy Kids, Healthy Future Technical Assistance Program Lead
Rhondalin Cannon-Tingle, Founder, Rhonda’s Little Angels Daycare & Preschool, Delaware

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.

Ep. 86: The Roadmap Project (Encore Presentation) Jul 01, 2024

The Roadmap Project started in 2017 as a simple request from three parents of children with chronic conditions to the American Board of Pediatrics: Create for us a roadmap to improve the emotional health of our children.

Since that time, The Roadmap Project has become a national effort that seeks to do this by:

Raising awareness among patients, families, and clinical teams to validate, assess, and address emotional stress during routine care;
Building confidence and capability among clinical teams to assess and address emotional health needs;
Helping patients and families feel safe sharing emotional health concerns; and
Providing resources, connections, and strategies to patients, families, and clinical teams.

In this encore presentation of the Well Beyond Medicine podcast, we hear from the team implementing the Roadmap Project and get an update on its current status.

Guests:
Erica Sood, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist, Director of Nemours Children's Cardiac Learning & Early Development Program, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware
Jill Plevinsky, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Carole Lannon, MD, MPH, Pediatrician, Senior Faculty Lead, Learning Networks Core, Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence, Cincinnati Children's Hospital
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.

Ep. 85: Environmental Factors and Childhood Cancer Jun 24, 2024

There is a growing body of literature that has implicated the role of several environmental hazards in childhood cancer, such as exposure to pesticides, vehicle exhaust, gasoline, and tobacco smoke, all of which can increase the risk of a childhood cancer diagnosis. A new training program developed by the Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) aims to support and educate physicians so they, in turn, can offer practical guidance to parents and caregivers on how to prevent exposure to toxic chemicals associated with childhood cancer risk. The program is funded and supported by the Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry, part of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
GUESTS:
Dr. Mark Miller, Director Emeritus of the Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Dr. Catherine Metayer, Director of the Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health
Dr. Joe Wiemels, PhD, Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and director of the PhD Epidemiology program, University of Southern California
This project is sponsored by the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units. For more information, go to PEHSU.net.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 84: The KIDS Health Act - Whole Child Health for the Nation (Part 2 of 2) Jun 17, 2024

In part 2 of The KIDS Health Act series, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Dan Sullivan discuss ways in which the bill aims to integrate mental and physical health services for children eligible for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Senator Carper (D-DE) highlights his focus on early childhood development and access to healthcare in Delaware, while Senator Sullivan (R-AK) addresses Alaska's unique healthcare challenges and emphasizes the need for innovative, localized solutions.

Both senators stress the importance of breaking down bureaucratic barriers and increasing funding to improve children's health outcomes. Part 2 of the series underscores the bipartisan effort to address youth mental health and the holistic approach proposed by the KIDS Health Act.

Listen to Part 1 and learn more about the KIDS Health Act.

Guests:
Tom Carper, U.S. Senator, D-Delaware, co-sponsor of the KIDS Health Act
Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senator, R-Alaska, co-sponsor of the KIDS Health Act

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.

Ep. 83: The KIDS Health Act: Whole Child Health for the Nation (Pt. 1 of 2) Jun 10, 2024

The Kickstarting Innovative Demonstrations Supporting (KIDS) Health Act is a bipartisan and bicameral effort now before the U.S. Congress that would establish a holistic approach to children’s healthcare by integrating mental and physical health services for children and youth who are eligible for both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This legislation would allow the states to design financially sustainable models to enhance training for their healthcare workforce and improve health information technology systems to better facilitate data sharing, early intervention, and care coordination across sectors that serve children.

Learn more about the KIDS Health Act and listen to Part 2.

Guests:
Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. Congresswoman, D-Delaware, co-sponsor of the KIDS Health Act
Michael C. Burgess, MD, U.S. Congressman, R-Texas, co-sponsor of the KIDS Health Act
Cristian Lemus Zavala, MSW, Care Coordinator, Nemours Children's Health, Saint Francis, Delaware
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.

Ep. 82: Pathways to Improve Social Determinants of Health Jun 03, 2024

Social determinants of health (SDoH) are non-medical factors that affect health outcomes and quality of life. Much attention and work is focused on examining SDoH and creating pathways to improve them, with the ultimate goal of optimizing wellness for everyone. In this episode, we’ll take a look at two such pathways.

SEGMENT 1: A paper published in the Journal of Pediatrics examined disparities in vision screening in primary care for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Drs. Kimberly Hoover, Brittany Perry and Matthew DiGuglielmo from Nemours Children’s Health co-wrote the paper, and Drs. Hoover and Perry are here to discuss their findings — and what comes next.

Guests:
Brittany Perry, DO, Clinical Assistant Professor, Primary Care Pediatrician, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware
Kimberly Hoover, MD, General Medicine Resident, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware
SEGMENT 2: Advocacy Rounding is a new concept being piloted in the pediatric residency program at Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware. It’s being done in response to a goal set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (or ACGME) that encourages residents and fellows to become better acquainted with patient advocacy and SDoH during their training — and it's proving fruitful so far.
Guests:
Kanika Gupta, MD, Inpatient Pediatrics, Associate Program Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship, Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware
Sarah J. Calardo, DO, M.Ed, Hospital Medicine Resident, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware

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.

Ep. 81: Celebrating Our Podiversary with the Nemours Children's Podcast Team May 27, 2024

The Well Beyond Medicine Podcast celebrates a milestone: its first "podiversary." It’s been a year complete with influential guests, great conversations, and loyal listeners whose interest in whole child health is piqued by discussions on the podcast. Join us as we look back at some of our achievements from this year, hear from some of those guests, and learn what the future holds for the coming year — and beyond!
Guests:
Drew Landmeier, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Nemours Children's Health
Cheryl Munn, Director of Enterprise Communications, Nemours Children's Health
Che Parker, Public Relations Manager, Nemours Children's Health
Producer/Host: 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.

Ep. 80: Leveraging Health Informatics to Serve the Underserved May 23, 2024

Health informatics stands at the intersection of healthcare and information technology. It’s a science that uses healthcare data to uncover insights, advance innovation, inform research, and help clinicians make the best patient decisions and recommendations.
Dr. Stacey Stokes is the Medical Director of Informatics with Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. At the 2024 Pediatric Academics Society annual meeting in Toronto, she facilitated a series of presentations by colleagues from across the nation and experts from the Academic Pediatric Association Special Interest Groups (SIGs). They seek methods and examine best practices to leverage health informatics to move the needle on serving the underserved and addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH).
Guest:
Stacey Stokes, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Informatics, Children’s National Hospital

Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 79: Locked Up – Addressing the Health Needs of Incarcerated Youth with Dr. Michael DeBaun and Dr. Elizabeth Barnert May 20, 2024

According to the Prison Policy Initiative's "The Whole Pie 2023" report, more than 47,000 children under 18 years of age are incarcerated, with 1 in 16 in an adult prison or jail.

This statistic underpins the American Pediatric Society’s Issue of the Year: increasing access to quality health care for children who are incarcerated. It’s an effort spearheaded by the APS president, Vanderbilt University sickle cell physician-scientist-researcher Dr. Michael DeBaun, and Dr. Elizabeth Barnert, associate professor of pediatrics at UCLA, who does clinical work in youth detention facilities. They stopped by our mobile set-up at the 2024 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Toronto recently to discuss the year's issue, starting with how they partnered to raise awareness of the issue and work toward improving health standards for this often overlooked population of children.

Guests:
Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH, Director, Vanderbilt-Meharry Center for Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease
Elizabeth Barnert, MD, MPH, MS, Associate Professor-in-Residence, Pediatrics, UCLA

Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 78: Research Update on Zika Virus and Cancer May 16, 2024

In this mini-episode, we catch up with Dr. Tamarah Westmoreland, associate professor of surgery, and research scientist Dr. Joseph Mazar, both from Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida. Previously featured on episode 49, Drs. Westmoreland and Mazar discussed their groundbreaking paper published in Cancer Research Communications by the American Association for Cancer Research, exploring the use of the Zika virus to combat cancer.
On today’s mini-episode, they provide an exciting update on their ongoing research.
Guests:
Tamarah Westmoreland, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Joseph Mazar, PhD, Research Scientist, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
EXCITING UPDATE - AUG. 20, 2024: Nemours Children's received its largest donation to a single research project thanks to the Pass It On to Kids Foundation. Its $7 million donation will advance the groundbreaking research harnessing the Zika virus to target and eradicate neuroblastoma and ovarian cancers.
Hear more about this exciting research from Dr. Westmoreland and Dr. Mazar on episode 49 of the Well Beyond Medicine podcast.
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.

Ep. 77: The Crisis of Physician Burnout with Dr. Alfred Atanda May 13, 2024

The American Medical Association (AMA) defines physician burnout as a long‑term stress reaction that can include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a feeling of decreased personal achievement. It's a condition that affects all specialties and practice settings – and the AMA has declared physician burnout a crisis. A 2023 AMA survey of physicians and non-physicians in 30 states specific to burnout indicated that half of practicing physicians reported experiencing burnout in 2023. While this is lower than the all-time high in 2021 (during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic), burnout among physicians persists. So what can be done?

