Children’s National is ranked one of the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Our faculty and staff are proud of the impact made on the lives of children and families in our community. Your participation in the U.S. News & World Report annual reputational survey validates the quality of care we provide and reflects the mutual respect and trust we share as healthcare professionals.
How to determine your voting eligibility
Voting for the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings can be done only through Doximity.
To participate, physicians must:
Be board-certified and meet the eligibility criteria for the voting categories.
For child and adolescent psychologists, your account must be up to date with your specialty and subspecialty correctly marked.
Be a credential-verified member of Doximity (you must have an active and claimed Doximity profile).
Have all certifications and board documents currently up-to-date in your Doximity profile.
You have to claim your profile on Doximity.com to participate in the online survey. If you have not yet claimed your Doximity profile, go to Doximity.com, and click “Find My Profile.”
Once your profile has been claimed, you must confirm your email address and board certifications.
Verified Doximity members will receive an email inviting them to participate in the U.S. News survey.
For more information on how to claim your profile, visit Doximity.com
How to update and verify existing Doximity account information
Your Doximity profile must have up-to-date licenses, certifications and board documents.
Once you are logged in, your profile will automatically be in “Edit Mode.” You are able to add new items or edit existing information.
Update your Doximity profile and ensure your information is current.
Once registered, users wishing to participate in the online survey should:
Watch for an email from Doximity about the annual member survey.
Even if you don’t see the email, if you are a registered Doximity user, you can still vote by logging in to Doximity.com with your username and password during the voting period.
Once logged in, look for a U.S. News graphic or button on the homepage and click on it.
The survey asks users to name the hospitals that provide the best care in your respective specialty, without consideration to location or cost. Pediatric specialists will list 10 hospitals. The order in which you list the hospitals does not matter.
Please note: Children’s National Hospital is listed as “Children’s National Hospital Washington, DC” on the survey.
Visit Doximity’s FAQs if you have issues or questions about registration or claiming your profile.
How to cast your vote
In February 2026 when voting opens, all survey-eligible physicians will receive a notification on the Doximity app for Android or iOS. If you do not use the Doximity app, you will receive an email when voting opens.
Log in to your Doximity account at doximity.com or via the mobile app.
Click the Notifications icon or tap the “Submit your Nominations” button on the homepage. You can also search for “U.S. News Best Hospitals”
Select 10 hospitals in your respective specialty that you believe provide the best care in the United States.
Submit your vote
Having technical issues?
If you have difficulty registering with Doximity or completing the survey, please visit Doximity support for assistance.
Vote
The 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals reputation voting will open in mid-February. Look for your Doximity notification to vote.
This meeting unites a global community of child and pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, psychologists, basic translational and clinical scientists, advanced practice providers, advocates and industry professionals to share scientific breakthroughs, foster collaboration and improve outcomes for people living with epilepsy.
Children’s National experts were featured throughout the program, presenting on a wide range of topics in pediatric epilepsy.
Sessions and Workshops
Chima Oluigbo, MD: Epilepsy Surgery Skills Workshop | Overcoming Complications in Epilepsy Surgery
To learn more about the meeting, visit the AES website for additional information.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/AES-2025-8-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2026-01-14 16:55:342026-01-14 16:58:25Shaping the future of epilepsy care: highlights from AES 2025
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Dr. Godoy joins a distinguished group of Children’s National physicians and scientists who hold an endowed chair. Children’s National is grateful to generous donors who have altogether funded 51 professorships.
Professorships support groundbreaking work on behalf of children and their families. They foster discoveries and innovations in pediatric medicine. These appointments carry prestige and honor that reflect the recipient’s achievements and the donor’s commitment to advancing and sustaining knowledge.
Why it matters
Dr. Godoy leads teams that care for young children from birth to age six. Innovation plays a key role in advancing care. Her research aims to improve access to optimal mental healthcare for children and families.
“Funding from this professorship will give my team the flexibility to respond to specific behavioral health needs,” Dr. Godoy says. “These resources will fuel strategic investments so we can help kids get the best start in life.”
Moving the field forward
The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation established this professorship as part of its historic investments in the Clark Parent & Child Network. Founded in 2020, the network aims to create the best possible health outcomes for parents, infants and young children.
“The Clark Foundation’s enduring vision and generosity will enable Dr. Godoy and future holders of this professorship to launch bold new initiatives that meet the health needs of young children in the Washington, D.C., region,” says Elizabeth Wells, MD, MHS, executive vice president, chief clinical officer and physician-in-chief.
Dr. Godoy’s work has fueled improvements in care, including reducing wait times for autism evaluations in primary care clinics. She also fosters online support groups for parents of children with behavioral health challenges and leads several citywide initiatives, such as the DC Autism Collaborative.
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In 2025, Innovation District readers gravitated toward stories that explored how research and clinical innovation are reshaping pediatric care in real time. This year’s most popular articles highlighted advances in complex surgical care, evidence-based treatments for chronic and neuropsychiatric conditions and emerging technologies — from wearable data to artificial intelligence — that are changing how clinicians diagnose, treat and support children and families. Read on for our list of the most popular articles we published on Innovation District in 2025.
