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.
Anatomically accurate, illustrated images like this one enhance the article’s explanation of specific AVSD techniques that improve outcomes.
A five-year retrospective study of 63 complete atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) repairs that applied a patience-filled, consistent and refined approach showed low operative mortality, reduced postoperative length of stay and low rates of readmission or reoperation at Children’s National Hospital. The approach, outlined by cardiac surgeon Aybala Tongut, MD and illustrated by medical illustrator Sofia Hanabergh, shows the artistry and technical expertise required for each patient’s unique anatomy.
Dr. Tongut writes, “Each repair is a quiet dialogue with the heart. Our role is to listen with our hands.”
What it means
“Despite the wealth of knowledge in cardiac surgery, reliable technique guidance for AVSD repair especially one that addresses tactile judgment and intraoperative variability — remains surprisingly scarce,” says Dr. Tongut in the article’s introduction. This manuscript aims to provide more detailed outlines and images that will allow other surgeons in the field to replicate the approach that applies through “delicate traction and thoughtful positioning.”
The procedure is a two-patch repair strategy emphasizing tactile feedback, valve-centric technique and “surgical humility.”
Since 2020, Children’s National cardiac surgeons performed 63 two-patch repairs. Operative mortality was 1.59%. Median postoperative length of stay among discharged patients was 10 days. Readmissions occurred in 12.7%, and reoperations in 6.3% of patients.
These outcomes show remarkable consistency for a procedure that is known for its inherently variable nature.
Children’s National leads the way
Cardiac surgeons at Children’s National are leaders in the field and constantly refining new approaches to improve outcomes for children with congenital heart disease. In addition to creating new approaches or perfecting existing ones, the team aims to disseminate evidence-based techniques as widely as possible so that every child with AVSD has the best possible chance to not only survive their congenital heart defect, but also potentially avoid additional procedures for as long as possible.
For AVSD, physicians and families should consider both short-term outcomes, as reflected in Dr. Tongut’s manuscript, but also be aware of the long-term outcomes for these repairs. Children’s National is one of the only children’s hospitals in the U.S. to publish long-term outcomes for some of the most common cardiovascular surgeries performed at the institution.
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/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.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/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-12-23 13:53:592025-12-31 09:09:17Children’s National in the News: 2025
The initiative will train early-career biomedical researchers in leadership, mentorship, and team science to strengthen collaboration and innovation.
Modern biomedical breakthroughs depend on teamwork. From decoding genetic disorders to developing next-generation therapies, success rarely happens in isolation. Yet most research training still focuses on scientific skills, not on the skills needed to build and lead collaborative teams.
To close that gap, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $2.7 million over five years to the Children’s Research Institute at Children’s National Hospital to launch the TEAMS Program — short for “Together Everyone Achieves More in Science.” C0-led by Beth A. Tarini, MD, MS, MBA, co-director of the Center for Health Outcomes Research & Delivery Science, the program will train early-career biomedical researchers to assemble, lead and retain high-performing research teams.
This program blends evidence-based leadership development with real-world collaboration skills. Participants will learn how to build research teams that are not only scientifically rigorous but also cohesive and resilient. The program combines principles from organizational management, mentorship and team science to equip participants to lead effectively in an increasingly complex research environment.
Funded through the NIH’s Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (R25) mechanism, the program will train five national cohorts of early-career biomedical researchers. Along with Dr. Tarini, the program will be co-led by Dr. Margaret Ormiston, associate professor, The George Washington University School of Business, and Dr. Nathan A. Smith, associate dean for research mentorship and associate professor of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, leveraging each institution’s strengths in team science and organizational leadership.
Left to right: Thevaa Chandereng, PhD (Assistant Professor of Biostatistics), Kelly Christensen (Data Manager), Beth Tarini, MD, Tara Lavelle, PhD (Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine), Anne Atkins (Program Manager)
“Science today is a team sport — and so was the creation of this program,” said Dr. Tarini. “The idea grew out of taking Dr. Ormiston’s class on team leadership and wondering how those lessons could be applied to science, while also building on Dr. Smith’s expertise in mentoring the next generation of researchers.”
Dr. Smith added, “This grant will address a critical gap in graduate education: training in lab management and mentorship. By equipping the next generation of scientists with these essential skills, we can revolutionize biomedical research training.”
