Johns Hopkins Children's Center

This year, Baltimore magazine recognized 28 physicians from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center as “Top Docs” ?? Our pediatric physicians were selected through an annual peer survey and represent a variety of specialties, including pediatric surgery, cardiology, orthopaedics, critical care, and many more. To see the full list of Children’s Center physicians who earned the recognition, visit https://bit.ly/3AvJ93u. #TopDocs #KidsHealth

National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is dedicated to raising awareness about hospice and palliative care — essential services that improve the quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses. We honor and thank this team for the supportive and compassionate care it provides. Melanie Brown, medical director of pediatric palliative care at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center reflects on this observance and shares insight about the goals of the Johns Hopkins pediatric palliative care program: “Hospice and palliative care for children may be very different from what we see in adults...Our team serves as a navigator for the families of children with serious illness, ensuring that each day is as good as it can be as defined by the family and the child. The goal is to support the patient’s goals and the patient’s values. This is what we strive for. Sometimes, this can mean avoiding a treatment that the medical team recommends if it is not in the patient’s goals, and it can also mean accepting a treatment that is in the patient’s goals if the benefit outweighs the risk. As a palliative medicine team, we work with the patient and family to focus on the best quality of life — whatever that means for them. Our team is comprised of several disciplines that represent what is important to patients and families. We have people that can help with spiritual, emotional and physical symptoms and medical decision making. Team members include physicians, nurse practitioners, a nurse, chaplains and a child life specialist. We work closely with patients’ primary care doctors and local hospice organizations to ensure that everyone has equal access to high quality care. We also have a robust training program where we train fellows, residents and medical students so that equal access to high quality care continues. These trainees will take what they have learned to serve wherever they decide to practice in the future. We have the best patients and a great team. Everyone here is so dedicated to the patients and the work we do.” #HAPCM #KidsHealth

Congratulations to the Johns Hopkins Cystic Fibrosis Center, Pediatric and Adult, for receiving the 2024 Outstanding Care Center Partnership Award at NACFC in Boston! Johns Hopkins has received this award for their ongoing partnership with the Maryland Chapter. Their excellent patient care, groundbreaking research, and relationship with our community are exemplary and befitting of this award.

Johns Hopkins Children’s Center researchers, including Sheela N. Magge, MD, MSCE and Risa Wolf, recently attended the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) annual meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. At the event, Wolf delivered a plenary presentation about microvascular complications – or long-term complications that affect small blood vessels, and macrovascular complications, which affect large blood vessels, in Type 1 diabetes. In addition, Wolf’s research about implementing autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) for diabetic retinopathy screening in pediatrics – the ACCESS randomized control trial, was highlighted for innovation, inclusion and inspiration. For more information about the ISPAD, visit ISPAD.org. #ISPAD2024 #KidsHealth

Recent research shows that at 24 months, children who received a health literacy-informed digital text and web-based intervention had better weight trajectories vs. those who did not. “We know that most children with obesity do not outgrow it,” Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH, said during her presentation at the ObesityWeek annual meeting. “Digital interventions may be well-suited for reducing health disparities, because cell phones are nearly ubiquitous, and this approach could be quickly scalable.” Read more about the Greenlight Plus Trial ?? https://bit.ly/3YWfiKP #KidsHealth #PediatricResearch

National Patient Transport week is observed Nov. 3–9. Our patient transport teams at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center keep patients moving in a safe and efficient manner. They ensure that patients are comfortable and provide specialized care wherever they are going. The Maryland Regional Neonatal Transport Program (MRNTP) is a joint collaboration between Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and the University of Maryland Medical System, providing safe and efficient ground and air transportation services for infants and their families. Emmeline Tate is a neonatal transport nurse practitioner who is part of the MRNTP. To mark National Patient Transport Week, Tate reflects on her favorite part about her role: “My favorite part of being a transport neonatal nurse practitioner is the deep care I have for my patients. Supporting them to safely get from point A to point B during their most critical moments is a challenge I embrace with an open heart, mind and arms. These tiny, premature and critically ill infants keep me constantly alert, as every situation is brimming with something new. Whether precipitously navigating through the city or soaring high above it, I am constantly amazed by the resilience of our little ones. But I never face it alone — I’m always supported by an incredible team, each of us giving 110% to provide the best possible care for these babies and their families. I am honored to be a part of the MRNTP.” Help us celebrate our patient transport teams by leaving some love in the comments ??

The Division of Pediatric Nephrology recently celebrated with their patients and families for a Pediatric Kidney Transplant Reunion. Patients that attended received their transplant from 6 months to 30+ years ago. It was an inspiring day for all! #KidsHealth

Snowflake Station is an annual event where parents can shop for their hospitalized child and siblings, free of charge, during a time when buying gifts seems impossible ?? If you would like to participate, in-person donations must be delivered during the week of December 9-13. Gifts purchased through our online registry must be placed by December 1 to ensure they arrive in time. Visit https://lnkd.in/eKFUx8f7 for links and details. #SnowflakeStation #ForTheKids ??

National Radiologic Technology Week is celebrated Nov. 3–9 to recognize the important work of medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals and to commemorate the discovery of the X-ray by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on Nov. 8, 1895. To mark this observance, Lucas Sparta, a radiologic technologist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, explains more about the vital work of the team and what he enjoys most about his role ?? “The best part of being a radiologic technologist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is the involvement our profession has across the hospital and with almost every specialty. We provide essential information for children of all ages for both acute intervention and long-term care. Radiographers are often the first health care workers a patient encounters coming into the hospital. The sheer diversity of patients we get to work with and imaging we perform — ranging from the most common maladies to the most challenging and unique situations — ensures no two patients are ever alike and keeps our shifts interesting and engaging. Being a part of watching kids fascinated by their X-rays as patients and getting to be a part of their follow-up imaging as they grow up and get better is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have, no matter if our time together is one exam or years on end.” Please take a moment to thank all of the medical imaging and radiation therapy team members at the Children’s Center! #NRTW #RadTechWeek #KidsHealth

Exciting news! #HeartWarrior Zeke’s family was the top fundraising team at the DC heart walk last weekend. They raised an impressive $5,320.57! The team consisted of five families who have all been a huge part of the journey of raising Zeke, whose first and second surgeries were in 2021. Thank you for supporting the Johns Hopkins Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center ?? #CHDAwareness #HopkinsHearts