Children’s National in Washington, D.C., was once again ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2026-27 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the 10th straight year Children’s National has made the Honor Roll, a distinction awarded to only 10 children’s hospitals nationwide.
Children’s National also ranked in all 11 specialty services and is the highest U.S. News ranked children’s hospital in Washington, D.C, Maryland and Virginia. Recently, 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 third year in a row.
“We’re so proud to reach this milestone of being named among the nation’s top children’s hospitals for the 10th year in a row,” said Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of Children’s National. “Our leadership in specialties like neurology, cancer, neonatology, and diabetes and endocrinology underscores our belief that kids are our everything. It also shows what’s possible when our teams bring their expertise, commitment and heart to make sure every child receives the best care.”
The annual rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals and recognize the nation’s top 50 pediatric hospitals based on a scoring system developed by U.S. News.
“Earning a place on U.S. News’ Best Children’s Hospitals list is a testament to Children’s National’s dedication to clinical excellence and patient safety,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “These rankings highlight the standout hospitals in each specialty and each region.”
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 specialties ranked in the top 10 nationally by U.S. News are:
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A multidisciplinary team at Children’s National has published the largest reported cohort to date examining seizure burden and management in infants with hemimegalencephaly (HME) treated with staged transarterial embolization (TAE), a minimally invasive endovascular technique pioneered at Children’s National for infants who are too young to safely undergo hemispherectomy.
HME is a rare developmental brain malformation associated with early-onset, drug-resistant epilepsy and significant neurodevelopmental impairment. While hemispherectomy is often considered the standard surgical treatment, very young infants face substantial operative risks, including blood loss, hemodynamic instability and coagulopathy. Staged TAE was developed to provide seizure control during this vulnerable period through a less invasive alternative.
The big picture
The study evaluated eight infants with HME and refractory epilepsy who underwent staged TAE between 2018 and 2023. Investigators analyzed seizure burden, electroclinical features and antiseizure medication management before, during and after treatment.
Prior to embolization, most patients experienced frequent seizures and epileptic spasms despite treatment with multiple antiseizure medications. Following staged TAE, seizure burden declined substantially, with several patients becoming seizure-free immediately after treatment. Many patients also required less aggressive antiseizure medication management following intervention.
“Our institution developed this protocol for infants who have disabling seizures despite appropriate trials of medical therapy but are considered too young for a surgical – hemispherectomy approach,” said Ersida Buraniqi, MD, epileptologist and first author of the study. “These findings demonstrate that staged embolization can provide meaningful seizure reduction during a critical period of brain development.”
Advancing the field
For infants with HME who have failed two antiseizure medications, staged TAE offers a novel treatment strategy that can achieve seizure reduction through progressive endovascular disconnection of the affected hemisphere.
Beyond clinical outcomes, the study provides one of the most detailed descriptions to date of electroclinical management during staged embolization, including continuous EEG monitoring and peri-procedural treatment strategies. The findings also highlight opportunities to further investigate EEG changes during embolization as potential real-time markers of regional ischemia and treatment response.
“Staged transarterial embolization has fundamentally changed how we can approach some of our youngest and most medically fragile patients with hemimegalencephaly,” said Tayyba Anwar, MD, co-director of the Hemimegalencephaly Program and corresponding author of the study. “By offering meaningful seizure control through a minimally invasive approach, we have the opportunity to intervene earlier during a critical window of brain development while avoiding many of the risks associated with hemispherectomy in very young infants.”
Why this matters
Early seizure control is closely linked to improved neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with HME. These findings suggest that staged TAE may help reduce seizure burden during a critical period of brain development while potentially delaying or avoiding higher-risk surgical intervention in very young infants.
The study further demonstrates leadership by Children’s National in developing innovative therapies for complex pediatric epilepsy and lays the groundwork for future research focused on long-term seizure control, neurodevelopmental outcomes and EEG biomarkers that may help optimize patient selection and procedural monitoring.
Read the full study “Seizure Burden and Management in Infants With Hemimegalencephaly Pre- and Post-Staged Transarterial Embolization” here.
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Q: Why did you decide to come to Children’s National Heart Center?
A: This is a storied program. I want to work with this team to continue raising the Heart Center’s profile as a world class referral destination for pediatric cardiac care and research.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish as chief of Cardiology at Children’s National?
A: We have so many high-quality faculty, a great surgery program and are in a fantastic geographical location. I’m excited to continue growing the Children’s National reputation as a global referral center for pediatric cardiac conditions of all kinds.
The team here also has specific expertise in some important, but very niche, areas like cardio-oncology and Kawasaki disease. There’s a real opportunity to increase national and international awareness of our experts and their unique knowledge in these areas.