The Cervical Spine program at Children’s National Hospital is responsible for treating a range of conditions, including trauma, congenital abnormalities and tumors. These conditions can lead to instability or misalignment of the cervical spine. “There are unique challenges in pediatric cases due to anatomical differences. The cervical spines of children are more at risk for injury because of their developmental stage and structural characteristics,” says Matthew Oetgen, MD, MBA, chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Children’s National. (2 min. read)
Increasing evidence-based treatment is a key component of the Addictions Program at Children’s National Hospital, created in 2022 and led by Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy, MD. “We really want to focus on intervening in an evidence-based manner in the primary care setting because that is where most of our patients are going to first access care outside of the emergency room,” explains Dr. Kaliamurthy. (3 min. read)
For many children with short stature and other rare genetic growth disorders, there have been no next steps after usual treatment options prove ineffective. Researchers at Children’s National Hospital are digging deeper to find the root genetic causes of short stature disorders and creating novel, nuanced treatment options that have the opportunity to change how the field approaches these cases. (4 min. read)
Denver D. Brown, MD, nephrologist at Children’s National, is looking at whether untreated metabolic acidosis could potentially contribute to cardiovascular outcomes in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here, she explains her motivation, findings and future directions for this critical research. (3 min. read)
A multidisciplinary therapy model developed at Children’s National shows promise for children with PANS and PANDAS, significantly reducing symptoms through structured cognitive-behavioral therapy and family-centered care. The approach could offer a new standard for treating these rare, complex neuropsychiatric disorders. (2 min. read)
A study from Children’s National reveals that common wearable devices like Fitbits may hold the key to improving how we identify Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents. By analyzing patterns in heart rate, activity levels and energy expenditure, researchers were able to predict ADHD diagnoses with striking accuracy, offering a glimpse into a future where objective, real-time data supports earlier and more personalized mental healthcare. (2 min. read)
A novel implantable pacemaker designed specifically for infants has demonstrated safety and effectiveness in stabilizing heart rhythms for at least two years. The multi-center study of 29 infants showed stable pacing, normal electrical parameters and expected battery life, offering a viable alternative to standard-size devices for the smallest children. (2 min. read)
Children who had heart surgery and come from less advantaged neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C., region are much more likely to die in the long term than those from neighborhoods with more wealth and opportunity. The finding was part of a presentation titled, Socioeconomic Disadvantage Is Associated with Higher Long-Term Mortality After Cardiac Surgery, by Jennifer Klein, MD, MPH, cardiologist at Children’s National Hospital, during the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. (2 min. read)
Experts from Children’s National traveled to Uganda to continue work on a pilot program applying artificial intelligence (AI) to the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The team created a tool that uses AI to predict RHD by identifying leaky heart valves on handheld ultrasound devices, then prompts a referral for a full echocardiogram. (2 min. read)
Food insecurity is rising in Washington, D.C. and it’s hitting families with children the hardest. That’s why Children’s National Hospital created the Family Lifestyle Program (FLiP) – a multi-layered intervention, which offers Patient Navigation (FLiP-PN) and a Produce Prescription Intervention (FLiPRx). FLiP is a Food Is Medicine, clinical-community initiative that helps families get access to fresh food, build healthy habits and lower their risk of diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. (3 min. read)
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-with-lightbulb-CNRI.jpg385685Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-12-24 15:07:522025-12-24 16:43:36The best of 2025 from Innovation District
In 2025, Children’s National Hospital was featured in major national news outlets for pioneering advances in pediatric care, groundbreaking clinical research and powerful human stories of healing and hope. From gene therapy for sickle cell disease and innovative pacemakers for newborns to breakthrough transplants, cancer trials and emerging mental health concerns like AI psychosis, these stories highlight the hospital’s leadership across the full spectrum of pediatric medicine. The following ten highlights showcase the patients, families and experts behind this impact, as reported by outlets including NBC News, The Washington Post, Good Morning America, USA Today, Healio, ABC News and ESPN.
Children’s National patient Wedam, 19, begins the first steps for intensive gene therapy for sickle cell disease, discussing his skepticism while his mother expresses her joy and gratitude for the treatment. (NBC News)
Charles Berul, MD, pediatric electrophysiologist and emeritus chief of Cardiology, discusses his study highlighting the safety and efficacy of an innovative smaller pacemaker designed for newborns with critical congenital heart disease. (Healio)
Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, senior vice president and chief research officer, and the NexTGen team are poised to recruit patients for a new clinical trial that will take on an old, implacable foe: children’s solid tumors. (The Washington Post)
Yves d’Udekem, MD, PhD, chief of Cardiac Surgery, talked to Good Morning America about how an 11-year-old’s groundbreaking partial heart transplant will change his life and the lives of other children in need of valve replacements. (Good Morning America)
The Lilabean Foundation along with Brian Rood, MD, medical director of the Brain Tumor Institute, talked about how patients like Kasey Zachman are the motivation behind finding a cure for brain cancer. (ABC News)
USA Today Sports spoke with Gavin Brown and his parents, as well as Yi Shi, MD, a pediatric nephrologist at Children’s National Hospital, about their kidney transplant journey. (USA Today)
After Jayden Daniels visited Commanders fan Sarah Addison at Children’s National Hospital while she was being treated for myeloid leukemia, they quickly became friends. (ESPN)
A baby boy in Maryland is back home after being given a second chance at life, just before his first birthday. The boy’s mother and his surgeon, Manan Desai, MD, share the remarkable story of a moment that changed all of their lives. (NBC4)
Ashley Maxie-Moreman, PhD, clinical psychologist, spoke to ABC7 about what AI psychosis is and what parents need to know. (ABC7)
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Logo-Collage-2025-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-12-23 13:53:592025-12-31 09:09:17Children’s National in the News: 2025
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A study found the majority of child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship programs surveyed offer an advocacy experience or curricula, despite it not being a requirement in psychiatry graduate medical education.