Strengthening the research workforce requires more than funding projects. It requires investing in people and the environments where discovery happens. By teaching scientists how to lead high-performing teams, the program aims to transform how biomedical research is done.
With NIH support, Children’s National is redefining what leadership in science looks like: collaborative and team driven. “Our goal is to equip researchers with the skills to build the teams that make discovery possible,” said Dr. Tarini. “That’s how we create a more connected, innovative and resilient research community.”
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/researchers-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-10-20 17:10:232025-10-20 17:10:23New NIH grant boosts research team leadership training for biomedical leaders
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/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-10-07 01:00:072026-01-05 17:33:17Children’s National Hospital once again ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report
In general, cardiac patients have one of the highest unplanned readmission rates (12%) after going home.
Patients with the heart muscle disease cardiomyopathy and those with single ventricle anatomy are most likely to have an unplanned readmission to the hospital within 30 days of their initial discharge, according to a study published in Pediatric Cardiology.
The study was led by cardiology fellow Michael He, MD, with support from pediatric cardiologists at Children’s National Hospital, including Ashraf Harahsheh, MD, who served as senior author.
What it means
The single center retrospective cohort study reviewed 1,848 hospitalizations that included 223 unplanned readmissions within 30 days of discharge. The authors sought to identify whether directly discharging patients from the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) had an impact on readmissions. Typically, cardiac patients are “stepped down” to an acute care inpatient cardiology unit, the Heart and Kidney Unit (HKU) at Children’s National, prior to discharge. When census is high in the HKU, however, some patients can be sent home directly from the CICU.
The analysis showed no connection between CICU-based discharge or HKU-based discharge, but the authors found several other factors that made unplanned readmission more likely:
Single ventricle anatomy
Chromosomal anomaly
Cardiomyopathy
Tube feeding
Increased length of initial stay
Why it matters
In general, cardiac patients have one of the highest unplanned readmission rates (12%) after going home. A deeper dive into the unplanned readmission rates for this group can help care providers identify gaps in discharge instructions and other areas for quality improvement initiatives. The overall goal for these studies is to identify ways to decrease return rates to the hospital for this fragile patient population.
What’s next
The study authors note that multi-center studies of unplanned readmissions would be beneficial to determine if these findings are limited to the specific population mix at Children’s National or if they are somewhat consistent across care centers.
They also recommend that quality improvement initiatives be targeted at patient groups with the highest risk of unplanned readmission, especially those with cardiomyopathy, single ventricle anatomy or those admitted for medical care. The lower unplanned readmission rates for surgical care patients may be due in part to decades of quality improvement initiatives and processes focused on surgical patients, the authors note. “Centers should strive to adapt these processes to medical admissions as well.”
Care providers should also take particular care when assessing discharge readiness and post discharge planning for patients requiring tube feeding and those with chromosomal abnormalities and syndromes, who also had higher risks for unplanned readmissions.
“Our study hopes to lay the foundation for both local and multi-center outcome initiatives to further better the health of our patients,” the authors write.
Other authors from Children’s National include: Maria‑Theresa Balbin, Janet Kreutzer, Jenhao J. Cheng, Janika Peyasena, Lisa Hom, Mary Morgan, Tracy Baust and Yuliya Domnina, MD, medical director for quality and safety in the ICU.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/echocardiogram-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-09-17 15:34:202025-09-17 15:35:29Cardiomyopathy, single ventricle anatomy patients have highest unplanned readmission risk
Children’s National Hospital affiliates will participate in this year’s American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition, taking place in Denver, Colorado, from September 26-30. Below is a schedule of sessions led by professionals from Children’s National:
Allison Markowsky, MD, MSHS, FAAP, attending physician and associate chief for Community Hospital Medicine programs
S2433: What’s Trending in the Newborn Nursery: Controversies and Evidence
Saturday, September 27, 2025
5:30-6:30 PM EDT/EST
Dennis Ren, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician
H0226: Section on Emergency Medicine Program: Day 2 PEM Hot Topic, EmergiQuiz, PEMPix and State of the Section Awards Saturday, September 27, 2025
10:30 AM-7:30 PM EDT/EST
Natasha Shur, MD, medical geneticist
S2324: Genetic Testing Boot Camp
Saturday, September 27, 2025
4:00-5:00 PM EDT/EST
To view the full schedule along with options to join sessions virtually, please visit the AAP conference website.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AAP-2025-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-09-11 10:47:582025-09-11 10:47:58Children’s National Hospital at the 2025 American Academy of Pediatrics meeting
Children’s National Hospital is proud to share that it has earned URAC accreditation for specialty pharmacy — its second recognition of this kind. The hospital previously received Telehealth accreditation from URAC, reinforcing its commitment to excellence in patient care.