Q: Do you have specific clinical and research priorities for your own work?
A: In my own practice, I am particularly interested in the imaging of pediatric congenital and acquired heart conditions. First and foremost, I’m committed to advancing noninvasive multimodality imaging in the clinical care of all patients with heart conditions.
My research focuses on how advanced imaging techniques, especially magnetic resonance (MR), can contribute to our understanding of congenital heart disease and inherited cardiomyopathies. For example, I’ve worked on innovative protocols for using cardiac MR imaging in clinical surveillance and therapeutic trials of diseases that impact the heart muscle, like Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Q: How has your clinical and research interest in imaging impacted understanding of the heart?
A: I’ve worked to improve MR image clarity through pulse sequences and image reconstruction techniques, focused on making these imaging modalities more effective for the smallest and most vulnerable children with congenital heart disease.
Additionally, I’m proud to have helped cardiac MR evolve into the preferred imaging method for nearly every Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiac therapy. Probably even more important, cardiac MR is also the standard for most Duchenne patient evaluations in drug trials. The benefit of making MR work for these evaluations is image accuracy and precision — you can collect the data you need with fewer patients than with other modalities like echocardiography.
Q: You have a doctorate in physics, which is a bit unusual for a pediatric cardiologist. How do you use it as part of clinical care and research?
A: That background set me up to perform imaging at a high level, I think. Having the actual knowledge of exactly how these modalities work has really helped me in research and clinically because it has helped me support and grow MR and computed tomography (CT) for cardiac specific imaging. We collect fantastic pictures now. Being able to speak the same technical language as engineers has helped me tremendously.
Q: What else are you excited to do here at Children’s National?
A: Children’s National already has a sophisticated cardiac imaging program, the best in the region and one of the best in the country. I’m looking forward to what the future holds with this talented team and great technology at our fingertips.
I’m also looking forward to the faculty development part of my job as chief. I really enjoy working with young and mid-level faculty, helping them to get involved in research, engaged in advocacy and building their careers in a well-rounded way that will set them up for future success.
Q: And finally, anything on your “to do” list now that you live in DC?
A: Whenever I’ve visited, I always made a point to walk up and down the National Mall and visit the Lincoln Memorial. I find it awe-inspiring no matter how many times I’ve been there. I’m planning to spend more time taking in all that DC has to offer.
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Drs. Marius Linguraru and Daniel Donoho demonstrate the Hyperfine Swoop using babydoll Lilly to walk through the process.
Children’s National is helping usher in a new MRI revolution ― one with the power to bring life-changing medical imaging to families around the world.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has long let doctors peer deep inside the brain and other delicate organs in breathtaking detail without an incision or dose of radiation. Yet, for decades, MRI has been limited to major medical centers with the space, staff and resources to house machines that can weigh tons and cost millions. That could soon change.
Cheaper, lighter and faster
A research team at Children’s National is experimenting with new ways to expand access to MRI for kids. They are using artificial intelligence (AI) with an affordable, portable and commercially available MRI machine called the Hyperfine Swoop. This ultra-low-field scanner can roll into nearly any care setting and plug into a wall outlet. This includes operating rooms and intensive care units, which are highly sensitive to the strong magnets in traditional MRIs.
“The Hyperfine Swoop is 20 times lighter and multiple times cheaper than a regular MRI. It does not require sedation. We can scan a patient in as little as two minutes,” says Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc, director of the Division of AI Research and the Connor Family Professor of Research and Innovation. Dr. Linguraru is also a principal investigator at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.
A clearer view with AI
Recognizing the vast potential to benefit more children, Dr. Linguraru’s team tests AI algorithms that sharpen the blurry images these portable machines produce. Thousands of data points help clarify pictures of a child’s brain. Intricate nuances emerge that approach the quality of a typical MRI.
The Gates Foundation invests in this work through its Ultra-Low Field Neuroimaging in the Young (UNITY) project. This research network links dozens of hospitals and research centers worldwide. UNITY is evaluating the tool for infant brain scanning and global health research into hunger, infectious diseases and other global conditions.
“We have reviewed thousands of cases, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. AI is the biggest technological leapfrog to enhance care for children everywhere,” Dr. Linguraru says. “Many children in low-resource countries will benefit from powerful medical imaging.”
Better care for kids
At Children’s National, doctors use the Hyperfine Swoop and Dr. Linguraru’s AI on an experimental basis. “One millimeter of precision can make all the difference for a child’s health,” says Daniel Donoho, MD, a neurosurgeon who has used the device on around 100 patients over three years.
His patients with brain and spine disorders are often too delicate to move and endure a lengthy traditional MRI scan. The portable scanner is a game-changer for them.
