Tag Archive for: pediatric

Colorectal Textbook cover

Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery textbook now available

Colorectal Textbook cover

The cover of the new Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery textbook, edited by Marc A. Levitt, M.D., and Alejandra Vilanova-Sánchez, M.D.

The first edition of the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery textbook, edited by Marc A. Levitt, M.D., and Alejandra Vilanova-Sánchez, M.D., is now available.

The textbook provides comprehensive coverage of the anatomical and physiological aspects of complex colorectal and pelvic malformations presented in a practical and clinically focused way. Some of the topics explored include surgical protocols, the benefits of high-level collaboration between surgical services when treating these anomalies, treatment algorithms and care of complications.

The book also includes content on:

  • Evaluation and management of the newborn
  • Surgical interventions of the newborn, and when a primary repair versus a staged approach is required
  • The value of laparoscopy and when to use it
  • The importance of a transition program to adulthood

The Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, 1st edition textbook can be purchased here, and will benefit colorectal teams worldwide.

About the Editors

Marc Levitt

Marc Levitt, M.D., leads the colorectal program at Children’s National Hospital and is editor of the new Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery textbook.

Marc Levitt, M.D., currently leads the colorectal program at Children’s National Hospital, the first in the mid-Atlantic region to fully integrate surgery, urology, gynecology and gastroenterology into one cohesive program for children. He has been the driving force around the world in enhancing the care of children with colorectal and pelvic reconstructive needs through the development of specialized, integrated and collaborative surgical centers. He is internationally recognized as specializing in conditions affecting the newborn, pediatric and adolescent population affected with anorectal malformations (imperforate anus), cloacal malformations, Hirschsprung disease, as well as a variety of conditions leading to fecal incontinence, such as spinal conditions and functional constipation. Dr. Levitt has written three textbooks, and has authored over 200 scientific articles on these subjects.

Dr. Levitt is the founder of the Colorectal Team Overseas (CTO), which is a group of international providers that travel to the developing world to provide care and teaching for patients with colorectal needs. He co-founded the creation of the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC), which is an organization of collaborating colorectal centers across the globe.

Alejandra Vilanova-Sánchez, M.D., is a pediatric surgeon in the urogenital and colorectal unit at the University Hospital La Paz, Madrid. After finishing her training, she completed a fellowship in Pelvic Reconstruction Surgery at the Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her focus was on complex colorectal and pelvic surgery involving the gynecological and urological systems. Dr. Vilanova-Sánchez is a member of the Spanish Association of Pediatric Surgeons, European Pediatric Surgical Association (EUPSA) and ARM-net. She is a frequent speaker in international meetings and she has organized several national and international meetings on the topic of pediatric colorectal care. She participates annually in surgical brigades collaborating with nonprofit organizations, Colorectal Team Overseas and Helping Hands for Anorectal Malformations International, where she helps patients with colorectal conditions around the world.

2019 pitch competition

Pediatric medical device pitch competition deadline extended

2019 pitch competition

Pediatric innovators pitch for up to $250,000 in FDA-funded grant awards.

The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) announced today that the application deadline for its annual “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition is extended one week to Feb. 22 at midnight EST. Innovators and startup companies with devices in the pediatric cardiovascular, orthopedic and spine, or NICU sectors are invited to apply for a share of up to $250,000 in FDA-funded awards and access to a newly created NCC-PDI pediatric device accelerator program led by MedTech Innovator. Submissions are being accepted now.

Up to 30 companies will be selected for the first round of competition scheduled for March 23, 2020 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Up to 10 finalists chosen from that event will compete for up to $250,000 in grant awards in Toronto, Canada on October 4. Finalists also receive a spot in the MedTech Innovator 2020 Accelerator – Pediatric Track, which provides a customized curriculum and in-depth mentorship.  Finalists will be announced in May, 2020.

This is the ninth competition in seven years hosted by NCC-PDI, one of five FDA Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program members supporting the development and commercialization of pediatric medical devices. NCC-PDI is led by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Hospital and the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. Additional consortium members include accelerators Medtech Innovator, BioHealth Innovation and design firm partner Archimedic.