“This accreditation is a reflection of our team’s unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standard of care to our patients,” said Johnny Yoko-Uzomah, PharmD, DPLA, director of Specialty Pharmacy Services at Children’s National. “It reinforces the trust families place in us and highlights the dedication of our staff to continuous improvement, safety and excellence in everything we do.”
URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality by setting high standards for clinical practice, consumer protections, performance measurement, operations infrastructure and risk management. By achieving this status, Children’s National has demonstrated its commitment to quality care, enhanced processes, patient safety and improved outcomes.
“This distinguished achievement of receiving URAC accreditation and having it presented by Dr. Griffin today demonstrates a seal of quality ensuring Children’s National Hospital’s pharmacy operations and patient management services adhere to the highest set of standards,” said Christopher Wilson, PharmD, MBA, senior director of Pharmacy Operations at Clearway Health. “It also exemplifies the incredible work of the Clearway Health team in providing an ongoing compliance and audit roadmap for reaccreditation readiness in a finite amount of time. Today, Children’s National Hospital joins one of only a few children’s hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic region to earn this accreditation and the ability to provide comprehensive care to patients on specialty medications, keeping the care of children close to the providers they trust.”
“Now more than ever, specialty pharmacies are an essential part of the patient care team and patient experience. URAC congratulates Children’s National on their achievement of Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation. This achievement demonstrates excellence in pharmacy operations, product handling, patient education and patient management. When an organization achieves URAC accreditation, they demonstrate their commitment to improving their quality of care, which is important to patients, providers and payers,” said URAC’s president and CEO Shawn Griffin, MD.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/URAC-pharmacy-award-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-07-02 13:41:522026-01-05 17:33:29Children’s National earns URAC accreditation in specialty pharmacy
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/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-04-22 10:31:052026-01-12 12:00:03REI Week 2025 empowers the future in pediatric research and innovation
Dr. Franklin’s talk offered his observations of how the administrative backbone behind clinical care supports a thriving center for infants and children with congenital heart disease and their families.
Wayne Franklin, MD, FACC, senior vice president of Children’s National Heart Center, joined a panel discussion at Cardiology 2025: The 28th Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease. The panel, Healthcare Administration in Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease: Sharing Challenges and Creating Solutions, sought to identify the traits that successful U.S. healthcare programs, and especially pediatric cardiovascular programs, have in common.
Dr. Franklin’s talk, “Structuring Administration for Pediatric & Congenital Cardiovascular Care,” offered his observations of how the administrative backbone behind clinical care supports a thriving center for infants and children with congenital heart disease and their families.
The big picture
Dr. Franklin noted that the best programs are finding successful combinations of the right ingredients to make the “secret sauce” — focus on high quality care being delivered in ways that are financially sustainable. More than ever, this is hard to accomplish.
Today’s pediatric programs are often organized in an academic model where clinicians are employed by a university or medical school, typically within a Department of Pediatrics, with pediatric subspecialties all falling together under that department. While the academic model has been successful up to this point, there may be valuable lessons to learn and opportunities for further success by looking at outcomes from other models in the broader adult healthcare sector.
Key takeaways
Dr. Franklin offered several examples of key models for pediatric heart centers to consider. They include:
A multi-disciplinary, “service-line centered” structure: All doctors, nurses, advanced practice providers and support staff aligned together under a “center” or “institute” model, similar to the Cleveland Clinic’s Institutes of Excellence.
A blended, “privademic” structure for clinicians, where they are direct employees of a hospital, but not of a larger university or healthcare system.
Clinician leadership and engagement in business administration structure and function, to make sure that patients remain front and center in business decisions.