Dr. Donoho also works with Dr. Linguraru to test the technology, thanks to a special $100,000 global health grant from the Children’s National Research Institute. In addition to bringing this imaging to new parts of the hospital, they hope to extend testing around the world, including to Tanzania and Ethiopia.
“This technology could extend access to MRI imaging for around 5 billion people,” Dr. Donoho says. “The potential is massive.”
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A new Children’s National study reveals that depression risk in pediatric epilepsy may be tied to how brain lesions interact with the brain’s default mode network — not just where those lesions are located.
Using focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), the most common cause of surgically treatable, drug-resistant epilepsy in children, investigators found that greater overlap between lesions and the brain’s default mode network (DMN) is associated with increased depressive symptoms, particularly during adolescence.
Dive deeper
FCD disrupts cortical development and functional connectivity, making it a powerful model for understanding how focal brain abnormalities affect distributed neural systems.
In this study, researchers analyzed children with FCD-related epilepsy who completed the Child Behavior Checklist, linking parent-reported psychiatric symptoms with advanced imaging. They mapped FCD lesions from MRI and measured how those lesions overlapped with major functional brain networks, then used statistical models accounting for age and gender to examine how network-level brain organization related to real-world psychiatric symptoms.
The results showed that greater overlap between FCD lesions and the default mode network was associated with higher depressive symptom scores, even after accounting for age and gender. Female sex was also associated with increased depressive symptoms. These associations were stronger in adolescents, suggesting that network maturation amplifies risk during this developmental stage.
“By anchoring depression risk to a specific brain network, we’re starting to connect the biology of epilepsy with the lived experience of patients in a much more direct way,” said Xiaotong Li, BA, first author of the study and clinical research coordinator with the Focal Cortical Dysplasia Research Program. “This kind of approach helps move the field toward identifying measurable markers that could eventually guide more personalized care.”
By contrast, overlap with the limbic network was not associated with depressive symptoms, and no meaningful relationship was found between network overlap and anxiety.
What this means
The findings support a shift from region-based to network-based models of pediatric epilepsy and its comorbidities.
“Rather than thinking of psychiatric symptoms as separate from epilepsy, this work suggests they may arise from the same underlying network disruptions that drive seizures,” said Nathan T. Cohen, MD, corresponding author and director of the Focal Cortical Dysplasia Research Program.
The default mode network is involved in self-referential processing and emotional regulation, aligning with broader evidence linking DMN dysfunction to depressive disorders.
The absence of a relationship with anxiety suggests that depression and anxiety in pediatric epilepsy may arise through distinct mechanisms. Overall, the results indicate that lesion–network colocalization contributes to depression vulnerability and that DMN involvement may serve as a neurobiological marker of risk, particularly in adolescence.
Why this matters
By showing that depression risk is tied to how lesions engage functional brain networks, this study provides a more precise framework for understanding psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy.
The identification of DMN involvement as a potential marker of depressive symptoms opens the door to future work focused on individualized, network-informed diagnostics and therapies.
Together, these findings highlight how Children’s National is advancing a more integrated view of pediatric brain disease—one that connects imaging, behavior and clinical care to move toward more personalized treatment strategies.
Read the full study “Network Colocalization Correlates of Depression and Anxiety in Pediatric Focal Cortical Dysplasia-Related Epilepsy” in the Annals of Neurology here.
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Researchers at Children’s National Hospital are helping advance pediatric AI with a first-of-its-kind open-access brain tumor imaging dataset designed to improve radiology and precision medicine for children.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving quickly in medicine, and radiology is one of the easiest places to see that progress. But in pediatrics, the path forward is more complicated. Children are not just smaller versions of adult patients. They have different diseases, different biology and different care processes, which means AI has to be built with that reality in mind from the beginning.
That challenge is clear in a new effort focused on pediatric brain tumors. While rare, these tumors remain the most common solid tumors in children and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the pediatric population. Compared to adult brain tumors, they behave differently across biology, anatomy and clinical care, which makes diagnosis, monitoring and treatment response especially complex. AI has the potential to improve all of this. But progress has been slow, largely because the field has been working without the kind of large, standardized and accessible datasets that make AI actually work at scale.
Dive deeper
A new international effort, co-led by Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc, of Children’s National Hospital and Anahita Fathi Kazerooni, PhD of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is helping change that. The Brain Tumor Segmentation in Pediatrics dataset, known as BraTS-PEDs, is the first large-scale, open-access benchmark dataset designed specifically for pediatric brain tumor segmentation and analysis. It brings together MRI data from multiple imaging sequences from 457 pediatric patients with high-grade gliomas, collected across several institutions and international research consortia.