On this episode, we talk about the crisis and possible solutions with Alfred Atanda, MD, a pediatric orthopedic specialist and Director of Clinician Well-being for Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley.

Guest:
Alfred Atanda, MD, orthopedic specialist, Director of Clinician Well-being, Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley

Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 76: What's Keeping Kids Up at Night? The Impact of Excessive Screen Time on Adolescents with Dr. Paul Weigle May 06, 2024

Dr. Weigle joined us live from the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting to discuss the impact of excessive screen time on adolescents and how parents can support healthy limits.
Recorded live at PAS 2024 in Toronto, Canada, on May 4, 2024.
Watch on YouTube.

Guests:
Paul Weigle, MD, Associate Medical Director, Natchaug Hospital of Hartford Healthcare, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine

Host: Carol Vassar
Producers: Carol Vassar, Joe Gillespie and Sebastian Riella

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.

Ep. 75: Pressures of Childhood - Understanding and Managing Pediatric Hypertension with Dr. Carissa Baker-Smith May 05, 2024

The overall prevalence of hypertension in childhood is 2% to 5%, and it can be worse (or, worse yet, go undetected) in high-deprivation neighborhoods in the United States. Learn more about the research done in this area by Dr. Carissa Baker-Smith, Director of Pediatric Preventive Cardiology at Nemours Children’s Health. She also shares her insights on outcomes for undetected pediatric high blood pressure, and mitigation strategies to better detect and treat it.

This episode was recorded live at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada on Saturday, May 4.
Watch on YouTube.

Guests:
Carissa Baker-Smith, MD, MPH, MS, Director of Preventive Cardiology, Nemours Children’s Cardiac Center, Delaware Valley

Host: Carol Vassar
Producers: Carol Vassar, Joe Gillespie and Sebastian Riella

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.

Ep. 74: Leading with Heart with Dr. Matthew Davis May 04, 2024

As Executive Vice President, Enterprise Physician-in-Chief, and Chief Scientific Officer for Nemours Children’s Health, Dr. Matthew Davis oversees all clinical and research activities across Nemours and works to ensure that education, training, and community engagement are fully integrated into clinical and research efforts. It's a position of great import and impact, but one where he plans to rally teams within Nemours and community relationships outside the enterprise to move toward wellness for children across the nation and the world.
This episode was ecorded live at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting 2024 in Toronto, Canada on May 3, 2024.
Watch on YouTube.
Guest:
Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, Executive Vice-President, Enterprise Physician-in-Chief and Chief Scientific Officer, Nemours Children's Health

Host: Carol Vassar
Producers: Carol Vassar, Joe Gillespie and Sebastian Riella

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.

Ep. 73: The Compass, the Mirror and the Swiss Army Knife – A Conversation On Pediatric Leadership with Dr. Kanekal Gautham May 04, 2024

What do a compass, a mirror, and a Swiss Army knife have to do with pediatric leadership? Dr. Kanekal Gautham, Pediatrician-in-Chief at Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida, makes the connections and provides key principles of leadership in pediatrics. Recorded live at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting (PAS) in Toronto, Canada on May 3, 2024.
Watch on YouTube.

Guests:
Kanekal Suresh Gautham, MD, Chair of Pediatrics and Pediatrician-in-Chief, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 72: Furthering Healthcare's Digital Revolution Apr 29, 2024

The promise of digital integration in healthcare has come a long way but remains a work in progress. Currently, digital tools give providers and patients secure access to health information, help improve communication, provide personalized care and education, and allow for remote monitoring by providers and self-management by patients. To have all of this in one place, well, that's the future state. But the future may be here sooner than we think.

In this episode, we examine two digital health platforms — Xealth and Unite Us — whose goals are similar: to use AI and big data to bring together digitally, behind the scenes, information allowing providers to not only monitor your vitals and medications but also "prescribe" information, disseminate education, and even refer you to social services directly from an electronic health record platform.

Guests:
Mike McSherry, President & CEO, Xealth
Dan Brillman, Co-founder & CEO, Unite Us

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.

Ep. 71: Hidden Helpers Heard Apr 22, 2024

According to a study commissioned by The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, there are 2.5 million children, teens, and young adults in the U.S. taking on significant responsibilities for wounded, ill, or aging veterans within their own families. These "hidden helpers" are supporting their wounded parent, grandparent, sibling or other family member with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, toileting, etc.), administering medications, assisting with physical therapy, caring for siblings, managing finances, and even navigating the healthcare system. They grow up fast by necessity, often facing unique challenges to their own health and wellness journeys as they help their wounded warrior.

In this episode, we share stories of two wounded warriors, and how they shaped a curriculum developed by Nemours Children’s Health. These free, publicly available online courses are helping educate healthcare providers, and the wider public, about the unique health issues these children face.

Guests:
Kylie Briest, NICU Nurse and Hidden Helper
Megan Powell, Military Spouse, and parent of a Hidden Helper
Allison Gertel-Rosenberg, MS, Vice President, Chief Policy and Prevention Officer, Nemours Children's Health

Take the FREE online course "Caring for Children and Teens in Military Families."

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.

Ep. 70: Hidden Helpers – Hidden No More with Dr. Larry Moss and Steve Schwab Apr 15, 2024

When it comes to supporting our nation's military caregivers – the family members and friends caring for a wounded, ill, or injured veteran each day in their homes – the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is a true leader. The foundation aims to raise awareness, conduct research, and support military family caregivers. Among that group, you will find children, teens, and young adults impacted by or directly involved in the mental, emotional, or physical care of a wounded, ill, or aging service member or veteran. They are known as Hidden Helpers.

In the first of two episodes, Steve Schwab, CEO, Elizabeth Dole Foundation, and Larry Moss, MD, President and CEO, Nemours Children's Health, discuss Hidden Helpers: who they are, who they help, and the commitment to educating physicians across the nation about these hidden heroes’ unique medical and psychological needs.
Take the FREE online course "Caring for Children and Teens in Military Families."

Guests:
Steve Schwab, CEO, Elizabeth Dole Foundation
R. Lawrence “Larry” Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP, President and CEO, Nemours Children’s Health

Producer/Host: 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.

Ep. 69: A Conversation with Matthew Cook from the Children's Hospital Association Apr 08, 2024

When it comes to healthcare, children are not miniature adults. As growing, maturing human beings, they require regular well-child attention, care, and treatment that considers their size and their ongoing and seemingly ever-changing developmental needs as they make the trek into adulthood. Children's hospitals, in particular, play a unique role in ensuring and elevating the health of our nation's kids by providing opportunities for quality care and treatment and by addressing the non-medical factors that affect child health outcomes - the social determinants of health.
As CEO of the Children's Hospital Association (CHA), Matthew Cook joins us to explain how CHA advocates for the advancement of child health in the areas of federal and state policy, research, quality care delivery, and workforce development.
Guest:
Matthew Cook, CEO, Children's Hospital Association

Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 68: The Nemours Estate Apr 04, 2024

All across Nemours Children's Health, from Wilmington to Pensacola to Orlando to Jacksonville, and points in between - the ethos of Well Beyond Medicine is becoming well established. That includes the Nemours Estate in Wilmington, the only public park in the nation with a hospital on its grounds. Guests Gina Altieri, Jean Hershner, Ken Darsney, and Annie Thomas-Bubel join us in this bonus episode to demonstrate how the Nemours Estate incorporates Well Beyond Medicine into what it does.
Guests:
Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer, Nemours Children’s Health
Jean Hershner, Vice President, Nemours Estate
Ken Darsney, Gardens and Grounds Manager, Nemours Estate
Annie Thomas-Bubel, Learning and Programs Coordinator, Nemours Estate

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.

Ep. 67: Unlocking the Power of Gratitude with Lee Brower, Michael Rouse and Dr. Alfred Atanda Apr 01, 2024

"Even in the worst conditions you can be grateful in something and not have to be grateful for it," according to Lee Brower, entrepreneur coach and founder of Empowered Wealth. He joins this week's episode as we explore the power of gratitude.
We're also joined by Nemours Children's Health's Dr. Alfred Atanda who shares the clinical perspective of gratitude — and how it benefits patients, families and staff.
Guests:
Lee Brower, Entrepreneur Coach and Founder, Empowered Wealth
Michael Rouse, President and Co-founder, ESF Camps and Experiences
Alfred Atanda, MD, Surgical Director, Center for Sports Medicine, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

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.

Ep. 66: The PLAYERS Championship – Golf for Good Mar 25, 2024

This year – 2024 – marked the 50th anniversary of THE PLAYERS Championship, a premier tour stop for PGA golfers from around the world! Held at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (just south of Jacksonville where Nemours Children's Health is headquartered), THE PLAYERS Championships attracts the best that professional golf has to offer for golfers, fans, and the community alike.