A recent study published in Academic Psychiatry found the majority of child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship programs surveyed offer an advocacy experience or curricula, despite it not being a requirement in psychiatry graduate medical education. Through the survey, the authors identified several ways to incorporate advocacy education in child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship programs.
What it means
The study used a web-based survey with multiple-choice questions to assess advocacy education practices in child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship programs during the 2024–25 academic year. Of the 33 program directors who responded, 82% reported offering an advocacy educational experience, which included one or more of the following components:
Advocacy didactics
Grand rounds
State legislative participation
Protected time to attend a legislative conference
An advocacy elective experience
A longitudinal curriculum
An advocacy rotation
Why it matters
The authors state that “because pediatric mental healthcare and the healthcare system at large are directly impacted by policies, regulations and legislation, it is vital that child psychiatrists advocate for their patients, communities and the healthcare system at large.”
“These results highlight why advocacy training should be a standard part of every program’s curriculum,” said Laura Willing, MD, lead author and medical director for Mental Health Policy and Advocacy, Community Mental Health CORE at Children’s National Hospital. “Ensuring access to pediatric mental health care is critical because every young person should receive quality care when they need it.”
What’s next
The authors recommend making advocacy education a required experience for fellows in the field. With the right resources and funding, the survey identified several ways to support training programs:
Establish designated facilitators
Encourage professional organizations to provide training
Publish model experiences or curricula
Conduct research to identify the relative effectiveness of various teaching strategies
The child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program at Children’s National includes a two-year, longitudinal advocacy curriculum.
Children’s National has adopted a DBT-informed model across its child and adolescent inpatient psychiatry units, ensuring that youth receive consistent exposure to evidence-based skills during their stay.
Families of children and adolescents admitted to inpatient psychiatric units often face significant emotional strain while navigating complex mental health needs. While Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a well-established evidence-based treatment for adolescents experiencing suicidality and emotion dysregulation, there has been limited research on how best to involve caregivers in DBT during an inpatient stay. A new study led by psychologist Deborah M. Zlotnik, PhD, from Children’s National Hospital’sDivision of Psychology and Behavioral Health, helps fill that gap by evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of a structured DBT skills group designed specifically for caregivers.
The study assessed the implementation of a weekly four-part virtual DBT skills series for caregivers. Using the Quality Improvement Framework, the team reviewed participation patterns, satisfaction levels and qualitative feedback across multiple phases of recruitment and delivery.
Why it matters
Caregivers play a critical role in supporting children and adolescents after discharge, yet barriers such as scheduling, limited space and inconsistent engagement often prevent families from accessing evidence-based resources during hospitalization. Dr. Zlotnik’s study found that caregivers who attended the DBT skills group reported high satisfaction, strong perceived benefit and increased confidence in supporting their child. Participants noted that learning the same skills their child was practicing during their inpatient stay improved communication, allowed them to coach effectively at home and helped create a more validating environment.
One caregiver summarized the impact: “This was very helpful in giving concrete things that we can implement to support our daughter when she comes home to ensure that we are all a part of the treatment team.”
The study also revealed practical insights into feasibility. After incorporating caregiver feedback about timing and accessibility, average attendance increased from 1.83 and 2.84 participants per group in earlier phases to 4.65 participants in the final phase, demonstrating a sustainable path to improving engagement.
Children’s National leads the way
Children’s National has adopted a DBT-informed model across its child and adolescent inpatient psychiatry units, ensuring that youth receive consistent exposure to evidence-based skills during their stay. Dr. Zlotnik’s research builds on these efforts by exploring how to more effectively integrate families into the treatment process, an area that remains underexplored.
By offering a structured, accessible DBT skills group for caregivers, the team identified a promising strategy to strengthen family involvement, enhance continuity of care post-discharge and reduce the emotional burden many families experience during their child’s hospitalization. The findings highlight an opportunity for inpatient units nationwide to more intentionally support caregivers using evidence-based approaches.
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The authors use examples from their own trials in pediatric Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and provide guidance on how to align study design with the research question and hypothesis, consider the stage of the research and field, and consider the importance of ensuring that the treatments developed serve all children.
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology offers updated guidance to help pediatric psychology researchers design stronger and more equitable intervention studies, focusing on how to choose the right comparator conditions in clinical trials.
Why it matters
When behavioral researchers want to test a developed intervention, they often conduct a randomized controlled trial. In these studies, the new intervention is compared to something else — a comparator or control condition — with participants randomized to receive one of the two options. This approach helps determine if the intervention being tested helps or makes a difference in what was intended.
Comparator conditions can be designed in many different ways. Researchers aim to balance creating a strong study design — so they can be confident in their findings — with ensuring that treatments are developed and tested in ways that are appropriate and helpful for all children, especially those most affected by a particular illness. Choosing the right comparator is critical for conducting good science and developing effective interventions.
“We are hopeful that our paper will help researchers consider how to design studies to be both rigorous and equitable so that we design and use treatments that are well thought out, well tested and make a difference to the children and families we treat,” said Eleanor Mackey, PhD, psychologist at Children’s National Hospital and senior author of the study.
What’s unique
“We wanted to highlight not just how to choose a comparator condition, but why that choice matters in behavioral research,” said Dr. Mackey.
The authors use examples from their own trials in pediatric Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and provide guidance on how to align study design with the research question and hypothesis, consider the stage of the research and field, and consider the importance of ensuring that the treatments developed serve all children. They also encourage researchers to seek input from patients, families and other stakeholders early in the design process to ensure studies are both scientifically sound and equitable.