Each case includes a full set of clinically relevant imaging sequences, including pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted, T2-weighted and T2-FLAIR MRI. Experts labeled different parts of each tumor using established pediatric neuro-oncology guidelines. They combined automated tools designed for pediatric cases with careful review and refinement by neuroradiologists. The result is a dataset that is not only large but consistent in a way the field has not had before.
Just as important, the dataset is structured to support real-world use. It is divided into training, validation and hidden testing subsets, allowing researchers to benchmark models in a reproducible way and evaluate how well those models generalize across institutions.
Why this matters
This kind of resource addresses one of the biggest barriers in pediatric AI. Without enough high-quality, standardized data, even the most promising algorithms struggle to translate into clinical use.
BraTS-PEDs changes that by giving researchers a shared foundation. It allows for consistent method comparison, supports model development across institutions and opens the door for integrating imaging with molecular and clinical data, which is where things start to move toward precision medicine in a meaningful way.
For pediatric radiology, that shift is critical. AI is not just about improving image analysis. It is about building tools that can help clinicians better understand disease, track how it evolves and make more informed decisions over time. Dr. Linguraru’s team has created public tools to provide open access to the volumetric analysis of pediatric brain tumors to doctors and researchers everywhere.
What comes next
At Children’s National, this work fits into a broader effort to rethink how AI is developed and deployed in pediatric care. Through its Division of AI Research, the focus is on creating a clinically grounded ecosystem where data, technology and clinical expertise are tightly connected. The goal is to move beyond isolated projects and build infrastructure that allows ideas to move from concept to application in a way that is scalable and sustainable. As Dr. Linguraru notes, “AI tools can play a key role in radiology, but radiologists must be able to trust in the systems’ design and receive adequate training.”
Radiology is already leading the way when it comes to AI in medicine, but pediatrics is still catching up in terms of data and infrastructure. Efforts like BraTS-PEDs are a step toward closing that gap. By creating shared, standardized resources, they make it possible to build and evaluate models in a way that is consistent, collaborative and clinically relevant. For children, that matters. Getting AI right in pediatrics is not just about innovation. It is about making sure the tools being developed actually reflect the patients they are meant to serve.
This research, Brain Tumor Segmentation in Pediatrics (BraTS-PEDs): A Multi-Institutional Benchmark Dataset for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, was published in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. Authors from Children’s National Hospital include Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc; Zhifan Jiang, PhD; Xinyang Liu, PhD; Brian Rood, MD; and Roger J. Packer, MD; in collaboration with colleagues from multiple institutions and international consortia working to advance artificial intelligence in pediatric neuro-oncology.
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Two simple ultrasound measurements can help doctors better spot kidney blockages in children and reduce the need for radiation tests.
Kidney blockages in children, often caused by ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), can be hard to diagnose. These blockages can lead to hydronephrosis, or swelling of the kidney, which can damage kidney function if not found early.
The most accurate test, called a MAG3 scan, shows how well the kidney works and drains urine. However, this test uses radiation and requires an IV. For that reason, doctors often use ultrasound first since it is safe and does not use radiation. The challenge is that reading ultrasounds to judge how serious the swelling is can be unclear and based on opinion.
Doctors use grading systems to describe the severity of hydronephrosis, or kidney swelling. These systems often depend on whether the kidney tissue appears “thin.” The problem is that there is no clear rule for what “thin” actually means. As a result, different doctors may describe the same ultrasound differently, which can make it harder to decide which children need more testing.
How does this work move the field forward?
In this study, Dr. Krill and his team found that two ultrasound measurements —the width of the kidney’s central area (renal pelvic diameter) and the thickness of the kidney tissue (renal parenchymal thickness) — were linked to signs of blockage seen on a MAG3 scan.
Researchers looked at whether different radiologists would get the same results when making these measurements. They found very strong agreement between doctors, even when they used slightly different ways to find the thinnest part of the kidney tissue.
“We’ve relied on visual grading for years,” Dr. Krill said. “We wanted to see if we could use clear measurements that are repeatable and directly connected to how the kidney is functioning.”
The results showed that these measurements are reliable and can be standardized.
How will this work benefit patients?
Using these clear measurements can help doctors better identify which children with hydronephrosis are truly at risk for blockage. This means fewer children may need a MAG3 scan if their ultrasound measurements show they are low risk. At the same time, children who are at higher risk for blockage can be identified sooner. This approach supports safer, more personalized care.
How is Children’s National leading in this space?
Children’s National is one of the first groups to connect clear ultrasound measurements with objective results from MAG3 scans. By combining these pieces, the team is helping move care away from opinion-based grading and toward more consistent, measurement-based decision-making. This work supports smarter testing and more tailored follow-up for each child.
Children’s National is transforming how doctors detect and treat focal cortical dysplasia, the leading cause of surgically treatable epilepsy in children.
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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.