The tournament, however, is more than just a one-week PGA stop. It’s a 52-week-a-year endeavor. Community investment, service and partnership are keys to the effort, which focuses on promoting youth services, education, character development, military support, and health and wellness.
Joining us to discuss how THE PLAYERS Championship is a crucial player in improving health and wellness for the children of Northeast Florida and beyond are Nemours Children’s Health President and CEO Dr. Larry Moss, and Lee Smith, Vice President and Executive Director of THE PLAYERS Championship.

Guests:
R. Lawrence "Larry" Moss, MD, FACS, FAAP, President and CEO, Nemours Children's Health
Lee Smith, Vice President & Executive Director, THE PLAYERS Championship
Producer/Host: 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.

Ep. 65: Exploring Health Equity with Dr. Tony Iton Mar 18, 2024

Achieving health equity is a complex and ongoing endeavor that involves addressing various social, economic, and systemic factors that contribute to disparities in health outcomes among different populations.
If it sounds like challenging work, it is. But that hasn't stopped The California Endowment's Dr. Tony Iton from making it his life's work. We sat down with Dr. Iton to discuss his insights on the root causes of health disparities, the status of health equity efforts today in the U.S., and the $1 billion effort he leads with health equity in mind.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 64: Ginsburg Scholars - The Future of Health Equity Mar 11, 2024

In 2022, a $25 million donation from the Ginsburg Family Foundation established the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Health. One major initiative of the Institute is the Ginsburg Health Equity Scholars Program. The scholars program seeks to prepare rising members of the healthcare, public health, and scientific workforce to conduct research into children’s health equity and deploy evidence-based programs and resources into underserved communities. Nancy Molello, Executive Director for the Ginsburg Institute, joined us to share details of the Ginsburg Health Equity Scholars Program alongside one of its inaugural scholars Brianna Karim.
Apply to be a Ginsburg Scholar. The deadline is March 15, 2024.
Guests:
Nancy Molello, MSB, Executive Director, Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Health
Brianna Karim, Health Equity Program Coordinator and Ginsburg Scholar, Nemours Children’s Health
Producer/Host: 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.

Ep. 63: Ginsburg Institute: Equalizing Health Mar 11, 2024

In 2022 a $25 million donation from the Ginsburg Family Foundation established the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Health. The Institute represents a first-of-its-kind initiative to advance health equity for children in medically underserved areas by partnering with communities and codifying evidenced-based approaches that are effective, scalable and transferable. This week's guests Nancy Molello and Marc McMurrin highlight the work they have accomplished in this area as well as the Institute’s future.
Learn more about the Ginsburg Institute.
Guests:
Nancy Molello, MSB, Executive Director, Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Health
Marc McMurrin, President & CEO, Ginsburg Family Foundation
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.

Ep. 62: Strategies for Accelerating an Autism Diagnosis Mar 04, 2024

From the time a pediatrician or parent suspects a child could be affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) until an actual diagnosis takes over two years! On today’s episode, we learn about two strategies that are currently in use to reduce that time to just weeks — or even days.

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.

Ep. 61: Five DEI Questions, Five Black Healthcare Leaders (Pt. 2 of 2) Feb 29, 2024

In part two of our series, we dig deeper into conversations with our Black physician leaders, guided by our Black, African and Caribbean Associate Resource Group. Joining the table in today’s episode is Latonya Quann, Clinical Operations Supervisor for Nemours Children’s Health, Orlando, and Jane deHeers, Director of Operations, Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Services, Nemours Children’s Health in Delaware. Latonya asks our physicians what helped them get to where they are today and to share any advice they can give to the next generation of Black leaders. Jane concludes our five-question discussion with what our physicians envision for the future of Black leaders.

Answers revolving around these questions of Black leadership growth and sustainability include the magnification of imposter syndrome in the Black community, leaning on champions in your corner, the importance of sharing experiences across race and hierarchy, and the power of perseverance.

Dr. Robyn Miller shares her take on the importance of DEI: “I want people to be able to show up as their authentic selves and be accepted for their authentic selves and be able to learn as their authentic selves because that's who goes in the room with patients, and patients need to see those authentic selves.”

To hear a more detailed account of our physicians’ experiences, be sure to tune in and listen!

Kara Odom-Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, Executive Vice President, Chief Population Health Officer, Nemours Children's Health
Alfred Atanda, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Surgical Director, Nemours Children's Center for Sports Medicine
Lonna Gordon, MD, PharmD, Division Chief of Adolescent Medicine, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
Cedric Von Pritchett, MD, pediatric otolaryngologist, Co-Director of Nemours Children's Ear, Hearing and Communication Center
Robyn R. Miller, MD, Interim Division Chief of Adolescent Medicine and Pediatric Gynecology, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

Featured members of the Nemours Children's Health Black, African, and Caribbean Heritage ARG:

TeNeasha Billingsley, MSN, CPNP-AC
Taynika Jones, BS
Jane deHeer, PT, DPT, MBA, CLT
Latonya Quann

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.

Ep. 60: Five DEI Questions, Five Black Healthcare Leaders (Pt. 1 of 2) Feb 26, 2024

February is Black History Month and, to celebrate, the Well Beyond Medicine podcast welcomed colleagues from the Nemours Children's Health Black, African and Caribbean Heritage Associate Resource Group (ARG). They posed questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion to Black physician leaders across the Nemours Children's enterprise, including:

Kara Odom-Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, Executive Vice President, Chief Population Health Officer, Nemours Children's Health
Alfred Atanda, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Surgical Director, Nemours Children's Center for Sports Medicine
Lonna Gordon, MD, PharmD, Division Chief of Adolescent Medicine, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
Cedric Von Pritchett, MD, pediatric otolaryngologist, Co-Director of Nemours Children's Ear, Hearing and Communication Center
Robyn R. Miller, MD, Interim Division Chief of Adolescent Medicine and Pediatric Gynecology, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

Featured members of the Nemours Children's Health Black, African, and Caribbean Heritage ARG:

Danielle Davis-Evans, BSN, RN
TeNeasha Billingsley, MSN, CPNP-AC
Taynika Jones, BS
Jane deHeer, PT, DPT, MBA, CLT
Latonya Quann

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.

Ep. 59: Understanding Heart Disease Associated with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Feb 22, 2024

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy. According to Nemours KidsHealth.org, it affects boys more often than girls. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, heart and respiratory muscle problems emerge in the teen years and can lead to serious complications. In terms of the heart, the issue at hand is cardiomyopathy.
Dr. Takeshi Tsuda is a pediatric cardiologist at Nemours Children’s Health who studies cardiomyopathy in boys with Duchenne. He joins this episode to talk about the unique qualities of cardiomyopathy in young teenagers with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which have not previously been well characterized.
Guest:
Takeshi Tsuda, MD, Pediatric Cardiology
Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley
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.

Ep. 58: New Hope in Fighting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Feb 19, 2024

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder that makes the muscles of the bodies of those affected get weaker over time. There's no known cure, but there are treatments, and researchers continue to learn more about how to prevent and treat it.
In this episode, we discuss one specific type of genetic disorder: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and learn about a new FDA-approved gene therapy that is bringing hope to families.
Learn More
Guests:
Omer Abdul Hamid, MD, Neuromuscular Neurologist, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Rulla Starr, Neuromuscular Program Coordinator, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
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.

Ep. 57: Partnering on Tomorrow's Healthcare Workforce Feb 12, 2024

When it comes to providing health services, the most precious resource of any healthcare system, hospital or provider's office is its people: those who make up the healthcare workforce. Yet the nation's expanding healthcare needs are outstripping the workforce size, creating a severe shortage of employees at all levels.

While there is no single solution to the healthcare workforce crisis, a unique partnership pairs Nemours Children's Health with the state's vocational-technical high schools to train high schoolers for healthcare careers.

Guests:
Yvette Santiago, Director, Community Engagement, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley
Margaret LaFashia, DNP, Director of Workforce Partnership Development, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley
Kyle Hill, EdD, Principal, Howard High School of Technology of the New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District, Wilmington, Delaware
Deanna Lee, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, and student, Howard High School of Technology

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.

Ep. 56: Partner Profile - St. Patrick's Center Feb 08, 2024

The non-profit, non-denominational St. Patrick's Center in Wilmington, Delaware, has served that community for over half a century. They provide emergency food, meals, respite for the homeless, clothing, transportation, and recreational activities for people in need on the city's east side. Our guest host, Che Parker, met up with Joe Yacyshyn, St. Patrick's Center's Board Chair, as Nemours Children’s associates were conducting a clothing drive to benefit the organization's clients. They talked about the work of the St. Patrick's Center and the strong bond between this non-profit and Nemours Children's Health.

Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 55: The Imperative for Period Equity Feb 05, 2024

SEGMENT 1: Menstruation: it's something half of the world's population experiences. Yet having the right resources - access to period products and health information about menses can prove elusive for some due to financial concerns, lack of communication and openness on the topic due to stigma, or cultural and religious considerations.
Our topic with Nemours Children's Health adolescent medicine specialist Dr. Robin Miller is period equity- and how to achieve it.
Nemours Period Pantry Amazon Wish List
SEGMENT 2: A partner profile of Duffy's Hope, serving at-risk teens in Wilmington, Delaware, by providing them with one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, financial literacy, educational and enrichment trips, etiquette training, school and home visits, inspirational guest speakers, and group discussions.
Learn more about Duffy's Hope.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 54: Heart of the Matter with Experts From Nemours Children's Cardiac Center Jan 29, 2024

SEGMENT 1: As children with congenital heart disease (CHD) become adults with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD), they continue to require specialized care and will need that care and monitoring for life. Find out why this is an important — and growing — area of specialty care.
SEGMENT 2: It takes hours of preparation, planning and education by a multidisciplinary team before a high-risk pediatric cardiology patient can leave the walls of a hospital and head for home. Identifying risk factors and mitigating them at the point of discharge is key! Since 2019, the Supervised Family Care Program at the Nemours Children's Cardiac Center has been utilized to ensure the safe discharge of high-risk cardiac patients.

Guests:
Devyani Chowdhury, MD, MHA, Cardiologist, Medical Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, Nemours Children’s Cardiac Center, Delaware

Deepika Thacker, MD, Pediatric Cardiologist, Medical Director, Cardiac Inpatient Unit, Nemours Children’s Cardiac Center, Delaware

Dana Zingo, RN, Specialty Nurse, Nemours Children’s Cardiac Center, Delaware

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.

Ep. 53: Hot Topics in Neonatology (Part 4) Babies in Crisis: Understanding Neonatal Abstinence Jan 25, 2024

In the final episode of our four-part series “Hot Topics in Neonatology” we explore neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a byproduct of prenatal drug exposure — one of the fastest growing public health problems in the world.
In the U.S., the most recent data from the CDC indicate that the number of pregnant people with opioid-related diagnoses documented at delivery increased by 131% from 2010 to 2017. The implications for their babies include preterm birth, still birth, birth defects and neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS.
SEGMENT 1: We talk with Dr. Ju-Lee Oei from the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Australia, who provides an overview NAS — what it is, how it's diagnosed and how it's treated.
SEGMENT 2: Andre Sukta, a research and development projects manager at the United States Drug Testing Laboratories in Chicago, joins us to talk about the recent history of newborn toxicology screening.
Carol Vassar, producer/host
Explore the Full Series:
Part 1, Episode 50
The NICU View: Mom & Baby

Part 2, Episode 51
Fluid Dynamics: What's New in Treating EPRA
Part 3, Episode 52
Fragile Beginnings: Exploring NEC in Newborns

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.

Ep. 52: Hot Topics in Neonatology (Part 3) Fragile Beginnings: Exploring Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Newborns Jan 24, 2024

In the third of our four-part series “Hot Topics in Neonatology” we talk with health care providers who are on the frontlines working to prevent adverse outcomes and improve the quality of care for the most vulnerable babies.
SEGMENT 1: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common and serious intestinal disease among premature babies. It’s so dire that preventing it has become the life’s work of many who treat pre-term babies, including Dr. Sheila Gephart with the University of Arizona College of Nursing in Tucson. Dr. Gephart and her team have created an NEC prevention protocol bundle that is showing promising outcomes, and she’s using a telementoring tool called Project ECHO to “force multiply” implementation and training around the protocol bundle to make large-scale change easier to accomplish at NICU level.
SEGMENT 2: Continued quality improvement (QI) is a high priority for every health care system at every level of care — and our nation’s NICUs are no exception. When working with the smallest of babies in the most precarious of medical situations, the principles of high reliability, the reliance upon evidenced-based protocols and practices, the ability to sustain success and to learn from failures are absolute necessities.
Neonatologist Dr. Hannah Fischer is Director of Quality Improvement and Safety for the Division of Neonatal Medicine at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky sits down with us to discuss her philosophy of NICU QI, bringing QI to NICUs across her state, and the quality measures that are critical in the first 60 minutes of the life of of a premature newborn — the so-called "Golden Hour".
Guests:
Sheila Gephart, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor and Interim Chair, Division of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Arizona, College of Nursing
Hannah Fischer, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Neonatology at the University of Louisville
Producer/Host: Carol Vassar
Full Series:
Part 1, Episode 50
The NICU View: Mom & Baby

Part 2, Episode 51
Fluid Dynamics: What's New in Treating EPRA
Part 4, Episode 53
Babies in Crisis: Understanding Neonatal Abstinence

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.

Ep. 51: Hot Topics in Neonatology (Part 2) Fluid Dynamics: What's New in Treating Early Pregnancy Renal Anhydramnios Jan 23, 2024

We continue our four-part series “Hot Topics in Neonatology” with Part 2 that explores the latest in neonatology-related research and education with experts from across the United States.
SEGMENT 1: Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds a baby during pregnancy, and it plays a key role in the development of the fetus. According to the March of Dimes, in the early weeks of pregnancy, the amniotic fluid is mostly water that comes from mom. After about 20 weeks, the baby’s urine makes up most of the amniotic fluid. There are instances, however, when there is fetal kidney disease. That means no urine, and no amniotic fluid. That is known as Early Pregnancy Renal Anhydramnios (EPRA), which is almost universally fatal. However, there is a new trial taking place in the U.S. — the RAFT Trial — which provides amniotic fluid replacement. Here to talk about this promising new development is Dr. Jena Miller, who serves as an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy in Baltimore.
SEGMENT 2: According to the NIH, medical simulation allows the acquisition of clinical and non-clinical skills for use in a health care setting through deliberate practice. In simulation, trainees can make mistakes and learn from them without the fear of harming any patients. Dr. Rachel Umoren is a Neonatologist at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital where she is the Director of the Neonatal Education and Simulation-Based Training Program. Her research focuses on improving neonatal outcomes globally through simulation-based education, and our wide-ranging conversation includes her work using a Smart-phone-based virtual simulation app to bring training to underresourced areas here and abroad.
Guests:
Jena Miller, MD, Assistant Professor, John Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy
Rachel Umoren, MD, MS, Director, Neonatal Education and Simulation-Based Training Program, Seattle Children’s Hospital
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
Full Series:
Part 1, Episode 50
The NICU View: Mom & Baby

Part 3, Episode 52
Fragile Beginnings: Exploring NEC in Newborns
Part 4, Episode 53
Babies in Crisis: Understanding Neonatal Abstinence

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.

Ep. 50: Hot Topics in Neonatology (Part 1) The NICU View: Mom & Baby Jan 22, 2024

We begin our four-part series “Hot Topics in Neonatology” with the story of author and preemie family advocate Deborah Discenza. Deb was 30 weeks pregnant when she gave birth to her daughter, Becky. In this episode she shares their NICU story of persistence, resilience, and how she is paying it forward by helping and supporting other pregnant people and their pre-term babies.
Find resources and more info at PreemieWorld Foundation.

Guest: Deb Discenza, Founder & Executive Director, PreemieWorld Foundation Inc.

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
Full Series:
Part 2, Episode 51
Fluid Dynamics: What's New in Treating EPRA
Part 3, Episode 52
Fragile Beginnings: Exploring NEC in Newborns
Part 4, Episode 53
Babies in Crisis: Understanding Neonatal Abstinence

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.

Ep. 49: Beyond the Mosquito - Exploring Zika's Impact on Neuroblastoma Jan 15, 2024

New research indicates that injecting neuroblastoma tumors with Zika virus can shrink or eliminate those tumors in mice, suggesting that the virus could someday serve as an effective cancer therapy. This is newly published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Research Communications, from the American Association for Cancer Research.
On this week's episode, we hear from the study's lead, Dr. Tamarah Westmoreland, and first author, Dr. Joseph Mazar, both with Nemours Children’s Health, about this incredibly exciting research.
For more information, read the recent press release about the study.
EXCITING UPDATE - AUG. 20, 2024: Nemours Children's received its largest donation to a single research project thanks to the Pass It On to Kids Foundation. Its $7 million donation will advance the groundbreaking research harnessing the Zika virus to target and eradicate neuroblastoma and ovarian cancers.
Guests:
Tamarah J. Westmoreland, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Joseph Mazar, PhD, Research Scientist, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 48: Calling Cooks and Caretakers Jan 08, 2024

SEGMENT 1: Culinary medicine is an evidence-based medical practice that affirms the saying "You are what you eat." One part food, one part cooking, and one part medical science, culinary medicine aims to help folks make the right decisions about food to help prevent and treat disease. Pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Maria Mascarenhas with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia counts among her many specialties culinary medicine. On this episode, we talk about her passion for this relatively unknown but vitally important sliver of health care.
SEGMENT 2: Whenever a child leaves the hospital setting for home, it's a cause for celebration. But it's also the moment when the role of hospital-based child life providers — the specialists who help children cope with their medical experience — often ends. For children whose medical conditions continue to require treatment, even at home, their psychosocial needs don't end, and one Texas-based organization, Child Life On Call, is using technology to bring important child life services to kids outside the hospital setting, no matter where in the world they may live.
Carol Vassar, producer
Guests:
Maria Mascarenhas, MBBS, pediatric gastroenterologist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Katie Taylor, CCLS, CEO & Founder, Child Life on Call

Jamie Gentille, MPH, CCLS, Advisory Board Member, Child Life on Call

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.