Moving the field forward
“The families we serve have to be able to trust the research we conduct and know that we are providing the best possible options for care,” added Dr. Mackey. “Taking the time to consider how these studies are conducted is an important step in that effort.”
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/blood-glucose-monitoring-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-10-31 11:23:052025-10-31 11:24:47Improving research design in pediatric psychology
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AACAP-logo-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-10-17 10:00:422025-10-17 10:24:09Children’s National psychiatry experts to present at 2025 AACAP Annual Meeting
A new Children’s National study shows that maternal depression can make managing childhood asthma more difficult.
Asthma affects more than 4 million children in the United States and remains the most common chronic childhood condition. A new study from Children’s National Hospital highlights an overlooked factor in childhood asthma care: a mother’s mental health. Researchers in the Center for Health Outcomes Research & Delivery Science found that maternal depression can make daily asthma management – like tracking medications or spotting flare-ups – more difficult. Through interviews with 12 mothers whose children receive care at IMPACT DC, Children’s National’s community-based asthma program, the study captures how depression shapes caregiving in their own words.
Why it matters
Asthma management depends on consistent, attentive care. When depression drains a caregiver’s energy or focus, even small lapses can lead to more emergency visits, missed school days and worse health outcomes. In this study, mothers also noticed how their mood affected their children emotionally. When a mother was stressed or withdrawn, her child often felt anxious, sometimes enough to trigger an asthma attack. The connection between mental health and asthma was clear on both sides.
More than half of the mothers had clinically significant depressive symptoms and nearly all had experienced those symptoms for over a year. Four mothers also had asthma themselves and almost every child in the study had uncontrolled asthma, underscoring the complexity of care in these families. Together, these numbers paint a picture of how common and intertwined maternal and child health challenges can be.
The big picture
Many mothers described slipping into what they called “super mom mode”, pushing through depression to care for their kids while ignoring their own needs. Several mothers said the pressure to “stay strong” left them feeling guilty or ashamed when they could not do everything perfectly. Even when mothers received treatment, most found it inconsistent or incomplete. Some were taking antidepressant medication, others attended therapy but many still had moderate or severe symptoms. Limited access, long waits and therapist turnover were common barriers.
Children’s National researchers say these findings reinforce that pediatric health cannot be separated from caregiver wellbeing. Integrating behavioral health into pediatric asthma care could change that. Social workers and behavioral health specialists can help mothers manage depressive symptoms, strengthen coping skills and connect to resources, all within the same clinic visit that treats the child’s asthma.
What’s next
Building on this study, Children’s National is testing a brief, evidence-based depression treatment delivered in the IMPACT DC Asthma Clinic. The new clinical trial uses implementation science to determine how integrated care can improve outcomes for both mothers and children.
“By treating maternal depression alongside asthma, we can address the whole family’s needs,” said Rachel Margolis, PhD, LCSW, social work researcher at Children’s National and senior author of the study. “When mothers receive mental health support, children breathe easier. Integrating behavioral health into community-based asthma programs offers a path toward better control, fewer emergencies and greater equity in care.”
Read the full study, “Exploring Black Mothers’ Lived Experiences of Depression and the Relationship to Their Child’s Asthma: A Qualitative Study” in the Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work.
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Despite food allergies affecting millions globally, the mental health toll this population faces is still widely underrecognized.
While many patients and caregivers managing food allergies report psychological distress and the need for expert support, access to mental health professionals who also have food allergy (FA) expertise can be challenging.
A study conducted by researchers and clinicians around the world, including Linda Herbert, Ph.D., director of Psychology Research and Clinical Services for the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s National Hospital, gives insights into the experience of FA patients and caregivers and the barriers they face.
The results of the study are guiding food allergy professionals in the development of accessible resources for this specialized patient group.
The big picture
Research into the psychosocial needs of patients with food allergy is still fairly new, but Children’s National has been a leader, with its Division of Allergy and Immunology among the first in the United States to establish a fully integrated psychology clinical and research program.
This study builds on that leadership by uniting experts worldwide to assess patient needs.
“This is the first time that researchers and clinicians in food allergy have come together to assess these needs on a global scale,” Dr. Herbert said.
In the final sample of 1,907 caregivers and 1,329 adults with food allergy from 10 different countries, reports showed that 21.6% of caregivers and 22.8% of adults had received mental health treatment related to FA, with the most common being cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Among the relatively small group who had received treatment, most said they were satisfied with the support they received, though fewer felt their providers had strong knowledge about food allergy:
9% of caregivers and 72.4% of adults were at least somewhat satisfied with their treatment experience.
1% of caregivers and 75.0% of adults found that mental health providers were at least somewhat helpful at addressing FA concerns.
5% of caregivers and 60.06% of adults felt their provider was at least somewhat knowledgeable about food allergy.
Satisfaction also varied from country to country, with caregivers in Portugal and the United Kingdom and adults in Spain, Italy and the United States reporting the highest satisfaction, while caregivers in Brazil and adults in Germany reported the lowest.
What’s next
The characterization of food allergy patients and their mental health treatment needs found through this study have allowed researchers and clinicians in the field to act with the necessary baseline knowledge and evidence.
Now, Food Allergy Coping, Empowerment, Tools & Support (FACETS), a first-of-its-kind free online mental health treatment program is actively being developed and will be tested over the next six months with a small number of participants.
“We’ve been wanting to offer a mental health treatment program for food allergy patients for a long time, and we are excited that we now understand the needs of food allergy patients and caregivers across the world,” Dr. Herbert said.