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Voting for the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings can be done only through Doximity.
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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.
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)
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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 13:53:592026-07-08 10:45:24Children’s National in the News: 2025
AI researchers have created pTBLightNet, a deep-learning model that detects pediatric tuberculosis on chest X-rays with high accuracy.
A new international study published in Nature Communications highlights a promising step forward in using an artificial intelligence model, pTBLightNet, to detect pediatric tuberculosis (TB) on chest X-rays. The study, led in part by Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MS, Connor Family Professor of Research and Innovation and principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Hospital and by Ramón Sánchez-Jacob, MD, a radiologist at Children’s National, could help improve early diagnosis in settings where clinical experts are scarce
The big picture
Tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of death from an infectious agent worldwide, and children face disproportionate risks. Diagnosing TB in young patients is complex: symptoms are often nonspecific, radiographic findings are subtle and bacteriologic confirmation is difficult to obtain. As a result, many children with TB are never diagnosed or treated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies chest X-rays as a central tool for screening and triage, yet interpreting pediatric images is challenging even for experts. pTBLightNet was developed to support clinics by identifying the radiographic signatures consistent with pediatric TB.
The study team, led by the Polytechnic University in Madrid, trained and evaluated the AI model on more than 900 pediatric chest X-rays collected in Mozambique, Spain, and the United States. To mirror real-world radiology practice, the model incorporates both frontal and lateral X-rays. The system was also pretrained on more than 100,000 adult chest X-rays before fine tuning on pediatric TB data.
The model achieved an accuracy of approximately 90% on data from international sites. The cohort from Children’s National was drawn from emergency department patients with respiratory symptoms.
Why this matters
Young children, especially those under five, face the highest risk of severe TB and related death. They are also the group most likely to be missed or receive delayed treatment. In this context, a tool capable of identifying TB in X-ray imaging can meaningfully shift the timeline of care and improve chances of recovery.
The study offers several important insights. First, pretraining on adult datasets and fine-tuning on pediatric cases improves the performance of the AI model. Second, age stratified models match or even exceed the performance of a single, all ages model despite being trained on substantially smaller datasets. This suggests that the radiologic presentation of TB varies enough by age to justify the development of pediatric-specific models. Third, the addition of lateral X-ray views proves especially valuable for diagnosing TB in younger children.
What’s next
The team plans to validate the AI model performance in routine clinical workflows and help clinicians distinguish TB from other respiratory infections. Integration of pTBLightNet into telemedicine and referral platforms holds potential to extend expert-level diagnostics to underserved regions, helping ensure children everywhere receive timely, accurate evaluation.
You can read the full study, “Multi-view deep learning framework for the detection of chest X-rays compatible with pediatric pulmonary tuberculosis” in Nature Communications here.
Additional research from Children’s National was done by Pooneh Roshanitabrizi, PhD.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/chest-x-ray-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-12-04 11:44:092026-04-10 15:59:28AI tool shows promise for faster, more accurate pediatric tuberculosis detection
Dr. Marius George Linguraru, a global leader in pediatric imaging and AI, has been named a 2025 MICCAI Fellow for advancing quantitative imaging biomarkers and championing equitable AI in children’s health.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how doctors diagnose, monitor and treat disease. At this year’s conference of the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) Society in Daejeon, South Korea, more than 3,300 scientists, engineers and clinicians from around the world gathered to explore that transformation firsthand. Among them was Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MS, the Connor Family Professor of Research and Innovation at Children’s National Hospital and a global leader in pediatric imaging and AI research, who was officially named a 2025 Fellow of the MICCAI Society.
The fellowship recognizes Dr. Linguraru for his “distinguished contributions to medical image computing, particularly in the development of quantitative imaging biomarkers for pediatric and rare diseases.”
The big picture
The MICCAI Society is the world’s leading organization for medical image computing and computer-assisted intervention. Each year, it recognizes researchers who have shaped the field through scientific excellence, mentorship and community leadership. Dr. Linguraru shares this year’s honor with Carl-Fredrik Westin of Harvard Medical School and Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
In addition to receiving the fellowship, Dr. Linguraru currently serves as president of the MICCAI Society, helping to guide its global community through a new era of AI-driven discovery.
“The wellbeing of children is a core value of any society, and I believe AI is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve healthcare for all,” said Dr. Linguraru. “I stand firmly as an advocate for equitable imaging and AI, a mentor and a researcher devoted to children’s health. These values are at the heart of the MICCAI Society, my global family pushing the frontiers of science and healthcare.”
The backdrop
At the 2025 MICCAI conference in Daejeon, more than 3,300 participants came together to celebrate science, collaboration and culture. The meeting showcased the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning for healthcare, including deep-learning approaches to imaging, robotics and clinical decision support.