“This year’s competition focuses on three medical device areas of critical need for pediatric patients, so we want to give innovators as much time as possible to prepare their submissions,” said Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital and principal investigator of NCC-PDI . “Our goal is to support devices that will improve care for children by helping them advance on the pathway to commercialization. We have seen how this competition can provide significant momentum for pediatric innovations, so we want to encourage as much participation as possible.”

To date, NCC-PDI has mentored over 100 medical device sponsors to help advance their pediatric innovations, notes Eskandanian, with six devices having received either their FDA market clearance or CE marking. Along with the positive exposure of presenting at this competition, she notes that the success of NCC-PDI’s portfolio companies is attributed to funding, mentorship, support from partners and facilitated interactions between device innovators and potential investors.

Eskandanian notes that enhancing access to resources for pediatric innovators is one aim of the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus, a first-of-its-kind campus focused on pediatric healthcare innovation, currently under development on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus in Washington, D.C. With its proximity to federal research institutions and agencies, universities, academic research centers, as well as on site accelerator Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, the campus will create a rich ecosystem of public and private partners which, like the NCC-PDI network, will help bolster pediatric innovation and commercialization. Opening is scheduled for December 2020.

insulin and syringes

Diabetes clinic helps undocumented children manage their chronic condition

insulin and syringes

A diabetes clinic gives undocumented children with diabetes access to the care they need to maintain their health with this chronic condition.

In 2018, Jennifer Boughton, a social worker at Children’s National Hospital, came up with the idea of starting a diabetes clinic for patients whose immigration status prevented them from qualifying for insurance. The idea came about after undocumented children were arriving in the emergency department with high blood sugar and dangerously elevated ketone levels.

Through donations and the employees, who volunteer their time, Boughton’s idea became a reality. In January of 2019, the diabetes center held its first access clinic. The clinic has been open every three months since then for undocumented children with diabetes.

Flyers for the clinic are sent to local schools and organizations to help recruit patients.

In the first year, the patient volume has quadrupled and the hbA1c levels have decreased for patients who attend.

Read more about the Diabetes Access Clinic here.

 

Research & Innovation Campus

Tailoring treatments to young patients

Research & Innovation Campus

The Children’s National Research & Innovation campus will be a a one-of-a-kind pediatric research and innovation hub.

Children’s National Hospital president and CEO, Kurt Newman, M.D., recently spoke with Modern Healthcare about the soon-to-open Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus and how it will help address the lagging development of devices, medications and technologies specifically designed to help children.

You can read the full article here.

Marc Levitt

Premier pediatric colorectal program opens doors at Children’s National

Marc Levitt

“With the broad range of expertise at Children’s National, including the nation’s best NICU, I’m confident that colorectal patients will get better, integrated care faster and more effectively here than anywhere else in the world,” says Marc Levitt, M.D.

World-renowned surgeon opens first program for care and treatment of colorectal conditions in the mid-Atlantic.

A new, highly-specialized surgical program at Children’s National Hospital is expected to draw patients from around the world. The colorectal surgery program is the first in the mid-Atlantic region to fully integrate surgery, urology, gynecology and gastroenterology into one cohesive program for children. The program is led by Marc Levitt, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the surgical care and treatment of pediatric colorectal disorders who has performed over 10,000 surgeries to address a wide spectrum of problems involving the colon and rectum – more than any other full time practicing pediatric surgeon in the world.

“In the 25 years that I’ve been passionate about helping children with colorectal and pelvic conditions, I’ve learned that collaborative and integrated programs are the best way to care for them,” says Dr. Levitt. “With the broad range of expertise at Children’s National, including the nation’s best NICU, I’m confident that colorectal patients will get better, integrated care faster and more effectively here than anywhere else in the world.”

The program provides diagnosis and treatment for every type of colorectal disorder occurring in infants, children and adolescents, from the most common to the most complex. Every necessary specialty is integrated into the program in one convenient location to provide seamless care for all colon and rectum conditions, with particular expertise in:

  • Anorectal malformations
  • Cloacal malformations
  • Chronic constipation and fecal incontinence
  • Fecal and urinary incontinence related to spinal conditions such as spina bifida
  • Hirschsprung disease
  • Motility disorders

“Every child receives a customized treatment plan to address his or her unique needs,” Dr. Levitt says about the program. “Additionally, our surgeons often combine complex procedures across specialties to reduce the number of surgeries a child requires. It isn’t unusual for us to include urology, gynecology, and gastroenterology teams in the operating room alongside the colorectal surgeons so multiple issues can be addressed in a single procedure – we know that when possible, fewer surgeries is always better for the child.”