To learn more about the project as a whole, visit the Global Access to Psychological Support (GAPS) for Food Allergy website.
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Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2025-26 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the ninth straight year Children’s National has made the Honor Roll list. The Honor Roll is a distinction awarded to only 10 children’s hospitals nationwide.
For the fifteenth straight year, Children’s National ranked in 10 specialty services and is the highest U.S. News ranked children’s hospital in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Last year, U.S. News introduced pediatric & adolescent behavioral health as a service line in its rankings. While there are no ordinal rankings for behavioral health, the Children’s National program was named one of the top 50 programs in the country for the second year in a row.
“To be named among the nation’s top children’s hospitals for nine years in a row is a reflection of the extraordinary expertise, innovation and heart that our teams bring to every child and family we serve,” said Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of Children’s National. “Our leadership in specialties like neurology, cancer, and diabetes and endocrinology underscores the national impact of our work, and we remain focused on setting new standards in pediatric care.”
The annual rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals and recognizes the nation’s top 50 pediatric hospitals based on a scoring system developed by U.S. News.
“Being a top-ranked pediatric hospital means more than just excelling in a single specialty — it means being a pillar of outstanding care for your entire region,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “Our rankings acknowledge these hospitals for their comprehensive excellence, helping families find the very best care conveniently located within their state and community.”
The bulk of the score for each specialty service is based on quality and outcomes data. The process includes a survey of relevant specialists across the country, who are asked to list hospitals they believe provide the best care for patients with the most complex conditions.
The Children’s National specialty services that U.S. News ranked in the top 10 nationally are:
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Mindfulness-based interventions have been widely recognized for their effectiveness in managing stress, anxiety and depression, so the team set out to specifically design the virtual EMBRACE program for adults with CHD. It’s the first of its kind for this population.
A first-of-its-kind virtual, real-time group psychosocial intervention successfully demonstrated the promise of mindfulness interventions to address mental health challenges in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD).
The findings from a small pilot study of the Exploring Mind-Body Resilience and Coping/Cognitive Exercises (EMBRACE) program were published in the journal Pediatric Cardiology.
What this means
The study included 31 participants ranging in age from 22 to 74 years old. Collectively the group had a variety of heart conditions involving 47 heart surgeries, seven pacemakers and one implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Participants showed meaningful improvements after the EMBRACE intervention in anxiety, depression, resilience and mindfulness scores. Also, satisfaction surveys showed that 97% found the program effective. These improvements lasted through a three-month follow-up period.
“What I gained the most from this study was learning that my emotions/feelings did not have to control my life,” says study participant Tabatha Doherty. “The program taught techniques that focused on keeping your mind in the present and not getting caught up in those feelings.”
Additionally, people who participated reported several positive qualitative outcomes, including better community connections and improved focus on self-care and self-management.
“It was impactful to be in a cohort with other patients where we could talk, share stories, offer support, and work towards a common, yet individual, goal of being able to manage daily and CHD-related stressors,” Doherty continued. “It is very rare that CHD patients have the opportunity to interact with each other, but even more rare to have an opportunity to cooperate towards a common goal.”
Why it matters
The authors write that the lifetime prevalence of anxiety and depression in adults with congenital heart disease are significantly higher than the general population – occurring in up to 30 to 50% of adults with CHD versus only 7 to 10% in the general population.
Mindfulness-based interventions have been widely recognized for their effectiveness in managing stress, anxiety and depression, so the team set out to specifically design the virtual EMBRACE program for adults with CHD. It’s the first of its kind for this population.
The study sought to improve mental health, resilience and coping skills for people with CHD while demonstrating feasibility for a large number of people.
“The most comforting aspect was the acknowledgement and validation of the mental health struggles I’ve had my entire life,” Doherty says. “The statistics they shared were not surprising, but more proof/recognition of the CHD patient’s silent struggles.”
What’s next
The program will be adjusted based on feedback from the pilot cohort and further studies will be undertaken to gauge sustainability and long-term benefits.
The work was made possible through a grant from the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA) with generous support from the Meil Family Foundation.
“ACHA is proud to support groundbreaking research initiatives though our Research Program that began in 2019,” says Mark Roeder, president and CEO of ACHA. “Vicki Freedenberg, PhD, RN was awarded the Meil Family Foundation Research Award for Neurocognitive Studies in 2022. This first-of-its-kind mindfulness-based program for adults with CHD demonstrated meaningful improvements in anxiety, depression, resilience, and self-care – highlighting the critical role of mental health interventions in the CHD population.”
Roeder continued, “The EMBRACE study not only addresses the physical realities of living with CHD but also elevates the importance of mental and emotional well-being, something that ACHA will also continue to promote through our educational programming.”
Before publication in Pediatric Cardiology, the data from EMBRACE was presented as a poster at the American College of Cardiology ACC.24 meeting. Additionally, program and study co-author Rachel Steury, NP, was awarded Best Allied Health Research for this work at the International Society of ACHD in June 2024.
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PANS and PANDAS are disorders characterized by an abrupt onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms in children that can be challenging to diagnose and treat.
Children diagnosed with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) experienced substantial symptom reduction following a cognitive-behavioral approach integrating the family system with the support of a multidisciplinary care team, according to a recent case study published in Clinical Case Studies.
The hold up in the field
PANS and PANDAS are disorders characterized by an abrupt onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms in children that can be challenging to diagnose and treat.