Dr. Linguraru highlighted the growing momentum toward translating AI methods into clinical practice, as well as new partnerships with the European Society of Radiology and the European Society of Digital and Integrative Pathology that will strengthen the field’s impact.
The society also introduced new awards and grants focused on innovation, health equity and inclusivity, priorities that align closely with Dr. Linguraru’s own career-long mission to bring AI tools to children with rare diseases and limited access to care.
The bottom line
Dr. Linguraru’s installation as a MICCAI Fellow marks a defining moment for both his career and the society he now leads. It celebrates two decades of pioneering research in pediatric imaging and AI, mentorship across continents and a deep belief that technology should serve every child, everywhere.
As the MICCAI community looks ahead to Abu Dhabi in 2026 and Auckland in 2027, Dr. Linguraru’s leadership will help guide the field toward a future where imaging science, artificial intelligence and compassion work hand in hand to advance global health.
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“Start Strong: The New Onset Diabetes Program” was developed with a grant from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) to support families during the critical period after receiving a new diabetes diagnosis.
Families receiving a new diabetes diagnosis face one of the most overwhelming transitions in pediatric care. “Start Strong: The New Onset Diabetes Program” was developed with a grant from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) to support families during this critical period with care coordination, social drivers of health screening and multi-modal education that build a strong foundation for confident, long-term diabetes management. This effort is part of a unique collaboration between CareFirst and Children’s National to address priority pediatric health issues, including diabetes.
Sarah Lydia Holly, BSN, RN, and lead physician Shideh Majidi, MD, MSCS, discuss the development of this project and their hopes for advancing care for newly diagnosed children and families.
Q: What inspired the development of this program for newly diagnosed children and families?
A: At the time of a diabetes diagnosis, families must quickly learn a new “language” of diabetes, adjust daily routines, adopt new technology and manage the emotional toll. The “Start Strong” program was designed to give families the education, structured follow-up and support they need to confidently manage diabetes from the very beginning.
Q: What makes this program different from the standard care families typically receive at diagnosis?
A: The program builds on the standard care offerings by adding proactive follow-up within days of discharge, consistent outreach from a dedicated care coordinator and early screening for both mental health and social drivers of health. These steps help us tailor care and address challenges early.
Q: What are the key outcomes you hope to see from this program?
A: We want families to stay engaged and feel supported in those first critical months. In practice, this looks like:
Higher completion of education and follow-up visits
More consistent mental health and social drivers of health screening, with formalized follow-up and resource referrals.
Strong knowledge retention through assessments and supplemental modules.
Expanded Type 2 diabetes education and support.
A shorter turnaround from diagnosis to insulin pump technology initiation with equitable access for all families.
Q: What have you learned so far?
A: We have learned that intensive education and follow-up right after diagnosis makes a real difference in keeping families connected to care. Early coordination helps resolve underlying barriers before they derail diabetes management.
Q: How will this benefit patients and families?
A: Families benefit from ongoing support, not just at diagnosis but throughout the early months of adjustment. By combining clinical follow-up, psychosocial support and tailored education, the program helps families feel less overwhelmed and more confident.
Q: How might this program serve as a model for other hospitals or diabetes programs?
A: The “Start Strong” program shows the value of embedding care coordination, structured follow-up and screening into the new onset period. The care coordinator model, social drivers of health screening and follow-up, and multimodal education can be adopted by other programs looking to improve engagement and equity in the vulnerable new onset period.
Q: Do you see opportunities to expand or adapt this program in the future?
A: Yes. With continued support, we plan to expand Type 2 diabetes education and increase access to insulin pump technology. We also see opportunities to build out the knowledge assessment and learning module approach so families across diagnoses can receive tailored education. In the long term, core elements like structured follow-up and coordinated social drivers of health support could be adapted to benefit families managing other chronic conditions as well.
Q: Does this program address health disparities?
A: “Start Strong” was intentionally designed to serve all newly diagnosed diabetes patients and families across D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The program places a strong emphasis on reducing disparities by providing coordinated care, consistent follow up on social drivers of health and accessible education for every family.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/glucose-monitor-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-10-17 10:59:232025-10-17 11:00:37Improving diabetes care from day one
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:
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/USNWR_CNBadges_Set2SideBySide_2025-26-CNRI.jpg385685Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-10-07 01:00:072026-07-08 10:45:12Children’s National Hospital once again ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report
Initially, Dr. Bulas pursued pediatrics, drawn to the joy and complexity of working with children. But during her residency, she found herself increasingly drawn to radiology.
What began as a passion for ballet evolved into a lifelong pursuit of innovation that allowed Dorothy Bulas MD, FACR, to find her rhythm not on stage, but in the radiology department.