Dr. Levitt has cared for children from 50 states and 76 countries. He is the founder of Colorectal Team Overseas (CTO), a group of international providers who travel to the developing world to provide care for patients and teaching of their physicians and nurses. He co-founded the Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Learning Consortium (PCPLC), an organization of collaborating colorectal centers across the globe.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Marc Levitt and launch the comprehensive colorectal program under his expert leadership,” adds Anthony Sandler, M.D., surgeon-in-chief and vice president of the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children’s National. “There are few in the world who can provide the expertise and leadership in colorectal diagnoses and treatment that Marc brings with him to Children’s. Many children and families from the region and from around the world will benefit from his expertise and from the program in general.”

Albert Oh

Albert Oh, M.D., receives 2020 Emerging Leader Award from the ACPA

Albert Oh

Albert Oh, M.D., Director of the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Children’s National Hospital.

The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) recognized Albert Oh, M.D., with the 2020 Emerging Leader Award. This award is given to professionals who have been members of ACPA between three to 15 years, and who exhibit exemplary accomplishments and dedication to the issues affecting people with cleft and craniofacial conditions.

The ACPA is an association consisting of professionals who treat and/or perform research on cleft and craniofacial conditions. The nonprofit organization also supports those affected through education and resources through its ACPA Family Services program.

As the director of the Cleft and Craniofacial Program at Children’s National Hospital, Dr. Oh is a leader in the research, surgical treatment and holistic care of cleft and craniofacial patients. He has published over 75 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. Dr. Oh’s current research interests include the outcomes and safety of cleft and craniofacial procedures, 3-D analysis of craniofacial morphology, Pierre Robin sequence and vascular anomalies.

Dr. Oh says that “It is an honor to be recognized by the ACPA and to share their mission of advancing research and improving outcomes for all those affected by cleft and craniofacial conditions.”

Dr. Oh will be presented with his award during the ACPA’s 77th Annual Meeting in Portland, Or.

Pediatric device competition

Premier annual pediatric medical device competition now accepting submissions

Pediatric device competition

Pediatric innovators pitch for grant awards and participation in a special accelerator program.

The official call for submissions is underway for the premiere annual pediatric medical device competition, sponsored by National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI). The competition is led by Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Hospital, the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland and non-profit accelerator MedTech Innovator. The three organizations are all an integral part of the FDA-funded NCC-PDI, which aims to facilitate the development, production and distribution of pediatric medical devices. Additional NCC-PDI members include accelerator BioHealth Innovation and design firm Archimedic.

The competition focuses on pediatric devices in three areas of critical need: cardiovascular, orthopedic and spine, and neonatal intensive care (NICU) and is now accepting applications. Contestants will pitch for a share of up to $250K in grant awards and the opportunity to participate in the MedTech Innovator 2020 Accelerator – Pediatric Track.

The first stage of competition will be held on March 23 at the University of Maryland and will include up to 30 companies selected from all submissions received. Up to 10 finalists selected from that event will move on to the “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” finals on October 4, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. Finalists from the March qualifying round will be notified in May, 2020.

“While there is a great need for pediatric devices in many specialty areas, the development and commercialization process is very challenging because of the small market size and dynamic characteristics of the patient population,” says Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital and principal investigator of NCC-PDI. “To provide pediatric innovators with greater support in meeting these unique challenges, we must go beyond grant funding, which is why we are collaborating with MedTech Innovator to offer an accelerator program with a pediatric track.”

To date, NCC-PDI has mentored over 100 medical device sponsors to help advance their pediatric innovations, notes Eskandanian, with six devices having received either their FDA market clearance or CE marking. She says the success of NCC-PDI’s portfolio companies is attributed to funding, mentorship, support from partners, facilitated interactions between device innovators and potential investors, and being discovered during their presentations at the signature “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competitions.