“More research is needed to explore PANS/PANDAS as many studies have included small samples or lacked a randomized controlled design,” says Lilia Mucka Andrew, PhD, clinical director, Psychology and Behavioral Health at Children’s National Hospital and corresponding author of the study. “Though therapeutic interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure response prevention (CBT/ERP) have good evidence for pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), evidence is mixed on effectiveness in PANS/PANDAS patients.”
Moving the field forward
The researchers highlighted specific intervention techniques that worked well to improve behaviors and factors that warrant further exploration. This includes the benefit of early multidisciplinary evaluation for diagnosis and treatment of PANS/PANDAS and the integration of booster sessions to allow for ongoing maintenance and relapse prevention while providing openings for additional patients to be seen. This is critical given the shortage of evidence based behavioral health providers for youth.
The patient benefit
This study highlights effective strategies that support both patients and their families, offering a potential model of care to reduce suffering and improve long-term quality of life.
“We were excited to see that the application of key evidence-based therapy techniques including CBT/ERP and behavioral parent training (BPT) resulted in positive outcomes for patients and that the opportunity to transition to booster sessions was well received,” says Dr. Andrew.
Additional authors from Children’s National include: Julia Dorfman, MD, PhD, psychiatrist, and Elizabeth Wells, MD, senior vice president, Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine Center.
Over the past 20 years and beyond, evidence shows inequities in pediatric mental health care in emergency departments.
Mental health disorders affect nearly 20% of adolescents across the United States. There has been accumulating research over the past 20 years and beyond which has documented inequities in pediatric mental health care in emergency departments (EDs). In a recent study published in Pediatrics, researchers at Children’s National Hospital summarized the full breadth of this research to understand the extent of inequities and facilitate further work that addresses these differences in mental health care.
The big picture
Eden Efrem, clinical research coordinator at Center for Translational Research, Monika Goyal, MD, MSCE, pediatric emergency medicine specialist and co-director of the Center for Translational Research, and other researchers examined and summarized research published from 2002 to 2024 to better understand inequities in pediatric mental health care provided in the ED. The team reviewed over 2,100 articles and of those, 50 articles met inclusion criteria for this review.
“Mental health care gaps were reported in ED mental health-related visits, ED disposition – including admission, discharge, transfer, and readmission – outpatient and follow-up care, diagnosis of mental health conditions, ED referral and pre-hospitalization, length of stay and boarding, anxiety care, suicidal ideation/self-harm care and restraint use in EDs,” Efrem said.
Why this matters
These findings aim to guide future research, development and implementation of evidence-based interventions and policies that address the underlying contributing mechanisms of these inequities. This includes looking at clinician implicit bias and barriers to mental health care access.
“By identifying gaps in mental health care access, treatment and outcomes, these findings can guide the development of interventions and policies aimed at reducing these,” Goyal added. “These improvements can help improve the provision of fair mental health care thereby enhancing patient trust, improving communication and ensuring access to quality mental health care. Ultimately, this can lead to improved mental health outcomes for children and youth.”
Moving the field forward
The researchers found that differences exist in many facets of mental health care, from ED utilization to mental health care provision, such as physical restraint use.
“Addressing gaps in care is important because every individual deserves equal access to high-quality, evidence-based healthcare,” Efrem said. “Addressing these can not only enhance patients’ mental health outcomes, but also positively impact other areas of their lives, such as educational performance, social well-being and overall quality of life.
The ADAPT Lab, led by Dr. Goyal at Children’s National, is at the forefront of identifying and addressing gaps in pediatric health care, specifically in EDs. The lab is working to improve quality of health care provision and outcomes in mental health care, asthma care, sexual health and pain management by developing and implementing evidence-based interventions in the ED.
The study was funded by the Jesse Ball DuPont Fund.
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Using Fitbit data from the the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, researchers employed machine learning to test whether physiological markers could accurately predict ADHD diagnoses.
A new study published in Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reveals that common wearable devices like Fitbits may hold the key to improving how we identify Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents. By analyzing patterns in heart rate, activity levels and energy expenditure, researchers were able to predict ADHD diagnoses with striking accuracy, offering a glimpse into a future where objective, real-time data supports earlier and more personalized mental healthcare.
A fresh approach to a common challenge
ADHD affects approximately 1 in 10 children and adolescents in the United States. It is typically diagnosed based on parent and teacher reports, clinical interviews and behavioral observations. While effective, these methods rely heavily on subjective interpretation and can sometimes miss important nuances in how symptoms appear over time. This study, led by Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman, PhD, and colleagues at Children’s National, sought to determine whether wearable health data could help fill that gap.
Turning Fitbit metrics into meaningful insights
The study used data from 450 adolescents who were part of the larger Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. Each participant wore a Fitbit, which captured three key activity and physiological measures:
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) – the number of heart beats per minute while the body is at rest
Sedentary Time – time spent with little or no physical activity
Energy Expenditure – estimated calories burned through physical activity
When the researchers compared these measures between teens with and without ADHD, they found statistically significant differences. Teens with ADHD had consistently higher resting heart rates and showed distinctive patterns in both their movement and stillness.
To go further, the team applied a machine learning model to test whether these physiological markers could accurately predict ADHD diagnoses. The model performed extremely well with 89% accuracy, 88% precision, 90% recall and a 0.95 area under the curve (AUC). These results suggest that the combination of passive, continuous data and predictive modeling could serve as a valuable screening tool, particularly in settings where full clinical evaluations are difficult to access.