Ep. 47: Marathon Endurance Jan 01, 2024

SEGMENT 1: We're exploring the world of pediatric anesthesiology and the pressures and stresses of being an anesthesiologist with Dr. Destiny Chau, Dr. Meera Gangadharan, and Dr. Meenakshi Atteri.
SEGMENT 2: It's a trip to Philadelphia Marathon Weekend to learn more about the mentorship work of Students Run Philly Style with its Executive Director Lauren Kobylarz .
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
Guests:
Meera Gangadharan, MD, FAAP, FASA, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston
Destiny Chau, MD, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, and Professor, Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Anesthesia, University of Arkansas Medical System
Meenakshi Atteri, MD, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Arkansas Children's Hospital
Lauren Kobylarz, Executive Director, Students Run Philly Style

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.

Ep. 46: Tiny Innovations, Big Impact Dec 25, 2023

It's a pediatric health care innovation episode of Well Beyond Medicine covering two new tools applicable to improving the health and health care experience of the smallest of babies.
SEGMENT 1: It was a casual exchange between two colleagues that proved to be the point of conception for an infant positioning cradle, dubbed SmolTap, a simple medical device designed to safely, comfortably and easily hold an infant who is undergoing a spinal tap.
SEGMENT 2: We'll talk about the smart baby bottle that is helping feed and measure outcomes for premature babies still in the NICU, where feeding issues are not uncommon.
Guests:
Robert "Bob" Cooper, CEO, SmolTap
Tom Hickey, Communications Advisor to SmolTap
Tommy Cunningham, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO, nfant®
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 45: Breakthroughs in Sickle Cell Disease Dec 18, 2023

You've probably heard the news: an FDA-approved treatment for sickle cell disease applying the gene-editing tool CRISPR is now available in the U.S. It's a landmark moment in medical science on two fronts: the treatment - called Casgevey - is the first FDA-approved regimen to utilize CRISPR technology to treat any genetic disease. And it's a huge leap forward in the treatment of sickle cell, a genetic disease affecting about 100,000 people in the U.S. - mostly African Americans.
Today, we'll delve into what this means for patients, learn more about the process they must undergo to receive a genetic sickle cell treatment, the little-known side effect of that process that affects their fertility - and how their fertility can be preserved.
Guests:
Manisha Bansal, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville
Vrunda Patel, MD, Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Danielle Morley, BSN, RN, CPHON, Program Manager, Andrew McDonough B+ Fertility Preservation Program
Fredrianna Copeland Webster, advocate and sickle cell disease patient, Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville
Carol Vassar, host/producer
For more information on sickle cell disease and to hear more of Fredianna's story, be sure to check out Episode 34 of the Well Beyond Medicine podcast.
Click here to see Fredriana's billboard for Florida State College at Jacksonville.

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.

Ep. 44: Weighty Matters with Dr. Sandip Godambe and Dr. Kirk Reichard Dec 11, 2023

SEGMENT 1: Orange County, California is home to nearly 3.2 million people. Its 42 miles of beachfront and major attractions such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Mission San Juan Capistrano, make it a major West Coast tourist destination. Orange County is also home to the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), where Dr. Sandip Godambe is the Chief Medical Officer. In a wide-ranging discussion, we talk with Dr. Godambe about the ways in which CHOC's approach is similar to Nemours Children's Health in going well beyond medicine.
SEGMENT 2: Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States, putting children and adolescents at risk for poor health. The prevalence of obesity for children and adolescents aged 2-19 pre-pandemic was 19.7%, affecting about 14.7 million kids. We'll dive into this issue with Nemours Children's Health Dr. Kirk Reichard — a leading national expert on childhood obesity and its treatments.
Guests:
Sandip Godambe, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Kirk W. Reichard, MD, Clinical Director, Division of General Surgery, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware

Carol Vassar, producer/host

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.

Ep. 43: Nourishing Hope Amid Childhood Food Insecurity Dec 04, 2023

SEGMENT 1: The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that in 2022, one in every five children in the United States was unsure where, when, or even if they would get their next meal. Childhood food insecurity significantly impacts physical, social, cognitive, and behavioral development.
Blessings in a Backpack has become a national leader and model for fighting food insecurity in kids and working to put them on the path to a healthy start by providing hungry children with backpacks filled with nutritious food items - enough to last from when a child leaves school on Friday until they return the following Monday.
SEGMENT 2: Nemours Children's Health Assistant Vice President and Chief Patient Experience Officer Dr. Peggy Greco outlines what she sees as the three most important influences on a child's mental and emotional health.
Guests:
Beth Bush, Director of Athletic & Strategic Partnerships, Blessings in a Backpack
Peggy Parish, Community Engagement Director, Nemours Children's Health, Florida
Peggy Greco, PhD, Assistant Vice President, Chief Patient Experience Officer, Nemours Children’s Health
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 42: Moving at the Speed of Healthcare Innovation Nov 27, 2023

Healthcare has always been a hotbed of innovation, though it seems today to be moving forward at light speed, with a wide range of advancements to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, safety, accessibility, and quality of healthcare services at the bedside and behind the scenes.
We're talking healthcare innovation today with two national experts whom we met up with at HLTH 2023, including Nemours Children’s Chief Innovation Officer Eric Jackson, MD, MBA, and nurse futurist Bonnie Clipper, DNP.
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
Guests:
Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, FAAN, Founder & CEO, Innovation Advantage
Eric V. Jackson Jr., MD, MBA, Chief Innovation Officer, Nemours Children's Health

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.

Ep. 41: Disrupting Healthcare with Dr. Stephen Klasko Nov 20, 2023

Dr. Stephen Klasko is a dynamic healthcare visionary who led Jefferson Health in Philadelphia as its President and CEO during much of the COVID-19 pandemic and currently serves as Executive in Residence for the venture capital group General Catalyst (GC).
GC made news when they announced their intention to create the Health Assurance Transformation Corporation, through which they plan to buy an as-yet-unnamed healthcare system. The principles of this new company are based on Dr. Klasko's 2020 book entitled "UnHealthCare: A Manifesto for Health Assurance," and he gives us the basics in a wide-ranging conversation.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 40: Exploring Information as a Social Health Determinant with YouTube's Dr. Garth Graham Nov 13, 2023

Dr. Garth Graham, the Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health Partnerships at YouTube, has long espoused the belief that information is a social determinant of health. We had the chance to talk with Dr. Graham at HLTH 2023 in Las Vegas about this concept, as well as the topics of medical misinformation, health literacy, and the role, influence, and responsibility of YouTube - the world's most popular online video platform - and its parent company, Google, in creating a space where high-quality, evidenced-based health information get to the eyes and ears of those who need it.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 39: The Anatomy of Medical Misinformation Nov 06, 2023

Medical misinformation is a serious issue that is on the radar of policymakers, public health officials, pediatricians, and parents alike. It's so prominent that in 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging and an undercurrent of medical misinformation working against public health efforts at vaccination, the Office of U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the deadly consequences of health misinformation and its equally concerning sibling, medical disinformation. Now Dr. Geeta Nayyar, a rheumatologist and former chief medical officer for AT&T and Salesforce, has penned a book about it, entitled "Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare's Misinformation Illness." tackling the age-old and increasingly more entrenched issue of medical misinformation and disinformation and its impacts on the health care system and patients like you and me.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 38: A Conversation with Alex Azar and Dr. Larry Moss Oct 30, 2023

If you are serious about pushing boundaries and transforming health and wellness, HLTH is the place to be. The 2023 edition of HLTH, held earlier this month in Las Vegas, united more than 10,000 senior executives, decision-makers, and innovators across the healthcare spectrum whose common goal is to discuss the trends and strategies needed to create health's future and move them forward. This year, Nemours Children's Health convened HLTH's first-ever track focused on creating the healthiest generations of children.
It's a goal near and dear to the heart of Nemours' president and CEO, Dr. Larry Moss, who joined us in our HLTH podcast booth in Las Vegas as we sat down for a conversation with Alex Azar, the 24th Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, who served in that post from January 2018 to January 2021.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 37: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare - The Future (Part 3 of 3) Oct 27, 2023

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.