While advancements have been made in some pediatric specialties, there is still a critical need for novel devices in cardiovascular, orthopedic and spine, and NICU areas. On average over the past decade, only 24 percent of life-saving medical devices approved by FDA – those that go through PMA and HDE regulatory pathways – have an indication for pediatric use. Of those, most are designated for children age 12 or older. “Devices designed specifically for the younger pediatric population are vitally needed and, at this early stage of the intervention, can significantly improve developmental outcomes for a child,” Eskandanian said.

For more information and to apply for the upcoming NCC-PDI pitch competition, visit https://medtechinnovator.org/pediatricapply/.

Enhancing access to resources for pediatric innovators is also one of the aims of the Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus, a first-of-its-kind focused on pediatric healthcare innovation, currently under development on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus in Washington, D.C. and opening in December, 2020. With its proximity to federal research institutions and agencies, universities, academic research centers, as well as on site accelerator Johnson and Johnson Innovation – JLABS, the campus will create a rich ecosystem of public and private partners which, like the NCC-PDI network, will help bolster pediatric innovation and commercialization.

NOTE: The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 22 at midnight EST.

Beth Tarini

Getting to know SPR’s future President, Beth Tarini, M.D., MS

Beth Tarini

Quick. Name four pillar pediatric organizations on the vanguard of advancing pediatric research.

Most researchers and clinicians can rattle off the names of the Academic Pediatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Pediatric Society. But that fourth one, the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR), is a little trickier. While many know SPR, a lot of research-clinicians simply do not.

Over the next few years, Beth A. Tarini, M.D., MS, will make it her personal mission to ensure that more pediatric researchers get to know SPR and are so excited about the organization that they become active members. In May 2019 Dr. Tarini becomes Vice President of the society that aims to stitch together an international network of interdisciplinary researchers to improve kids’ health. Four-year SPR leadership terms begin with Vice President before transitioning to President-Elect, President and Past-President, each for one year.

Dr. Tarini says she looks forward to working with other SPR leaders to find ways to build more productive, collaborative professional networks among faculty, especially emerging junior faculty. “Facilitating ways to network for research and professional reasons across pediatric research is vital – albeit easier said than done. I have been told I’m a connector, so I hope to leverage that skill in this new role,” says Dr. Tarini, associate director for Children’s Center for Translational Research.

“I’m delighted that Dr. Tarini was elected to this leadership position, and I am impressed by her vision of improving SPR’s outreach efforts,” says Mark Batshaw, M.D., Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer and Physician-in-Chief at Children’s National. “Her goal of engaging potential members in networking through a variety of ways – face-to-face as well as leveraging digital platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – and her focus on engaging junior faculty will help strengthen SPR membership in the near term and long term.”

Dr. Tarini adds: “Success to me would be leaving after four years with more faculty – especially junior faculty – approaching membership in SPR with the knowledge and enthusiasm that they bring to membership in other pediatric societies.”

SPR requires that its members not simply conduct research, but move the needle in their chosen discipline. In her research, Dr. Tarini has focused on ensuring that population-based newborn screening programs function efficiently and effectively with fewer hiccups at any place along the process.

Thanks to a heel stick to draw blood, an oxygen measurement, and a hearing test, U.S. babies are screened for select inherited health conditions, expediting treatment for infants and reducing the chances they’ll experience long-term health consequences.

“The complexity of this program that is able to test nearly all 4 million babies in the U.S. each year is nothing short of astounding. You have to know the child is born – anywhere in the state – and then between 24 and 48 hours of birth you have to do testing onsite, obtain a specific type of blood sample, send the blood sample to an off-site lab quickly, test the sample, find the child if the test is out of range, get the child evaluated and tested for the condition, then send them for treatment. Given the time pressures as well as the coordination of numerous people and organizations, the fact that this happens routinely is amazing. And like any complex process, there is always room for improvement,” she says.

Dr. Tarini’s research efforts have focused on those process improvements.

As just one example, the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, a federal advisory committee on which she serves, was discussing how to eliminate delays in specimen processing to provide speedier results to families. One possible solution floated was to open labs all seven days, rather than just five days a week. Dr. Tarini advocated for partnering with health care engineers who could help model ways to make the specimen transport process more efficient, just like airlines and mail delivery services. A more efficient and effective solution was to match the specimen pick-up and delivery times more closely with the lab’s operational times – which maximizes lab resources and shortens wait times for parents.

Conceptual modeling comes so easily for her that she often leaps out of her seat mid-sentence, underscoring a point by jotting thoughts on a white board, doing it so often that her pens have run dry.

“It’s like a bus schedule: You want to find a bus that not only takes you to your destination but gets you there on time,” she says.

Dr. Tarini’s current observational study looks for opportunities to improve how parents in Minnesota and Iowa are given out-of-range newborn screening test results – especially false positives – and how that experience might shake their confidence in their child’s health as well as heighten their own stress level.

“After a false positive test result, are there parents who walk away from newborn screening with lingering stress about their child’s health? Can we predict who those parents might be and help them?” she asks.

Among the challenges is the newborn screening occurs so quickly after delivery that some emotionally and physically exhausted parents may not remember it was done. Then they get a call from the state with ominous results. Another challenge is standardizing communication approaches across dozens of birthing centers and hospitals.

“We know parents are concerned after receiving a false positive result, and some worry their infant remains vulnerable,” she says. “Can we change how we communicate – not just what we say, but how we say it – to alleviate those concerns?”

Johannes Van den Anker

Dr. Johannes van den Anker awarded 2019 Sumner J. Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award

Johannes Van den Anker

Johannes van den Anker, M.D., Ph.D., division chief of Clinical Pharmacology and vice chair of Pediatrics for Experimental Therapeutics at Children’s National Health System, has been selected to receive the 2019 Sumner J. Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics by the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG). Given annually, the Yaffe Award was established in 2002 by the PPAG Board of Directors and recognizes individuals with significant and sustained contributions toward the improvement of children’s health through the field of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics.

Dr. van den Anker was selected as this year’s recipient for his contributions to the field of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics, which have expanded and enhanced medical knowledge about the use of drugs in children and about the treatment of disease. He has also played an integral role in training the next generation of clinical pharmacists and pharmacologists.

“This award means a lot to me as it recognizes the importance of the field I am so passionate about and to which I have dedicated my career,” says Dr. van den Anker.

Dr. van den Anker joined Children’s National in 2002 and has become a leader in the discipline of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics with significant contributions to research in this field. Some of his work includes changes in the dosing guidelines for frequently used antibacterial agents in newborns, the optimization of the dosing of pain medications in newborns and young infants and studies addressing the pharmacology of drugs in obese pediatric and adolescent patients.

“I am excited about being the 2019 recipient of this award” Dr. van den Anker says, “I am enthusiastic about future developments in the field of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics with multiple ongoing studies with my colleagues, ranging from antibiotic dosing to the management of muscular dystrophy with novel drugs.”

The award will be presented at the 28th PPAG Annual Meeting on Friday, April 12 in Oklahoma City, OK., where he will also present the 2019 Yaffe Award Lecture to the attendees. The title of his lecture is “The Evolution of Neonatal Pharmacology and Therapeutics:  A Story of Resistance, Resilience and Revelation”.

Congratulations to Dr. Johannes van den Anker for this highly deserved honor!

Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H. and Ankoor Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., named among 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health

Ankoor Shah and Kofi Essel

Ankoor Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., and Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H., were named 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health.

Two doctors from Children’s National Health System are among the recipients of the 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health award by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) for 2019. Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H., is a pediatrician, Ankoor Shah, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., is the medical director of the IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic and also a pediatrician at Children’s National.

Founded in 1998, the NMFQ is dedicated to ensuring that high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communities receive optimal health care. The 40 individuals selected for this award represent the next generation of thought leaders in reducing health disparities.

Dr. Kofi Essel is a pediatrician at the Children’s Health Center Anacostia.  His focus and research has been around health equity, obesity, food insecurity and nutrition.

“Hunger strikes so many of our families,” says Dr. Essel, “In D.C., we were number one in the nation for having the highest rate of food hardship in households with children.”

Dr. Essel is involved with many organizations and initiatives that raise awareness about hunger and how much of an issue it is.  He strives to be a partner for the families that he serves, many of whom are in the fight against obesity, and works alongside them to improve their overall health.

“It’s a huge honor to receive recognition from this national organization,” says Dr. Kofi Essel, “Ultimately, it allows us to have a bit more of a platform to continue to advance some of the great work we’re doing with health disparities.”

Dr. Ankoor Shah is the medical director for IMPACT DC asthma clinic and a pediatrician at the Children’s Health Center at THEARC.  His focus includes improving pediatric population health and reducing child health asthma disparities.

“Through the coordination of the best in class care at Children’s National with amazing on the ground community partners, we have been able to transform the lives of the most at-risk children with asthma” says Dr. Shah.

Dr. Shah collaborates with organizations to improve the outcomes of kids with asthma by targeting intervention in high-risk areas.

“This award is recognition of the great work we’re doing in terms of improving asthma health in high-risk child populations throughout the District of Columbia.”

Both Dr. Essel and Dr. Shah are from Arkansas, attended Emory University and they did their residency together at Children’s National.

Congratulations to these wonderful doctors and leaders for receiving this award.

The 40 Under 40 recipients received their awards at the 2019 NMQF Leadership Summit on Health Disparities and CBC Spring Health Braintrust Gala Dinner on April 9.

Maureen E Lyon

Maureen E. Lyon receives American Cancer Society grant

Maureen E Lyon

Children’s Clinical Health Psychologist Maureen E. Lyon, Ph.D., has received the “Judy White Memorial Clinical Research Pilot Exploratory Projects in Palliative Care of Cancer Patients and their Families” grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Over two years, Lyon will be allotted $144,000 to translate Children’s evidence-based Family-Centered (FACE) pediatric advance care planning (ACP) protocol into Spanish through a process of community-based participatory research for teens with cancer.

Lyon’s research focuses on enabling families to understand their adolescents’ treatment preferences and describing patient-reported palliative care needs for teens with cancer. Ultimately, the research will help identify the wants, values, goals and beliefs of teens with cancer.

Along with the ACS research grant, Lyon and Jessica Thompkins, BSN, R.N., CPN, research nurse coordinator at Children’s National, will present at the Annual Assembly of Hospice & Palliative Medicine conference, March 13-16, 2019 in Orlando, Fla. on data from the current multi-site, five-year randomized clinical trial funded by National Institute of Health/ National Institute of Nursing Research for English-speaking teens with cancer.

During the presentation, they will speak about the effect of FACE ACP on families’ appraisals of caregiving for their teens with cancer and describing advance care planning communication approaches.

Lyon and other researchers at Children’s National look forward to making significant contributions to the science of advance care planning aimed to minimize suffering and enhancing quality of life for young adults. Their contributions give teens a voice in their future medical care and help families “break the ice,” by providing an extra level of support to treating clinicians.

Teenage boy sleeping

Longer concussion recovery in children connected to poor sleep

Teenage boy sleeping

A new research study suggests that adolescents who get a good night’s sleep after a sports-related concussion might be linked to a shorter recovery time.

Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics Conference in Orlando, Fla., concluded that young athletes who slept well after a concussion were more likely to recover within two weeks, while those that didn’t receive a good night’s rest increased their likelihood to endure symptoms for 30 days or more.

The design and method was observational, where sleep factors and recovery are examined in association with each other. While the design does not allow a strong causal relationship to be established, it does not report control of other possible mediating variables, its sample size and strength of the findings are strongly suggestive, and provide a rationale for further study of sleep as a critical factor in recovery.

According to Gerard Gioia, Ph.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s National Health System, clinicians should ensure that sleep is properly assessed post-concussion and appropriate sleep hygiene strategies should be provided to the patient and family.

The average age of the 356 participants in the study was 14. Researchers conducting the study had the participants complete a questionnaire called the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Based on the answers reported, the teens were grouped into two categories: 261 good sleepers and 95 poor sleepers.

“The study highlights the importance of sleep, a critical factor in the recovery from a concussion,” says Dr. Gioia, “These findings are highly consistent with our own clinical experience in treating children and adolescents with concussions in that poor sleep are a significant limiting factor in recovery.”

During the follow-up visits three months later, both groups of patients had improved, however the good sleepers continued to have significantly better symptoms and sleep scores.