A path toward more accessible mental healthcare
The implications are big. If validated in larger and more diverse populations, wearable-derived data could offer a low-cost, low-burden way to flag teens who might benefit from further ADHD evaluation. This could lead to earlier support, fewer misdiagnoses and more tailored treatment strategies.
Importantly, this approach isn’t about replacing clinicians, it’s about giving them better tools. Real-world, real-time data from wearables could act as an additional layer of insight that supports more precise, individualized care. As wearable technology becomes more embedded in daily life, its role in healthcare, especially adolescent mental health, is poised to grow.
Children’s National Hospital hosted its fifteenth annual Research, Education and Innovation Week from March 31–April 4, 2025, bringing together clinicians, scientists, educators and innovators from across the institution to celebrate discovery and collaboration. This year’s theme, “Empowering the Future in Pediatric Research and Innovation with Equity, Technology and a Global Reach,” served as a call to action for advancing science that improves child health both locally and around the world.
Each day of the week-long event featured thought-provoking lectures — now available to watch — dynamic panel discussions, interactive workshops and vibrant poster sessions, all highlighting the diverse and interdisciplinary work taking place across Children’s National.
Centering the patient and the planet
REI Week began on Monday with a powerful keynote lecture from Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MS, MPH, Michael and Lori Milken dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. In her talk, “Children: Uniquely vulnerable to climate-related threats,” Dr. Goldman underscored the urgent need to protect children from the environmental hazards of a changing climate and to integrate climate science into pediatric care and advocacy.
At mid-morning, Mary-Anne “Annie” Hartley, MD, PhD, MPH, director of the LiGHT Laboratory at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, introduced the “MOOVE” platform — Massive Open Online Validation and Evaluation of clinical LLMs. Her talk demonstrated how artificial intelligence, when rigorously validated, has the potential to transform clinical decision-making and global health equity.
Monday’s final keynote, “Zinc and childhood diarrhea,” was presented by Christopher Duggan, MD, MPH, director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Duggan highlighted the global health impact of zinc supplementation in reducing childhood mortality — a reminder that simple, evidence-based interventions can save millions of lives.
In that first day, the first poster session of the week showcased projects in adolescent medicine, global health, infectious diseases, oncology and more. The session reflected the full breadth of research taking place across Children’s National.
Ambroise Wonkam, MD, PhD, professor of genetic medicine at Johns Hopkins University, then delivered Tuesday’s Global Health Keynote Lecture, “Harnessing our common African genomes to improve health and equity globally.” His work affirmed that inclusive genomics is key to building a healthier world.
Later, the Global Health Initiative event and GCAF Faculty Seminar encouraged attendees to pursue collaborative opportunities at home and abroad, reflecting the growing global footprint of Children’s National research programs.
Transforming education and care delivery
On Wednesday, Larrie Greenberg, MD, professor emeritus of pediatrics, kicked off the day with a Grand Rounds keynote on educational transformation: “Shouldn’t teachers be more collaborative with their learners?” He followed with a CAPE workshop exploring the effectiveness of case-based learning.
In the Jill Joseph Grand Rounds Lecture, Deena J. Chisolm, PhD, director of the Center for Child Health Equity at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, challenged attendees to move beyond dialogue into action in her talk, “Health equity: A scream to a whisper?,” reminding researchers and clinicians that advocacy and equity must be foundational to care.
The day continued with a poster session spotlighting medical education, neonatology, urology and neuroscience, among other fields.
Posters and pathways to progress
Throughout the week, poster sessions highlighted cutting-edge work across dozens of pediatric disciplines. These sessions gave attendees the opportunity to engage directly with investigators and reflect on the shared mission of discovery across multiple disciplines, including:
The REI Week 2025 Awards Ceremony celebrated outstanding contributions in research, mentorship, education and innovation. The winners in each category were:
POSTER SESSION AWARDS
Basic & Translational Research
Faculty: Benjamin Liu, PhD
“Genetic Conservation and Diversity of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Gene Across Variants of Concern”
Faculty: Steve Hui, PhD
“Brain Metabolites in Neonates of Mothers with COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy”
Faculty: Raj Shekhar, PhD
“StrepApp: Deep Learning-Based Identification of Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Pharyngitis”
Post docs/Fellows/Residents: Dae-young Kim, PhD
“mhGPT: A Lightweight Domain-Specific Language Model for Mental Health Analysis”
Post docs/Fellows/Residents: Leandros Boukas, MD, PhD
“De Novo Variant Identification From Duo Long-Read Sequencing: Improving Equitable Variant Interpretation for Diverse Family Structures”
Staff: Naseem Maghzian
“Adoptive T Lymphocyte Administration for Chronic Norovirus Treatment in Immunocompromised Hosts (ATLANTIC)”
Graduate Students: Abigail Haffey
“Synergistic Integration of TCR and CAR T Cell Platforms for Enhanced Adoptive Immunotherapy in Brain Tumors”
High School/Undergraduate Students: Medha Pappula
“An ADHD Diagnostic Interface Based on EEG Spectrograms and Deep Learning Techniques”
Clinical Research
Faculty: Folasade Ogunlesi, MD
“Poor Air Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa is Associated with Increase Health Care Utilization for Pain in Sickle Cell Disease Patients”
Faculty: Ayman Saleh, MD
“Growth Parameters and Treatment Approaches in Pediatric ADHD: Examining Differences Across Race”
Post docs/Fellows/Residents: Nicholas Dimenstein, MD, MPH
“Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Eligibility in the Pediatric Emergency Department”
Staff: Tayla Smith, MPH
“The Public Health Impact of State-Level Abortion and Firearm Laws on Health Outcomes”
Graduate Students: Natalie Ewing
“Patterns of Bacteriuria and Antimicrobial Resistance in Patients Presenting for Primary Cloacal Repair: Is Assisted Bladder Emptying Associated with Bacteriuria?”