Ep. 36: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare - The Perils (Part 2 of 3) Oct 25, 2023

For all the hope that artificial intelligence (AI) brings to healthcare, there are perils, patient privacy concerns, public trust, legal and ethical considerations, the fear of biased algorithms, and how to handle the need for massive amounts of the right data to feed AI algorithms. We'll discuss that with experts from across the world of pediatric cardiology.
Featuring:
Dr. Rima Arnaout, Assistant Professor in Medicine, University of California San Francisco
Dr. Devyani Chowdhury, Cardiologist, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Dr. Mark Friedberg, Pediatric Cardiologist, Labatt Family Heart Centre, Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Canada
Dr. Babar Hasan, MBBS, Associate Professor and a Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at the Department of Pediatric and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, Director of the Echocardiography Laboratory at the Heart Center of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago
Dr. Charitha Reddy, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford Medicine, Palo Alto, California
Carol Vassar, producer
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Mark Friedberg, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Charitha Reddy, Stanford Medicine
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout, University of California San Francisco

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout Oct 25, 2023

Dr. Rima Arnaout is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and a member of the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, and her area of expertise is as an adult cardiologist. Yet her work in artificial intelligence has spilled into the pediatric world. Her vast knowledge base includes research and background with AI as a predictive tool. We began our conversation at the World Congress of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Washington, DC, discussing a specific aspect of AI known as predictive analytics and how it applies to both adult and pediatric cardiac medicine.
Carol Vassar, producer
Additional episodes in this AI series:
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Mark Friedberg, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Charitha Reddy, Stanford Medicine
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan Oct 25, 2023

Dr. Babar Hasan is an Associate Professor and a Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at the Department of Pediatric and Child Health, Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. We sat down with him at the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Washington DC recently to talk about artificial intelligence from a global perspective: development, research, and clinical implementation.
Carol Vassar, host/producer
Additional episodes in this AI series:
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Mark Friedberg, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Charitha Reddy, Stanford Medicine
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout, University of California San Francisco

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Pei-Ni Jone Oct 25, 2023

Dr. Pei-Ni Jone is Director of the Echocardiography Laboratory a the Heart Center of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Jone also leads an artificial intelligence workgroup for the American College of Cardiology. The group was established to help fill an education gap for her fellow member physicians regarding the fast-paced changes that AI is bringing to the field. We sat down at the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery to discuss an AI education gap among physicians, clinicians, and the public.
Carol Vassar, host/producer
Additional episodes in this AI series:
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Mark Friedberg, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Charitha Reddy, Stanford Medicine
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout, University of California San Francisco

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Charitha Reddy Oct 23, 2023

Dr. Charitha Reddy joins us for this episode. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric Cardology, Stanford Medicine, Palo Alto, CA. We sat down to talk at the recent World Congress of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery about a wide range of topics regarding artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare, including deep learning, which she'll explain more fully in relation to the echocardiogram.
Carol Vassar, host/producer
Additional episodes in this AI series:
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Mark Friedberg, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout, University of California San Francisco

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Mark Friedberg Oct 23, 2023

Dr. Mark Friedberg is a Pediatric Cardiologist at the Labatt Family Heart Centre, in the Division of Cardiology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. He's also a senior associate scientist at the research center there. When we met up to talk with him at the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Washington, DC recently, we started our discussion with the importance to AI development of collaboration both inside and outside of the worlds of medicine and healthcare.
Additional episodes in this AI series:
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Charitha Reddy, Stanford Medicine
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout, University of California San Francisco

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.

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: A Primer Oct 23, 2023

Seemingly everywhere we turn, we hear about artificial intelligence - AI, and healthcare is no exception. In fact, it appears that healthcare and medicine are at the beginning stages of an all-encompassing AI revolution.
Let's set the stage, though, about what AI in healthcare is with two experts from Nemours Children's Health: Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Devyani Chowdhury and Dr. Shubhika Srivastava, Co-Director of the Nemours Children's Health Cardiac Center, and Chief of Cardiology for Nemours Childrne's Health Delaware.
Additional Episodes in this AI series:
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: The Promise (Part 1 of 3)
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Mark Friedberg, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Charitha Reddy, Stanford Medicine
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare: Dr. Pei-Ni Jone, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Babar Hasan, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare with Dr. Rima Arnaout, University of California San Francisco
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 35: Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare - The Promise (Part 1 of 3) Oct 23, 2023

It seems we've been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence (AI) lately: It’s how Netflix knows what to recommend you watch next. From ChatGPT to Netflix, AI is everywhere - and it's changing healthcare in all its aspects. The promise, the peril, and the prophecy of AI in healthcare are what we are going to examine in our next three podcast episodes. We’ll be talking with pediatric experts in one specific area - cardiology - to get their take on AI and how it’s changed and is changing their work with patients and families.
Featuring:
Dr. Rima Arnaout, Assistant Professor in Medicine, University of California San Francisco

Dr. Devyani Chowdhury, Cardiologist, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

Dr. Mark Friedberg, Pediatric Cardiologist, Labatt Family Heart Centre, Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Canada

Dr. Babar Hasan, MBBS, Associate Professor and a Consultant Pediatric Cardiologist at the Department of Pediatric and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Dr. Charitha Reddy, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford Medicine, Palo Alto, California

Dr. Shubhika Srivastava, Co-Director of the Nemours Children's Health Cardiac Center and Chief of Cardiology for Nemours Children's Health Delaware

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.

Ep. 34: Understanding Sickle Cell Disease: Myths, Facts, and Support Oct 16, 2023

SEGMENT 1: THE PLAYERS Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health includes the only pediatric sickle cell program in Jacksonville and one of the largest in the state of Florida. And it’s sickle cell disease we’re talking about today with Nemours hematologist/oncologist Dr. Julian Zorrilla and self-professed sickle cell advocate, warrior, and patient Fredrianna Copeland-Webster. Fredrianna and Dr. Zorrilla sat down with us for an interview as part of Well Beyond Medicine Day in Jacksonville earlier this month to help raise awareness about this group of blood disorders we know as sickle cell disease.
SEGMENT 2: We catch up with Dr. Peggy Greco, Assistant Vice President and Chief Experience Officer for Nemours Children’s Health, to get her thoughts as a psychologist about what she sees as the three most significant influences on a child’s social, emotional, and mental health.
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.

Ep. 33: Stepping to the Plate for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Oct 09, 2023

The word of the day was “awareness” at Citizens Bank Park this September as the Philadelphia Phillies hosted their 7th annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Night. As we learned, awareness brings funding to support improved pediatric cancer treatments and research that ultimately save lives. While at the game that night, we sat down with William Martin, president of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, to learn more about the impetus behind the foundation’s historic $78 million gift — $25 million of which is dedicated for sickle cell disease research — and get an update on how it’s already transforming treatment for children at Nemours Children’s Health and beyond.

Later in the episode, we were joined by Mary Newman, Director of Nursing for the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health, who explains how the generous gift is impacting lives now and will into the future. Mary oversees all aspects of the Institute’s work and plays a key role in working with the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation to implement the shared vision of transforming pediatric cancer treatment.
Carol Vassar, producer and host
Guests:
William J. Martin, Esq., President, Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation
Mary Newman, MSN, RN, CPON, NE-BC, Director of Nursing, Lisa Dean Moseley Institute for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health

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.

Ep. 32: Phillies for Hope - Championing Cancer Awareness Oct 02, 2023

Nemours Children’s Health is the official Children’s Hospital of the Phillies, and the team graciously opened its doors to our podcast team during their Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night so that we could bring you the inspiring patient story of 13-year-old Madison Handley. Diagnosed with cancer twice in her lifetime, Madison and her parents, Erin and Rob, share how cancer has affected their lives and why they feel it's important to share their story.
In our second segment, we meet Nemours hematology/oncology nurse Dyane Bunnell, who has treated patients like Madison for 41 years. Her commitment and leadership have earned her a place on the national stage as the 2023/2024 president of the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 31: Integration - At the Heart of Better Care Sep 25, 2023

Pediatric psychologist Dr. Erica Sood joins us again in this episode to talk about her work improving the emotional health of children with chronic health conditions and her research into the care of moms, dads, and other family members following a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease.

We also talk with Dr. Zachary Boynton, Co-Chief Resident at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, on heart health in high school athletes and the effectiveness of including an electrocardiogram, or ECG, in a student-athlete’s pre-participation health screening.
Recorded at the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Washington, DC.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 30: Three Questions, Six Leaders Sep 18, 2023

The recent "Well Beyond Medicine Day" in Orlando, Florida saw the Nemours Children's Podcast truck on site and ready with microphones open to hear from Nemours associates at all levels, including six members of the Nemours Children's Health, Florida Leadership Team:

Of them, we asked three specific questions, eliciting a variety of thought-provoking answers. Listen in as we bring you, in their own words, the Nemours Children's Health, Florida leadership perspective on the barriers and challenges surrounding the social determinants of health, and firsthand accounts of patients and families working with Nemours associates to overcome such barriers, both large and small.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 29: Fostering Diversity & Equity in Pediatric Cardiac Care Sep 11, 2023

Dr. Carissa Baker Smith is a preventive and transplant cardiologist whose research includes a high concentration of work looking at the social determinants of health and working to mitigate health disparities for patients with congenital heart disease.
She sat down with us when we took the podcast on the road to the 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, a biennial gathering of international experts. Dr. Baker-Smith was there to moderate panel discussions on topics ranging from her area of specialty to the need for diversity in the health care workforce, all of which we discuss.
Carol Vassar, producer
Guest: Carissa M. Baker-Smith, MD, MPH, MS
Director, Preventive Cardiology Program at
Nemours Children's Cardiac Center, Delaware Valley

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.