As a child of Eastern European immigrants who came to the U.S. after World War II, Dorothy was raised with a strong sense of resilience and gratitude. Her mother, a physician trained at the University of Heidelberg, helped plant the seeds of a future in medicine. But before pursuing that path, Dorothy was devoted to ballet, dreaming of a life on stage. It wasn’t until she outgrew the physical limitations of the profession that she turned her curiosity toward science and eventually enrolled in a competitive six-year medical program right out of high school.
Initially, Dr. Bulas pursued pediatrics, drawn to the joy and complexity of working with children. But during her residency, she found herself increasingly drawn to radiology.
“I realized I was always sitting in the radiology department,” she recalled. “I loved the detective work. It was like reading mysteries every day.”
This fascination led her to complete a second residency in radiology, an uncommon path that blended her love of diagnosis with her background in pediatrics.
Dr. Bulas’ arrival at Children’s National Hospital came by way of serendipity and mentorship. After a rotation at Johns Hopkins, a respected radiologist encouraged her to connect with peers in Washington, D.C. What began as an exploratory trip quickly became a defining moment: she was offered a fellowship at Children’s National.
“I came to Children’s National and never left,” she said. “It felt like home.”
Over the past three decades, Dr. Bulas has helped shape Children’s National as a hub for innovation- particularly in fetal imaging. As one of the first to specialize in prenatal radiology at a freestanding children’s hospital, she was at the forefront of integrating fetal ultrasound and MRI into clinical care.
As a Professor of Pediatrics and Radiology, Dr. Bulas has remained a vital part of the hospital’s growth as a nationally recognized pediatric radiology division including perinatal imaging. “We were doing fetal MRIs before it was common. It was a new frontier. And now, it is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas in pediatric radiology,” she shared.
Despite the technical complexity of her work, what drives Dr. Bulas most is her connection to families. “Some of the most heartwarming parts of my career have been counseling families through difficult diagnoses, then seeing them return years later with healthy children.”
She has been part of remarkable cases including conjoined twin deliveries and pioneering fetal surgeries, always maintaining a sense of humility. “You can’t predict everything,” she says. “These families put their trust in us during the most vulnerable time of their lives.”
In recognition of her groundbreaking contributions, Dr. Bulas has received numerous awards- including the Radiologic Society of North America Outstanding Educator Award, the Society for Pediatric Radiology Gold Medal Award and the Beverly B. Wood Award for Outstanding Pediatrics from the AAP. Still, she remains humble.
“Nothing I have done has been alone. It takes a village – the sonographers, the technologists, the nurses, the leadership. Children’s National has always supported me, and for that, I’m grateful.”
Outside of clinical work and research, Dr. Bulas has also shaped the future of the field through education. She was part of the inaugural cohort of the hospital’s Master Teacher program and has served as a leader in national and international radiology societies including past president and chair of the Society for Pediatric Radiology, past president of the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging and current Chair of the Commission on Pediatric Radiology for the American College of Radiology . A fierce advocate for global outreach, she’s helped establish observerships and pediatric radiology training programs in underserved regions around the world.
“There are over a billion children globally who lack access to imaging,” she noted. “That’s something we can and must work to change.”
Dr. Bulas encourages the next generation of healthcare professionals to remain open to possibility.
“I never imagined I’d be doing this. When I started, fetal imaging didn’t even exist. But if you stay curious and committed, your career will take you to places you never dreamed.”
With decades of expertise and an unwavering dedication to children and families, Dr. Dorothy Bulas has shaped the field of pediatric radiology one image, one patient and one breakthrough at a time.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Dorothy-Bulas-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-08-19 16:27:022025-08-19 16:28:05From ballet to breakthroughs: The remarkable journey of Dr. Dorothy Bulas
Dr. Marius George Linguraru accepts the IEEE EMBS Distinguished Service Award in Copenhagen, honoring his global impact in pediatric AI and dedication to advancing children’s health through innovation.
Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc, Connor Family Professor and Endowed Chair in Research and Innovation at Children’s National Hospital, has received the prestigious Distinguished Service Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS). IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity with over 486,000 members in more than 190 countries. This honor recognizes his “unwavering dedication to service, mentorship and scientific excellence” and notes that “his distinguished contributions have strengthened the society and expanded EMBS’s global reach.”
At Children’s National, Dr. Linguraru leads groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) research initiatives focused on transforming pediatric care. His work provides non-invasive, accessible solutions for early detection and treatment of complex childhood diseases, giving vulnerable children everywhere a better chance of healthier lives.
Through the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation and other interdisciplinary collaborations, Dr. Linguraru and his team develop AI tools that support clinicians in diagnosing and monitoring conditions ranging from rare genetic disorders to endemic heart diseases and critical pediatric cancers. His dedication to innovation has placed Children’s National at the forefront of AI-powered global pediatric health care.
“IEEE EMBS has been a professional home throughout my career, and this award holds special personal significance,” Dr. Linguraru shared. “It has been incredibly fulfilling to contribute to the organization while also advancing our mission at Children’s National, to create and translate technologies that improve care for children and families around the world.”
In addition to his leadership at Children’s National, Dr. Linguraru holds faculty appointments as Professor of Radiology and Pediatrics at George Washington University. He also co-founded PediaMetrix Inc., a company focused on improving pediatric health through AI innovation, and serves as the president of the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) Society.
Dr. Linguraru’s commitment to service has been reflected in his numerous leadership roles within IEEE EMBS, including Chair of the Technical Committee for Biomedical Imaging and Image Processing, General Chair of the IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) 2019, and Distinguished Lecturer of the society. His contributions have inspired colleagues and future leaders across the field.
His work has earned widespread recognition, including the Excellence in Engineering Award at the UK Houses of Parliament and media features in The Economist, The Washington Post, and The Times (London). Yet it is his dedication to improving the lives of children that remains at the heart of his mission.
“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and collaborators, both at Children’s National and around the world, who share this vision of using AI technology to make a real difference in pediatric health,” said Dr. Linguraru. “This award is not only a personal honor but a recognition of the incredible work we do together to create a healthier future for children everywhere.”
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/linguraru-award-CNRI-Feature.jpg385685Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-07-21 11:45:522026-01-05 17:11:06Dr. Marius George Linguraru honored with IEEE EMBS Distinguished Service Award
A new study from Children’s National Hospital reveals how a minimally invasive procedure is transforming care for infants with hemimegalencephaly and medically refractory seizures, offering seizure relief with fewer surgical risks.
Until recently, families of infants with hemimegalencephaly and medically refractory seizures had few treatment options, almost all involved major brain surgery such as hemispherectomy, to remove or disconnect the affected portion of the brain. These procedures, while sometimes effective, carry high risks in very young infants due to the fragility of their developing brains and invasive nature of the surgery.
Now, specialists from the Hemimegalencephaly Program at Children’s National Hospital have pioneered a minimally invasive alternative. Leveraging the combined expertise of a multidisciplinary team — spanning neurology, neurointerventional radiology, prenatal pediatrics, neonatology, neurogenetics and neurodevelopmental pediatrics, neuropsychology and neurosurgery — they have developed a technique that induces controlled, targeted strokes in the affected hemisphere using transarterial embolization (TAE). This approach mimics the effect of surgery by reducing seizure activity, without the need for open brain procedures.
This novel strategy is the focus of a new study led by Monica Pearl, MD, director of the Neurointerventional Radiology Program. The research represents the largest retrospective review of its kind, examining 41 TAE procedures performed over an 11-year span in 13 infants under three months of age.
The results are promising: 73% of patients achieved Engel Class I seizure outcomes at follow-up, suggesting that with careful technique and patient selection, TAE may provide meaningful seizure control with fewer perioperative risks than traditional surgery. The study also highlights the technical complexity of the procedure, early complications and the critical role of evolving protocols in ensuring patient safety.
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.
Posters at the REI Week 2025 Monday, March 31 poster session.
Panelists discuss innovation during REI Week 2025.
Global Health Initiative community engagement event during REI Week 2025.
Chris Rees presents his REI Week 2025 lecture.
Nathan Kuppermann listens to a presenter during the REI Week 2025 Tuesday, April 1, poster session.
Michelle Riley-Brown, Nathan Kuppermann, Catherine Bollard and Naomi Luban on stage during the REI Week 2025 awards ceremony.
Brandy Salmon presents on innovation programs at Virginia Tech during the REI Week 2025 Innovation Day.
Catherine Bollard listens to a presenter during the REI Week 2025 Monday, March 21 poster session.
Ambroise Wonkman poses for a picture with Children’s National staff.
Tanzeem Choudhury presenting during REI Week 2025.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/REI-Week-2025-Monday-Poster-Session-CNRI.jpg385685Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-04-22 10:31:052026-09-21 15:10:01REI Week 2025 empowers the future in pediatric research and innovation
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Article_Image_400x300_Linguraru.jpg12501667Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/InnovationDistrict_CN_WebHeader-1396px-1030x151.pngInnovation District2025-04-14 11:05:362026-08-05 11:50:42Podcast: Future ready: AI’s role in revolutionizing pediatric care
Children’s National in Washington, D.C., was once again ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2026-27 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the 10th straight year Children’s National has made the Honor Roll, a distinction awarded to only 10 children’s hospitals nationwide.
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.
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.