Graduate Students: Manuela Iglesias, MS
“Exploring the Relationship Between Child Opportunity Index and Bayley-III Scores in Young Children”
High School/Undergraduate Students: Nicholas Lohman
“Preliminary Findings: The Efficacy, Feasibility and Acceptability of Group Videoconference Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention for Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Among Children and Young People”
Community-Based Research
Faculty: Sharon Shih, PhD “Assessing Pediatric Behavioral Health Access in DC using Secret Shopper Methodology”
Post docs/Fellows/Residents: Georgios Sanidas, MD “Arrested Neuronal Maturation and Development in the Cerebellum of Preterm Infants”
Staff: Sanam Parwani
“Intersectionality of Gender and Sexuality Diversity in Autistic and Non-Autistic Individuals”
Graduate Student: Margaret Dearey “Assessing the Burden of Period Poverty for Youth and Adolescents in Washington, DC: A Pilot Study”
Quality and Performance Improvement
Faculty: Nichole L. McCollum, MD
“A Quality Improvement Study to Increase Nurse Initiated Care from Triage and Improve Timeliness to Care”
Post docs/Fellows/Residents: Hannah Rodriguez, MD
“Reducing Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in a Level IV NICU”
Staff: Amber K. Shojaie, OTD, OTR/L
“Implementing Dynamic Axilla Splints in a Large Burn Patient”
Meleah Boyle, PhD, MPH
“Understanding and Addressing Environmental Sustainability to Protect the Health of the Children’s National and Global Communities”
Eiman Abdulrahman, MD
“Research Capacity Building to Improve Pediatric Emergency and Critical Care in Ethiopia”
Pilot Awards
Alexander Andrews, MD
“EEG as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker in Severe Pediatric Malaria, Blantyre Malawi”
Daniel Donoho, MD & Timothy Singer, MD
“Feasibility Study of a Novel Artificial Intelligence-Based Educational Platform to Improve Neurosurgical Operative Skills in Tanzania”
Hasan Syed, MD
“Bridging the Gap an Educational Needs Assessment for Pediatric Neurosurgery Training in Pakistan”
Sofia Perazzo, MD & Lamia Soghier, MD, MEd, MBA
“QI Mentorship to Improve Pediatric Screening and Follow-up in Rural Argentina”
Benjamin Liu, PhD
“AI-Empowered Real-Time Sequencing Assay for Rapid Detection of Schistosomiasis in Senegal”
Rae Mittal, MD
“Assessment and Enhancement of Proficiency in Emergency Child Neurology Topics for Post-Graduate Emergency Medicine Trainees in India”
Innovation Day ignites bold thinking
Thursday, REI Week shifted to the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus for Innovation Day, a celebration of how bold ideas and collaborative culture can accelerate progress in pediatric medicine.
REI Week 2025 reaffirmed the values that define Children’s National: a commitment to excellence, collaboration and equity in pediatric research and care. As discoveries continue to emerge from our hospital and our research campuses, the connections built and ideas sparked during this week will help shape the future of pediatric health — locally and globally.
By elevating voices from the bedside to the bench, with the support of the executive sponsors Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MBChB, Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, Kerstin Hildebrandt, MSHS, Linda Talley, MS, RN, NE-BC and David Wessel, MD, REI Week demonstrated that we must embrace the community in all aspects of our work. Because we know that there are answers we can only get from the patients that we serve—and we need to be their voice.
Research, Education & Innovation Week will be back next year on April 13-17, 2026.
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A recent systematic review, co-authored by Adelaide Robb, MD, division chief of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children’s National Hospital, examines the challenges of discontinuing antidepressants in children and adolescents. The review, published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, focuses on withdrawal symptoms, tapering strategies and cross-titration between medications. While antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are widely prescribed for mood and anxiety disorders in youth, there is limited guidance on how to safely discontinue these medications.
The review emphasizes that deprescribing strategies should account for factors such as the patient’s clinical status and the pharmacokinetics of the medications. It also highlights the need for data-driven discussions on when and how to discontinue antidepressants, stressing the importance of collaboration between clinicians, patients and families to ensure the best possible outcomes.
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Children’s National is ranked one of the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Our faculty and staff are proud of the impact made on the lives of children and families in our community. Your participation in the U.S. News & World Report annual reputational survey validates the quality of care we provide and reflects the mutual respect and trust we share as healthcare professionals.
In 2025, Children’s National Hospital was featured in major national news outlets for pioneering advances in pediatric care, groundbreaking clinical research and powerful human stories of healing and hope. From gene therapy for sickle cell disease and innovative pacemakers for newborns to breakthrough transplants, cancer trials and emerging mental health concerns like AI psychosis, these stories highlight the hospital’s leadership across the full spectrum of pediatric medicine. The following ten highlights showcase the patients, families and experts behind this impact, as reported by outlets including NBC News, The Washington Post, Good Morning America, USA Today, Healio, ABC News and ESPN.
Several experts from the 
Despite food allergies affecting millions globally, the mental health toll this population faces is still widely underrecognized.
Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2025-26 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the ninth straight year Children’s National has made the Honor Roll list. The Honor Roll is a distinction awarded to only 10 children’s hospitals nationwide.
A recent systematic review, co-authored by 