Ep. 28: Cultivating Health - The Can Grow Garden at Nemours Sep 05, 2023

As harvest season approaches, we're checking in on the Can Grow Garden, part of the Nemours Estate in Wilmington, Delaware. This encore episode was originally recorded for the Champions for Children series.
The Can Grow Garden is a collaboration between the Nemours Estate and Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, to grow plants and provide a place for patient, family, and associate education and respite. The grown plants - mainly vegetables - provide food for the community helping to alleviate food insecurity and providing a platform to teach healthy cooking and eating. For more information about the Can Grow Garden, contact Judy Lieberman.

Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 27: Reflecting Resilience Aug 28, 2023

At Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, associates (staff) and patients celebrated “Well Beyond Medicine Day" with some very honored guests. These VIPs stopped by the podcast to talk about osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic disease in which bones fracture (break) easily, often with no obvious cause or minimal injury.

Detroit resident Stephen Sheehy is a remarkable man who answered the Nemours Children's Health call for an adult male with OI to be part of the Nemours Children's "Reflections” ad campaign. Already lined up was 4-year-old Nemours OI patient MJ Strickland. Guest host Cheryl Munn boarded our mobile Well Beyond Medicine podcast truck to talk with Steve, MJ’s mom Alex Rice, and the leader of MJ’s care team, Nemours orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alec Stall about OI: how it’s diagnosed and treated today versus when Steve was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s; barriers faced and overcome; the importance of community connection; and how Steve became a model for Nemours.

Host: Cheryl Munn
Producer: Carol Vassar
Guests:
Stephen Sheehy, husband, father and adult living with OI
Alex Rice, mom to Nemours Children's Health OI patient MJ
Alec Stall, MD, Vice Chair, Department of Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida

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.

Ep. 26: Innovative Pediatric Care for Florida's Panhandle Aug 21, 2023

Pediatric Cardiologist Mary Mehta, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer at Nemours Children’s Health, Pensacola. For more than 20 years she has served the communities of the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. It's a vast swath of land that draws visitors from around the world to its beautiful white sand beaches. It's also a hurricane-prone area dotted with rural communities and military bases. Dr. Mehta discusses the challenges and opportunities that exist to ensure families can access the care and services they need for their children, when and where they need them.
Hear more from Dr. Mehta on Nemours Champions for Children's Health Episode 58.

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.

Ep. 25: Unraveling the Web of Health Misinformation Aug 14, 2023

Navigating Misinformation and Becoming An Academic Sleuth in the Social Media Age was the topic presented as a panel discussion at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC. Panel member Dr. Atul Malhotra advises healthcare professionals on how best to present evidence-based medical information on social media to avoid misinterpretation and he shares advice for parents and caregivers on how to steer clear of medical misinformation on social media.
We also dig into Dr. Malhotra's neonatal cell therapy research at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where he serves as Associate Professor Consultant Neonatologist & Head of the Early Neurodevelopment Clinic at Monash Children's Hospital.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 24: Brian Alverson: A Pediatrician's Journey to Excellence in Research, Medical Education and Innovation Aug 07, 2023

Dr. Brian Alverson is a healthcare clinician, educator, innovator, and patent-holder who currently serves as the Nemours Pediatric Residency Program director. We met up with Brian at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting to talk about his vision for the Residency program, his recently granted patent for children undergoing spinal taps, and his leadership in working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to create evidence-based guidelines to diagnose and streamline the care of children with urinary tract infections.
Carol Vassar, producer/host

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.

Ep. 23: Reflections: Envisioning the Future Jul 31, 2023

Hear about the development of Nemours Children's Health's newest brand campaign, Reflections, which depicts the future of children whose lives are positively impacted when social, cultural and healthcare delivery barriers cease to exist. The campaign also serves as an invitation to every person and organization already on this journey to address the social impacts of health to come together to make full health and wellness a reality for every child across the U.S.
Featuring:
Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer, Nemours Children's Health
Drew Landmeier, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Nemours Children's Health
Shanky Das, Co-Founder, and Chief Creative Officer, Tilt

Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 22: Critical Reactions: New Research on Pediatric Anaphylaxis Jul 24, 2023

Anaphylaxis is a word that sends shivers down the spines of parents, grandparents, and caregivers everywhere, and with good reason - it can be life-threatening. Joining us to define anaphylaxis and give us an update on what’s happening in the research world to prevent and treat it is Dr. Timothy Dribin, Associate Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Dribin is one of the world’s leading researchers on anaphylaxis in children. He presented primary data on that subject at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Washington, DC, where we spoke with him.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 21: Early Intervention Optimizes Hearing & Development Jul 17, 2023

Dr. Thomas Babcock is a pediatric otolaryngologist — an ear, nose, and throat specialist, commonly referred to by the acronym ENT. He joined Nemours Children's Health, Pensacola in December 2022 with a specific task: rebuild a much-needed pediatric cochlear implant program for Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama.

Dr. Babcock was born and raised in the Gulf Coast Region. Serving his community as an ENT specialist has become his mission, one that began just steps from the specialty clinic in Pensacola where we conducted this interview.
Carol Vassar, host/producer
Guest: Thomas Babcock, MD
Nemours Children's Health, Pensacola
Subscribe, review or leave a voicemail with your thoughts at NemoursWellBeyond.org.

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.

Ep. 20: Representation Matters - Scholar Leaders Fighting Health Disparities Jul 10, 2023

There is no single solution to the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in health care today. But myriad efforts are being made. In this episode of the podcast, we’re focusing our conversation on one such effort: The New Century Scholars Resident Mentoring Program from the Academic Pediatric Association. The New Century Scholars program aims to decrease racial/ethnic disparities by increasing the number of pediatricians working in academic settings such as education, research, and clinical care.

Here to talk about the program are three past New Century Scholars: 2023 program co-director Dr. Brandi Freeman, an academic pediatrician at the University of Colorado where she also serves as their Vice Chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion; co-director Dr. Morgan Walls, a general academic pediatrician at Atrium Health Wake Forest in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dr. Rachel Thornton, Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer for Nemours Children’s Health.
Learn more about the New Century Scholars Resident Mentoring Program.
Carol Vassar, host/producer

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.

Ep. 19: Collaboration Across Pediatrics, featuring Dr. Juan Salazar from Connecticut Children's Jul 03, 2023

In a wide-ranging interview conducted at the 2023 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, we talk with Dr. Juan Salazar, Chief Medical Officer at Connecticut Children's, about the growing need for collaborative pediatric research, tackling health disparities in a multicultural capital city, and what it was like to be an infectious disease specialist leading a pediatric health care system through a pandemic.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 18: Beyond Borders: Children's Health Around The Globe Jun 26, 2023

Beena Kamath-Rayne, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist with 20 years of clinical experience and expertise in clinical research, quality improvement, and medical education. Since 2019, she has served as vice president for Global Newborn and Child Health for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
While she was in Washington, DC, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting, we had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss the state of global pediatric health and some of the AAP initiatives designed to improve pediatric health no matter where a child lives.
Carol Vassar, producer/host

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.

Ep. 17: Hope For Saving The Tiniest Babies Jun 19, 2023

When it comes to preterm births, the World Health Organization estimates that 15 million babies are born before the completion of 37 weeks gestation. Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under five years of age, with approximately 1 million deaths in 2015. Strikingly, three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with current, cost-effective interventions.

In an interview recorded at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Washington, DC, in May 2023, we spoke with Dr. Brett Manley on the research he is doing to add to those interventions. Dr. Manley is a Consultant Neonatologist at The Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of Melbourne. The research he’s doing right now as the co-investigator of the PLUSS trial seeks to determine whether a particular two-drug protocol can lessen the effects or even prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common and serious complication in extremely preterm babies.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 16: Genomics For All! Awareness. Access. Equity. Jun 12, 2023

Genomics and precision medicine are becoming pillars of health care, but how do they apply to pediatrics — and how can we ensure equitable access? Dr. Pankaj B. Agrawal, principal investigator (PI) of the NIH-funded Virtual Genome Center for Infant Health (VIGOR), joined us in our mobile podcast studio at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2023 meeting to discuss that and much more! VIGOR is an NIH-funded study that has created partnerships to develop and implement a novel virtual model for genomic care with the hopes of proving that tele-genomic care is feasible and reproducible to any Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) — increasing accessibility and equity for all families.
Plus, hear the voices of PAS participants with their definitions of the phrase "well beyond medicine."
Carol Vassar, host/producer
Guest:
Pankaj Agrawal, MD, MMSc, Chief, Division of Neonatology, University of Miami Jackson Health; Chair, Project Newborn; and Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
LinkedIn

Learn more about the Virtual Genome Center for Infant Health (VIGOR) Study

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.

Ep. 15: Social Media and Youth Mental Health Jun 05, 2023

According to the Pew Research Center, up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform, with more than one-third (35%) indicating they use social media “almost constantly.”