Dedicated quality and safety teams that are driven by data and outcomes, foster frequent and early communication and ensure care providers actively engage with these efforts.
A model that supports innovations in care and investments in research to continue advancing best practices for patients and families.
A system for education and training to make sure the next generation can effectively carry on the established culture of excellence.
What matters most
No matter the structure, the most important and common theme among successful health systems, hospitals and even specific heart programs, is steadfast, organization-wide dedication to decision making driven by what is best for patients. This approach should drive a focus on early detection and/or prevention, and lead to positive outcomes, which ultimately brings financial sustainability.
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.
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, Socioeconomic Disadvantage Is Associated with Higher Long-Term Mortality After Cardiac Surgery, presented by Jennifer Klein, MD, MPH, cardiologist at Children’s National Hospital, during the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
What is it?
Clinical and demographic data were collected for 2,546 people who underwent corrective surgery for congenital heart disease over a 15-year period (2007-2022) in a single-center retrospective analysis. Using the Child Opportunity Index (COI), an index that uses environmental/health, educational, and socioeconomic domains to assess patients’ neighborhoods, the two lowest COI quintile neighborhoods were designated as “disadvantaged” while the two highest COI quintile neighborhoods were designated as “advantaged.” Multivariable mixed model analyses were conducted to understand the factors associated with overall mortality.
The research showed that patients from disadvantaged neighborhoods suffered in a great proportion both overall mortality [n=168 (13.6%) vs 66 (8.4%), p< 0.001] and major complications [n=168 (13.6%) vs 81 (10.3%), p< 0.001]. The positive association between neighborhood disadvantage and long-term mortality was maintained in stepwise logistic regression multivariable analysis after controlling for differences between surgical complexity and other clinical risk factors.
What it means
“Previous research has shown disparities like this,” says Dr. Klein. “What’s significant here is that the disparity for children from disadvantaged neighborhoods grows over time. That means corrective interventions won’t be implemented in the operating room or within the first 30 days after surgery. They need to happen in a cardiologist’s office, in the schools, and in the community long after a child goes home from the hospital.”
The findings from this particular study are also noteworthy as they are the first to include significantly greater numbers of patients who are more likely to experience this risk (48.5% of the study group). Previous research has sought to look at this research question but analysis may have been skewed by an over-representation of socioeconomically advantaged patients.
What’s next
Differences in mortality risk continue to grow greater as more time passes, the authors note, indicating that the disparity is not a product of surgical technique or disparities in care delivery at the time of surgery.
Instead, their outcomes are being influenced by factors outside the operating room. This opens a new avenue of research focused on identifying the “why.”
“What happens after they go home?” Klein asks. “Can they access medications? Do they come back for follow-up appointments? Can they afford food?”
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/cardiac-surgery-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-01-30 11:43:322026-03-02 09:20:52Socioeconomic disadvantage associated with higher long-term mortality after heart surgery
Anesthesia is used in up to 90% of patients, despite repeated propofol exposure being linked to neurocognitive impairment.
Acute leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, with treatment often involving up to 16 routine lumbar punctures (LPs). Anesthesia is used in up to 90% of patients, despite repeated propofol exposure being linked to neurocognitive impairment. In a quality improvement project, researchers from Children’s National Hospital examined variables that could minimize anesthesia time and propofol exposure for patients. The findings, presented at the 56th Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology in Honolulu, HI., found about half of LPs met the goal of 15 minute of anesthetic exposure with significant differences in completion time between anesthesiologists.
The big picture
Researchers analyzed data from 199 LPs performed in the Non-Operating Anesthesia Room (NOAR) over a six-month period from July to December 2023 – including the start to stop time of anesthetic exposure, type of anesthetic, patient age and body mass index (BMI), proceduralist and anesthesiologist. A P-chart established a center line of 52.5% for procedures being completed within 15 minutes.
What’s next
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles are being performed to align practices between anesthesiologists and identify successful changes with a goal to raise the center line to 75%.
“These findings highlight our commitment to improving care for children with acute leukemia by reducing anesthesia exposure during lumbar punctures,” said Shelby Smith, RN, MSN, CPNP, CPHON, nurse practitioner at Children’s National and the presenting author. “By identifying factors that impact procedure time and implementing targeted improvements, we aim to enhance patient safety and minimize potential risks associated with repeated propofol use.”
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/propofol-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2025-01-28 12:23:042025-01-28 12:24:10Optimizing anesthesia practices for children with acute leukemia undergoing lumbar punctures
In 2024, Children’s National Hospital continued to make remarkable strides across diverse areas of pediatric medicine, from groundbreaking technological innovations to critical health advocacy. The following compilation showcases ten significant stories that demonstrate the breadth and depth of the hospital’s impact, as featured in major national news outlets including NBC Nightly News, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, The Today Show, Healio, and POLITICO. Delve into our 2024 news highlights for more.
Charles Berul, M.D., and a patient family talk about the pill-sized pacemaker that saved the life of Abby, an infant born with deadly heart defects. (NBC Nightly News)
Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy, M.D., addiction psychiatrist and director of the Addictions Program, spoke to CNN about the impact of drug addiction on teen health and the lack of resources available to treat opioid use disorder. (CNN)
Susma Vaidya, M.D., M.P.H., associate medical director of the IDEAL Clinic, shared her concerns about childhood obesity treatment recommendations issued today by a leading panel of independent U.S. health experts. (The Washington Post)
Shideh Majidi, M.D., M.S.C.S., and Emily Frymark, clinical dietitian, spoke about how the food pharmacy, created in partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank, benefits patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. (The Washington Post)
Kendric Cromer, a 12-year-old boy being treated at Children’s National Hospital, became the first person in the world with sickle cell disease to begin a commercially approved gene therapy that may cure the condition. “This is a big effort,” says David Jacobsohn, M.D., ScM, M.B.A. (The New York Times)
Mikael Petrosyan, M.D., associate chief of General and Thoracic Surgery, discusses the stress medical staff face when treating young victims of gun violence. (NPR)
Landon, an 11-year-old patient, rang the bell at Children’s National Hospital with family, friends, doctors and nurses cheering after finishing his final round of chemotherapy. (The Today Show)
Monika Goyal, M.D., M.S.C.E., pediatric emergency medicine specialist and co-director of the Center for Translational Research, emphasized the need for awareness in addressing period poverty in teenagers and young adults. (Healio)
Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., M.B.A., P.M.P., vice president and chief innovation officer, participates in a panel discussion covering AI data collection, associated risks, reliance and other topics related to artificial intelligence. (POLITICO)
Children’s National patient Kendric Cromer, 12, became one of the first children ever to be treated with a newly approved gene therapy that will free him from the sickle cell disease that has stolen his childhood. (The New York Times)
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-News-Logo-Collage-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2024-12-26 11:34:102024-12-26 11:49:26Children’s National in the News: 2024
The research team estimated that 754 pediatric safety events could be avoided annually if all racial groups performed as well as the top-rated group for each type of safety event studied.
Quality and safety would improve in pediatric healthcare – for all races – if the practice of benchmarking outcomes and performance against white patients changed. Instead, investigators should consider using the best-performing group to improve healthcare disparities, according to a new Pediatrics perspective from a multi-center research team led by Children’s National Hospital.
The team examined seven pediatric safety indicators from their previous research, including postoperative infection and accidental lacerations. They determined the best-performing group was not always the white subset, but data in scientific research is often benchmarked against white patients. This can perpetuate racism and erroneously imply that white patients should define the standard for healthcare, the investigators found.
The patient benefit
The research team estimated that 754 pediatric safety events could be avoided annually if all racial groups performed as well as the top-rated group for each type of safety event studied. For some safety events, this would require benchmarking against Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander populations.
“By looking at the data with a new lens, we believe that clinicians and researchers could make a major step forward in shrinking and eliminating disparities across pediatric healthcare,” said Kavita Parikh, M.D., MSHS, medical director of Quality & Safety Research and research director of the Division of Hospital Medicine at Children’s National. “If we can employ a more precise understanding of patient and family experience as they interact with the healthcare system, we can prevent negative outcomes that can impact entire lifetimes.”
What’s ahead
The multi-center team continues to work on ways to improve quality and safety at pediatric hospitals. With broad partnerships, the researchers hope to redesign national safety models to encourage hospitals to overcome health-equity hurdles, such as racism, language barriers and other social factors that lead to disparities.
“This call to action is not new, but it demands renewed urgency,” said Dr. Parikh, the first author of the perspective. “We propose future analyses that infuse antiracist principles with quality improvement and patient safety standards to design more effective interventions.”
An evolving, continuous surveillance telecritical care model in the pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Children’s National Hospital has demonstrated early findings pointing to its ability to act as an additional virtual layer of safety for patient care that supports bedside providers by identifying concerning health trends based on a patient’s data.
Children who are hospitalized with congenital heart disease are more likely to experience cardiac arrest than children without cardiovascular diseases. Though these children are more likely to survive cardiac arrest today than a decade ago thanks to improvements in treatment options, survival after a cardiac arrest while in the hospital is still low. Additional solutions to minimize this serious complication are sorely needed.
An evolving, continuous surveillance telecritical care model in the pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Children’s National Hospital has demonstrated early findings pointing to its ability to act as an additional virtual layer of safety for patient care that supports bedside providers by identifying concerning health trends based on a patient’s data. The model aims to minimize cardiac arrest, ensure clear and effective communication, support escalation of care when appropriate and – simultaneously – be minimally disruptive to the bedside teams’ workflow.
What this means
The Board of Visitors Telehealth Command Center, housed within the CICU at Children’s National, recently reported its initial experience after its first four years of operation, successfully conducting 18,171 virtual surveillance activities on children admitted to its CICU – analyzing data from remote monitoring, video camera feed from patient rooms, data from electronic medical records and an artificial intelligence (AI) prediction tool dashboard. This work led to 248 critical communications with bedside teams, who subsequently provided interventions that may have prevented or decreased the severity or length of time of a patient’s cardiac arrest.
This study showed that the models tested in this large dataset have successfully blended AI and remote clinician expertise to capture concerning trends in the health of critically ill pediatric patients and then share vital information with bedside care providers. The study also shows the importance of adapting any telecritical care system to ensure it works in concert with highly trained professionals. These professionals rightly remain the first line of defense against any concerning trend in a patient’s status.
Children’s National leads the way
This is the first report in the pediatric critical care setting using a continuous care model to support a pediatric CICU to prevent cardiac arrest in children with critical heart disease. Most previous reports of telecritical care in children describe a model based on physician-to-physician communication used to connect rural and isolated populations or international cases, with clinical expertise provided from a remote distance.
What’s next
Ongoing research is being conducted to explore direct connections between tele-critical care communications and patient outcomes, such as reducing cardiac arrest in children after congenital heart surgery.
Continued refinement of virtual surveillance workflows and AI tools will allow for earlier detection, communication and intervention – in the hopes of identifying concerning trends earlier and intervening sooner.
Development of automated triggers for virtual surveillance and communications, helped by more AI tools, to remove the need for the personal assessment of a physician or nurse at the tele-critical care unit to trigger communications.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/telehealth-command-center-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2024-10-28 10:52:072024-10-28 10:53:13New evidence: Virtual and AI support predict and prevent cardiac arrest
Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report 2024-25 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the eighth 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.
This year, U.S. News ended ordinal rankings on its Honor Roll. Instead of assigning a numerical rank from 1 to 10, all hospitals on the Honor Roll will be recognized as having attained the highest standards of care in the nation.
In addition, Children’s National tied for #1 pediatric hospital in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, West Virginia and Virginia. It’s also best in the Mid-Atlantic in Neonatology.
For the fourteenth straight year, Children’s National ranked in 10 specialty services. New this year, U.S. News included behavioral health as a service line in the rankings. Since it’s the first year, there are no ordinal rankings for behavioral health, but the Children’s National program was named one of the top 50 programs in the country.
“In my first year here, I witnessed what makes Children’s National so special — our commitment to collaboration, empowering one another, and charting a bold path forward for pediatric care,” said Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of Children’s National. “I’m proud U.S. News again recognized Children’s National as one of the top in the nation and the highest-ranked pediatric hospital in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Together, we’ll continue to push the boundaries of care, research and innovation to make a difference for those who matter most — the kids.”
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.
“For nearly two decades, U.S. News has published Best Children’s Hospitals to empower the parents and caregivers of children with complex medical needs,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “Children’s hospitals appearing on the U.S. News Honor Roll have a track record of delivering unparalleled specialized care.”
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/2024/10/US-News-Badges-2024-25-CNRI.jpg385685Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2024-10-08 01:00:002024-10-08 15:01:23Children’s National again ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report
Short-term outcomes data may be one benchmark of the quality and safety found in a pediatric cardiac surgery program, but according to the team at Children’s National Hospital, it shouldn’t be the sole factor in how referring physicians and families make decisions about where to seek care.
Instead, physicians and families need more information about what to expect for a child’s entire lifespan. To meet this need, the Division of Cardiac Surgery at Children’s National has launched the Children’s National Cardiac Outcomes Registry (CNCOR), a first-of-its-kind database that captures outcomes from 15-plus years of congenital heart surgical repairs for specific congenital heart conditions.
What it means
Today, most pediatric heart programs publicly share their outcomes based on benchmarks defined by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS). For cardiac surgery, the data points are focused on the short-term outcomes for various procedures, ranging from 30 days to one year after surgery.
However, as surgical procedures have been refined and multi-disciplinary teams continually improve their knowledge of how to treat children with these congenital heart defects, more children with these conditions are living far beyond those time frames. One metric, operative mortality for “index cases” defined by the STS (excluding VAD and ECMO), measures how many children having heart surgery with the cardiopulmonary bypass die during surgery or within the 30 days after surgery.
Recently at Children’s National, the Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Cardiology and Cardiac Anesthesia teams had a remarkable year with zero operative mortality, or no deaths, for the types of cases included in this benchmark. While it’s impossible to expect zero mortality to continue indefinitely when caring for children with the most severe and complex heart conditions — as is the case at Children’s National — the national average operative mortality for these procedures is closer to 3%.
Yves d’Udekem, M.D., Ph.D., chief of Cardiac Surgery at Children’s National, says that this achievement is not one he expected to “ever see in his lifetime” and is a testament to the teams’ dedication to providing the highest quality care every day. However, he also noted, “Achieving such impressive statistics for short-term measures has never been, is not, and will never be my objective. We also need to look beyond it. What happens to this patient 5, 10 or 15 years down the line? That’s what we want to know.”
Children’s National leads the way
The CNCOR collects long-term data from 20 years of cardiac surgical procedures at Children’s National. This data has allowed Children’s National to create a series of charts that show predicted long-term outcomes for specific congenital heart conditions.
The charts are now available in a new Cardiac Surgery Long-Term Outcomes section on the website, organized by specific types of congenital heart disease, including:
Tetralogy of Fallot
Aortic arch coarctation
Atrioventricular septal defects
Transposition of the great arteries
For most conditions, data is available showing long-term mortality as well as re-operation or re-intervention rates for children who underwent these procedures at Children’s National, going as far back as the year 2000. Eventually, the database might expand to include indicators such as exercise capacity and neurological outcomes.
What’s next
The launch of the CNCOR is the start of efforts by the team at Children’s National to provide what Dr. d’Udekem calls “proper” benchmarking based on the whole life of a patient rather than a single event in time.
If more institutions collect and report this data and make it available, patients, families and practitioners who refer to cardiac surgery will have a true lifetime perspective of what a surgical procedure at a specific institution may mean for a child.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/cardio-surgery-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2024-08-29 14:18:562026-01-12 16:18:39Long-term outcomes are key measure of CHD care quality and safety
“It’s an honor to join the team at Children’s National,” said Mizaku. “I look forward to collaborating with leaders across the organization to enable data and AI-driven solutions.”
Children’s National Hospital is pleased to welcome Alda Mizaku in a newly established role of vice president and chief data and artificial intelligence officer (CDAIO). In this role, Mizaku will lead the execution of enterprise data, analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) strategy at Children’s National.
Mizaku has a track record of leading initiatives with measurable organizational value, from reducing unnecessary length of stay to enhancing operational efficiency and patient outcomes. Prior to joining Children’s National, Mizaku spent 11 years working for Mercy Health System in St. Louis, where she served in various roles, including executive director of Data Engineering and Analytics, and vice president of Analytics Product Management.
“It’s an honor to join the team at Children’s National,” said Mizaku. “I look forward to collaborating with leaders across the organization to enable data and AI-driven solutions.”
Mizaku will oversee a center of excellence focused on enterprise data management and governance, promoting data-driven decision-making and maximizing investment in modern data and AI technology.
“AI has the power to improve pediatric disease detection and diagnosis, accelerate research breakthroughs and advance health equity,” said Matt MacVey, executive vice president and chief information officer at Children’s National. “Our investment in a chief data and AI role will accelerate this important transformation.”
Having built her career at the intersections of technology, healthcare and life sciences,
Mizaku is passionate about instilling curiosity in the next generation. She is a lead mentor of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics community that inspires young people to pursue careers in STEM and teaches the technical skills they need to thrive.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Alda-Mizaku-feature.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2024-06-03 12:50:512024-06-03 12:53:59Alda Mizaku named chief data and artificial intelligence officer
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations in the nation, and Children’s National Hospital, a top-ranked children’s hospital located in Washington, D.C., announced a new alliance that’s taking a unique approach to help address the youth mental health crisis and improve health outcomes.
As part of this alliance, CareFirst has increased the reimbursement for preventive and mental health care for primary care providers who go through specialized mental health training focused on depression, suicide prevention, anxiety, ADHD and eating disorders. The training is offered through the Pediatric Health Network, the clinically integrated network of healthcare providers for Children’s National, to its more than 1,500 members including more than 700 primary care physicians.
In 2021, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory detailing an urgent youth mental health crisis. Unfortunately, access to pediatric mental health care is a national challenge, and for children and families, timely and effective support can be elusive. Empowering primary care providers with specialized training will help break down barriers and reshape care delivery.
“Providers face challenges due to limited resources and insufficient support in addressing pediatric mental health needs. CareFirst’s commitment to increasing reimbursement for mental health care underscores the integral role of primary care providers in this space,” says Nathaniel Beers, M.D., executive vice president for Community and Population Health for Children’s National Hospital. “With these trainings, our providers gain the knowledge, tools and confidence to handle sensitive conversations, offer vital support and make informed referrals when needed.”
The alliance executes a value-based care payment model for the Children’s National network of community physicians, enhancing benefits to offer more value to physicians and patients while aiming to drive improved outcomes, patient experience and coordination in care. By embedding mental health care within the familiar confines of primary care settings, this initiative ensures children receive timely interventions in an environment they trust.
This work to improve access to mental health services is just one part of the broader unique payer-provider alliance between CareFirst and Children’s National to address healthcare disparities and social determinants of health. Targeted pediatric interventions are set upon three pillars:
Value-based care
Community health initiatives
Member benefit enhancements
Each pillar is delivered and informed by experts from both organizations with distinct tactics and funding designed for three key priority health conditions:
Behavioral and mental health
Diabetes
Infant mortality
“As the lines continue to blur between payers and providers, with vertical integration and the reimbursement shift from volume to value, insurers and hospitals need to continue to evolve their relationships with each other,” said Brian Wheeler, executive vice president of Health Services for CareFirst. “This model aims to address the need for affordable healthcare, employing a patient-centric approach that encourages seamless treatment for the patient and provider.”
The next major program in development is focused on improving diabetes care through early diagnosis to lessen vulnerability and severity and improve long-term positive health outcomes.
Community health initiatives will continue to be developed through the Children’s National Child Health Advocacy Institute and Community Health programs with the support of CareFirst’s philanthropic efforts.
https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/mental-health-summit-featured.jpg300400Innovation Districthttps://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ID-mobile-header.pngInnovation District2024-05-02 10:58:012024-06-06 16:29:53Unique alliance expands access to mental health support for kids
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.
Children’s National Hospital affiliates will participate in this year’s 
Children’s National Hospital is proud to share that it has earned URAC accreditation for specialty pharmacy — its second recognition of this kind. The hospital previously received 
In 2024, Children’s National Hospital continued to make remarkable strides across diverse areas of pediatric medicine, from groundbreaking technological innovations to critical health advocacy. The following compilation showcases ten significant stories that demonstrate the breadth and depth of the hospital’s impact, as featured in major national news outlets including NBC Nightly News, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, The Today Show, Healio, and POLITICO. Delve into our 2024 news highlights for more.
Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the 