U. S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy — who has already raised the alarm on the youth mental health crisis in the U.S. — released an evidence-based advisory in May 2023. In it, he cited the dangers of social media and how content on these platforms, as well as the algorithms they use, target children and youth likely serving to exacerbate our nation’s youth mental health crisis.

Monica Barreto, PhD, is here to help us better understand this advisory and how social media affects the children she sees in her practice. Dr. Barreto is the Clinical Director of Behavioral Health for Nemours Children’s Health, Florida.
Carol Vassar, producer/host
Read the Surgeon General's advisory

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.

Ep. 14: What's Worrying Our Kids? May 30, 2023

Kids worry, but should parents worry about it?
A national survey released in April 2023 by Nemours® KidsHealth® and conducted by the Harris Poll indicates that more than one-third of children worry at least once a week, and it only gets worse as they get older.

As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, we discuss the results of this survey with Meghan Walls, PsyD, pediatric psychologist and Director of External Affairs for Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley, and Rick Raber, Editor-in-Chief for Nemours Children’s Health.

Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer

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.

Ep. 13: Well-being and the Health Care Workforce May 22, 2023

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has stated that burnout among healthcare workers has been at crisis levels since before the pandemic. Burnout is not limited to doctors or clinical providers - it can and does affect health care workers in non-clinical roles.
Nemours Children's started planting the seeds of burnout prevention and well-being promotion in the pre-pandemic period. They redoubled its efforts beginning in 2020 with the appointment of Dr. Maureen Leffler as its Chief Well-being Officer. Under her leadership, Nemours has become a national model in pediatric health care for implementing strategies to ensure the well-being of health care workers. She joins us today to talk about burnout, well-being, and wellness.
Carol Vassar, producer/host

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.

Ep. 12: Cultural Understanding Emanating Outward - The Nemours DESian and HAAPI ARGs May 15, 2023

On this week's episode, we examine an angle on the concept of well beyond medicine: cultural understanding. In this case, how it begins within the walls of Nemours Children's Health from our associates and emanates out others — patients, families, and, ultimately, into the community through our Associate Resource Groups (ARGS).

Representatives from two Nemours Children's ARGS, DESian (South Asia) and the Health Care Alliance of Asian and Pacific Islanders (HAAPI), join us as we honor Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander month.
Here's a link to Right to Be, as mentioned by Laura Kam.

Guests:
Rituparna Deb, MD
Sheeja K. Abraham, MD
Benjamin Duong, PharmD
Laura Kam

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.

Ep. 11: The Roadmap Project May 08, 2023

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re highlighting The Roadmap Project, presented at 2023 Pediatric Academic Societes (PAS) meeting in Washington, D.C. by pediatric psychologist Dr. Erica Sood from Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware, pediatric psychologist Dr. Jill Plevinsky from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and pediatrician Carole Lannon from Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, who also serves as a senior quality advisor for the American Board of Pediatrics.
Looking for more about The Roadmap Project? Check out their website.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Bonus Episode: What is Health Equity? May 04, 2023

The Nemours Well Beyond Medicine podcast team had the privilege of asking attendees of the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting their definition of "health equity." Here are some of their answers!
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 10: Welcome to Well Beyond Medicine: Our New Podcast May 01, 2023

The Champions for Children podcast is now the Well Beyond Medicine podcast. Learn the whys, hows, and wherefores in this episode, featuring Nemours Children's associates Drew Landmeier, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer; Che Parker, Communications Program Manager; and Cheryl Munn, Enterprise Communications Director.
Visit NemoursWellBeyond.org to access current episodes of Well Beyond Medicine and previous episodes of Champions for Children, subscribe to and review the podcast, and share your feedback and ideas.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 9: Navigating the Health Care System Apr 24, 2023

Teenagers across the nation are learning to navigate the often complex healthcare system thanks to a Nemours Children's-developed, no-cost, evidence-based health education curriculum called "Navigating the Health Care System." Today, we are joined by the Nemours associates who created and have made available this curriculum along with teachers from Delaware, Illinois, and Alabama to talk about how they have used or are using it in their classrooms.

Kate Blackburn and Denise Hughes from Nemours Children's Health, along with Ayanna Sterling, Program Manager, Health Literacy Program, Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center; Christine De Guzman, Health Education teacher, Brookside campus, Waukegan High School, Waukegan, Illinois and Katie Maranello, Delaware teacher, and original curriculum pilot researcher.

Download the "Navigating the Health Care System" curriculum here.

Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 8: BRIC x BRIC - Building Predictive Analytics Apr 17, 2023

Our topic is predictive analytics for research. Collecting it, preparing it, analyzing it, and protecting it are the Nemours Biomedical Research Informatics Center (BRIC) realm. BRIC provides consultation, training, and computational resources to biomedical research investigators across the enterprise and beyond. Our guests are BRIC Director Dr. Timothy Bunnell and Daniel Eckrich, BRIC’s Supervisor for Research Applications.

Carol Vassar, producer

Listen to other episodes in the Precision Medicine series:

Episode 153: What is Precision Medicine (July 25, 2022)

Episode 160: Changing Medicine through Pharmacogenomics Research (Sept. 12, 2022)

Episode 161: Pharmacogenomics in Practice (Sept. 19, 2022)

Episode 168: Biobanking at Nemours (Nov. 7, 2022)

Episode 171: Genetic Medicine and Genetic Counseling for Kids (Nov. 28, 2022)

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.

Ep. 7: Defining Value in Pediatric Healthcare Apr 10, 2023

Karen Wilding, Nemours' new Chief Value Officer, explains her role with the enterprise. She’ll also share her experience on 9/11, when she was a student in Washington, DC, where she watched the tragedy unfold. It was an event that shaped her life and put her on the path to becoming a Nemours associate.
Carol Vassar, producer

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.

Ep. 6: Driving Mental Wellness and Health Equity Apr 03, 2023

Dr. Roger Harrison joins us on this episode of the podcast. Together we delve into his work as a pediatric psychologist in the greater Wilmington, Delaware area, a role he's held at Nemours Children's Health for 20 years, and his longstanding passion for health equity and inclusion.

Carol Vassar, producer
Guest:
Roger Harrison, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

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.

Ep. 5: Biobanking at Nemours Mar 27, 2023

Biobanking is the process by which bodily fluid or tissue samples are collected for research to improve our understanding of health and disease. In this episode, we explore the past, present, and future of biobanking at Nemours Children's Health.

Carol Vassar, producer
Guests:
Diana Corao-Uribe, MD, Director, Biobank and Molecular Analysis Program (BMAP) at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Deepti Anand, PhD, MS, Research Scientist, Biobank and Molecular Analysis Program (BMAP) at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Jennifer Holbrook, BS, Program Manager, Biobank and Molecular Analysis Program (BMAP) at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

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.

Ep. 4: Genetic Medicine and Counseling for Kids Mar 20, 2023

According to the American Society of Human Genetics, medical genetics is any application of genetic principles to medical practice. This includes studies of inheritance, mapping disease genes, diagnosis and treatment, and genetic counseling, all offered by Nemours Children's Health.

Carol Vassar, producer
Guests:
Karen Gripp, MD, Pediatrician, and Genetic Researcher, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Laura Baker, Genetic Counselor, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
Louise Amlie-Wolf, Genetic Counselor, Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

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.

Ep. 3: Project HOPE Mar 13, 2023

Project HOPE stands for Harnessing Opportunity for Positive, Equitable Early Childhood Development. Nemours Children's Health is part of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded consortium promoting both equity and child well-being on a national level. How? By building the capacity of local communities, state leaders, cross-sector state teams, and local coalitions to prevent social adversities in early childhood. Part of it is making sure that stakeholder voices are heard loud and clear whenever and wherever new health strategies, policies or programs are created.

Carol Vassar, producer
Guests:
Georgia Thompson, Senior Program & Policy Analyst, National Office of Policy & Prevention, Nemours Children's Health
Trevor Lee, Program & Policy Analyst, National Office of Policy & Prevention, Nemours Children's Health

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.

Ep. 2: Precision Medicine – The Basics Mar 06, 2023

Precision medicine, personalized medicine, genetic medicine - these are all terms bandied about in the press, but what exactly do they mean? Who better to ask than two Nemours Children's Health geneticists with 73 years of combined experience in genetics: Dr. Pamela Arn, Division Chief for Genetics, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville, and Dr. Vicky Funanage, Operational Vice President for Research, Nemours Children's Health.
Carol Vassar, producer
Guests:
Pamela Arn, MD, Director of Education, Nemours Children's Health and Division Chief of Genetics, Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville
Vicky Funanage, PhD, Operational Vice President of Research, Nemours Children's Health

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.

Ep. 1: What is Well Beyond Medicine? Feb 27, 2023

Nemours Children's Health Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Enterprise Chief Communications Officer Gina Altieri shares her insights regarding the philosophy behind the enterprise tagline, Well Beyond Medicine, and how these three words represent Nemours Children's vision and strategy ingeniously.

Carol Vassar, producer
Guest: Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Enterprise Chief Communications Officer, Nemours Children's Health

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.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected