Phone Calls, Home Visits, and Virtual Hearts

The Power of Avatars

What if technology could make a frightened child feel safer, less alone, or better understood, without replacing the human beings who care for them? In this episode, three innovators share how they are using avatars, robots, and wearable sensors to improve the pediatric care experience. Erin Bogdanski, licensed therapist, CEO and Founder of THERA VR, describes how virtual reality with customizable avatars is creating new possibilities for therapy with traumatized and hard-to-reach children, giving young patients the ability to choose what their therapist looks like, and to engage in ways that Zoom and traditional in-person sessions haven't been able to achieve. Karen Khachikyan, CEO and Founder of Robin the Robot, shares how a socially assistive robot deployed across more than 40 pediatric facilities is giving hospitalized children something the clinical environment rarely provides: a friend. Robin uses human-assisted AI to engage children during procedures, reduce fear, and bring some much-needed joy into hospital stays. Dr. Molly Easterlin, neonatologist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, explains how a multidisciplinary research team is exploring wearable motion sensors on NICU b abies as a potential tool for earlier sepsis detection and long-term neurodevelopmental prediction, adding movement as a quantitative data point alongside existing clinical assessments. Connect with Erin Bogdanski: Erin Bogdanski LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-bogdanski-ceo-ma-psychotherapist-52103197/] THERA Inc. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/thera-inc/] THERA Inc. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thera.inc/] Connect with Karen Khachikyan: Karen Khachikyan LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenkhachikyan/] Robin the Robot Website [https://robinrobot.com/] Robin the Robot LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/expper/] Robin the Robot Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/robin.robot/] Connect with Dr. Molly Easterlin: Dr. Molly Easterlin CHLA [https://www.chla.org/profile/molly-easterlin-md-ms] CHLA Fetal and Neonatal Institute [https://www.chla.org/fetal-and-neonatal-institute/neonatology] Connect with us: KidsX Website [https://www.kidsx.health/] KidsX LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidsx/] Children's Hospital L.A. Website [https://www.chla.org/] Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/childrensla/] Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/childrensla/]

Pigs, Texts & Sim

Three very different innovations. Three very different settings. One shared direction: pediatric care moving closer to children and families. Dr. John Cleveland, Associate Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, shares the science and the hope behind xenotransplantation, the use of genetically modified pig hearts as a bridge to human heart transplantation for infants dying on the waiting list. With baboon models now surviving over two years with pig hearts, and human trials potentially one to two years away, this may be the most significant breakthrough in pediatric cardiac care in a generation. Dr. Katie Richardson, CEO of Lantern, describes a deceptively simple but genuinely valuable solution to one of pediatrics' oldest problems: parents don't get enough guidance between well visits. Lantern delivers free, expert-vetted, age-specific child development information directly to parents via text message (in English, Spanish, and Arabic) paired with hyperlocal resources linked to the family's zip code. Dr. Todd Chang, Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician and simulation expert at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, explains why simulation matters more in pediatrics than almost anywhere else, because pediatric emergencies are rare, which means clinicians never get enough practice unless they simulate. He also shares a compelling vision for what AI and advanced technology could do for healthcare simulation, and for parent education, in the years ahead. Episode Resources: Children's Hospital Los Angeles: Heart Institute [https://www.chla.org/heart-institute] Las Madrinas Simulation Center at CHLA [http://chla.org/las-madrinas-simulation-center?__cf_chl_tk=KXbrWazGrLJPoQZ4F3rHejYTDYHUnIeop5BZSsby.Xo-1782399966-1.0.1.1-8apdKNIKJ3JVCw6qRQmENwc4uzWS4MNJy409GWRht3M] The Society for Simulation and Healthcare [https://www.ssih.org/] Aaron Kornblith, MD, MS LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-kornblith-md-ms-308965a5/] Connect with Dr. John Cleveland: Dr. John Cleveland CHLA [https://www.chla.org/profile/john-david-cleveland-md] Connect with Dr. Katie Richardson: Dr. Katie Richardson LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-richardson-pediatrician/] Dr. Katie Richardson Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.katie.richardson/] Lantern Website [https://mylantern.org/] Lantern LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/lantern-families/] Lantern Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lantern.families/] Connect with Dr. Todd Chang: Dr. Todd Chang CHLA [https://www.chla.org/profile/todd-chang-md-macm] Dr. Todd Chang LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtoddchang/] Connect with us: KidsX Website [https://www.kidsx.health/] KidsX LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidsx/] Children's Hospital L.A. Website [https://www.chla.org/] Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/childrensla/] Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/childrensla/]

Diabetes & Obesity Management

For too long, diabetes and obesity in children have been treated as failures of willpower, by the child, by the parent, by the family. In this episode, three innovators share how they are rewriting that story. Dr. Jennifer Raymond, Division Chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at CHLA, describes her community-based research with Latinx families living with type 1 diabetes, and what she has learned about the role of spirituality, peer support, language, and parental guilt in diabetes management. She also shares a striking clinical observation: that GLP-1 medications, most often discussed for their metabolic effects, are producing dramatic improvements in mental health and food anxiety in some of her young patients. Dr. Alaina Vidmar, Medical Director of the Obesity Medicine and Bariatric Surgery Program at CHLA, makes a clear and evidence-based case: obesity is a complex chronic disease, it is not the child's fault or the parent's fault, and the toolkit for treating it, including GLP-1 medications and bariatric surgery, is more effective, more accessible, and more underutilized than most people realize. Since launching the bariatric surgery program at CHLA in August 2023, her team has completed 150 surgeries with no insurance denials. Shireen Abdullah, founder of Yumlish, shares how she built a culturally adapted, web and text-based diabetes prevention platform for low-income Hispanic communities, after her own doctor told her to "eat healthy" without any meaningful guidance. Yumlish has achieved CDC full recognition, with at least 60% of completers achieving weight loss or A1c reduction, and recruits 95% of participants through federally qualified health centers. Episode Resources: Weight Management for Adults with Obesity - Wegovy® [https://www.wegovy.com/] Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2293292/] National Diabetes Prevention Program [https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes-prevention/index.html] When Should Kids Get Bariatric Surgery? Obesity Medicine Experts Share the Science [https://www.chla.org/blog/advice-experts/when-should-kids-get-bariatric-surgery-obesity-medicine-experts-share-science] CHLA Bariatric Surgery Program [https://www.chla.org/bariatric-surgery-program] Peer Support Lowers HbA1c in Adolescents and Young Adults With Diabetes [https://www.chla.org/blog/experts/care-innovation/peer-support-lowers-hba1c-adolescents-and-young-adults-diabetes] Connect with Dr. Jennifer Raymond: Dr. Jennifer Raymond CHLA [https://www.chla.org/profile/jennifer-raymond-md-mcr] Dr. Jennifer Raymond LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-raymond-76653a18/] Connect with Dr. Alaina Vidmar: Dr. Alaina Vidmar CHLA [https://www.chla.org/profile/alaina-vidmar-md] Dr. Alaina Vidmar LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alaina-vidmar/] Connect with Shireen Abdullah: Shireen Abdullah LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireenabdullah/] Yumlish Website [https://yumlish.com/] Yumlish LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/yumlish/] Yumlish Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/yumlish_/] Yumlish: Diabetes and Multicultural Nutrition Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yumlish-diabetes-and-multicultural-nutrition/id1504260353] Connect with us: KidsX Website [https://www.kidsx.health/] KidsX LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidsx/] Children's Hospital L.A. Website [https://www.chla.org/] Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/childrensla/] Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/childrensla/]

Phone Calls, Home Visits, and Virtual Hearts

What does it look like to meet a child where they are, not just physically, but technologically, emotionally, and clinically? In this episode, three innovators share how they are redesigning pediatric care delivery around the child rather than around the hospital. Dr. Caitlin Sayegh, clinical psychologist and researcher at CHLA and USC Keck School of Medicine, describes her work using cell phone coaching to help teenagers with chronic illness take their medications. The insight that drives it: a small dose of human accountability (a phone call or text from a coach who sees a teen as a whole person) can produce meaningful improvements in medication adherence across a wide range of conditions, from HIV to sickle cell disease to organ transplants. Taylor Beery, co-founder of Imagine Pediatrics, shares how his company is delivering integrated medical, behavioral, and social support to children with complex special healthcare needs (at home, virtually, and at no cost to families) through value-based contracts with Medicaid health plans. His personal story of losing his son Walker to pediatric brain cancer, and founding Imagine Pediatrics a week after his funeral, is one of the most powerful origin stories in this podcast's history. Dr. Sassan Hashemi, Assistant Professor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Heart Institute, explains how virtual surgical planning (using 3D models derived from imaging data, viewed in virtual and augmented reality) is changing how surgeons prepare for complex congenital heart procedures, enabling interventions that once seemed impossible, and building toward an AI-enabled future of pediatric cardiac care. Episode Resources: ▶️Randomized pilot trial of cell phone support to improve medication adherence among adolescents and young adults with chronic health conditions [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11360945/] ▶️Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine CHLA [https://www.chla.org/adolescent-and-young-adult-medicine] ▶️Kids Join The Fight: Nonprofit [https://www.kidsjointhefight.org/] ▶️Heart Institute | Cincinnati Children's [https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/h/heart-institute] Connect with Dr. Caitlin Sayegh: Dr. Caitlin Sayegh LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinsayegh/] Dr. Caitlin Sayegh CHLA [https://www.chla.org/profile/caitlin-sayegh-phd] Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Website [http://keck.usc.edu] Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/school/keckschoolusc/] Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/KeckSchoolUSC/] Connect with Taylor Beery: Taylor Beery LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-beery-7a98643/] Imagine Pediatrics Website [https://www.imaginepediatrics.org/] Imagine Pediatrics LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/imagine-pediatrics/] Imagine Pediatrics Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/imagine_pediatrics] Connect with Dr. Sassan Hashemi: Dr. Sassan Hashemi LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sassan-hashemi-md/] Cincinnati Children's Hospital Website [https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/] Cincinnati Children's Hospital LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cincinnatichildrens/] Cincinnati Children's Hospital Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cincychildrens/] Connect with us: KidsX Website [https://www.kidsx.health/] KidsX LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidsx/] Children's Hospital L.A. Website [https://www.chla.org/] Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/childrensla/] Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/childrensla/]

HPV Vaccine 20 Year Anniversary Episode

Twenty years ago, the HPV vaccine was approved in the United States. It is one of the most powerful cancer prevention tools ever developed, protecting against 90% of HPV-related cancers, with a safety record spanning more than 500 million doses worldwide. And yet today, only about 63% of eligible adolescents in the US are fully vaccinated. In this special anniversary episode, six voices from across the HPV prevention landscape share what 20 years of this vaccine has taught us, and what still needs to happen. Dr. Heather Brandt, Senior Director of the HPV Cancer Prevention Program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, explains what HPV is, how the vaccine works, what the science says about safety and efficacy, and how to address the most persistent myths, including the infertility myth, the promiscuity myth, and the "it's too new" myth. Antoinette Barrett, Nurse Practitioner with Cedars-Sinai's COACH for Kids mobile health program, shares 30 years of frontline experience vaccinating underserved children in Los Angeles, and how the conversation around HPV vaccination has shifted over two decades. Cynthia Au and Catherine Peters of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network discuss the policy landscape, including Guam's new school entry requirement, what states with mandates have achieved, and the full range of levers available to close the vaccination gap. Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, offers a candid reflection on where the HPV vaccine recommendation worked, what works to drive uptake, and what vaccine advocates need to do differently in an era of growing anti-vaccine sentiment. Judy Klein, founder of Unity Consortium, makes the case that framing matters enormously, that calling this a cancer prevention vaccine, not an STI vaccine, is the message that breaks through, and that community-level trust is the most powerful lever we haven't fully used. Episode Resources: 20 years of HPV vaccination in the U.S. [https://stjude.webex.com/webappng/sites/stjude/meeting/register/bf2c3bb350c74effb8aa1b687021a428?ticket=4832534b000000090f89962987a9a637c77f742b789eed5c907026d48fa77dd2a2d88c0f5a12679c×tamp=1780944568419&RGID=rf1d16e36195cee7d7dc02e7dfe657005&isAutoPopRegisterForm=false] - Join us on Friday, June 12 from 12-1 pm Central Time History Of HPV Vaccination - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital [https://sjr-redesign.stjude.org/content/dam/research-redesign/centers-initiatives/hpv-cancer-prevention-program/hpv-advocacy-campaign/history-hpv-vaccination.pdf] Prevent 6 Cancers with the HPV Vaccine - American Cancer Society [https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/hpv/hpv-vaccine.html] Know Your Vax - Recommended Vaccines Schedule for Adolescents and Young Adults, Unity Consortium [https://www.unity4teenvax.org/knowyourvax/] Amanda Kanowitz Foundation [https://familiesfightingflu.org/family-story/the-kanowitz-family/] Connect with Dr. Heather M. Brandt: Heather M. Brandt Faculty Profile [https://www.stjude.org/brandt] Heather M. Brandt Linkedin [http://www.linkedin.com/in/heathermbrandt] St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Website [https://www.stjude.org/] St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/st-jude-childrens-research-hospital/] St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stjuderesearch/] Connect with Antoinette Barrett: Antoinette Barrett, RN, CPNP [https://www.cedars-sinai.org/provider/antoinette-barrett-2992236.html] Cedars-Sinai COACH for Kids [https://www.cedars-sinai.org/community/programs/coach-for-kids.html] Cedars-Sinai Website [https://www.cedars-sinai.org/] Cedars-Sinai LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cedars-sinai-medical-center/] Cedars-Sinai Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cedarssinai/] Connect with Cynthia Au: Cynthia Au LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-au-45595965/] American Cancer Society Website [https://www.cancer.org/] American Cancer Society LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-cancer-society/] American Cancer Society Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/americancancersociety/] Connect with Catherine Peters: Catherine Peters LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-peters-7b766896/] American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Website [https://www.fightcancer.org/] American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/acscan/] American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/acscan] Hawaii Cancer Action Center [https://www.fightcancer.org/states/hawaii] Connect with Dr. Paul Offit: Dr. Paul Offit Website [https://www.paul-offit.com/] Dr. Paul Offit LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-offit-md-2724a18/] Dr. Paul Offit - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia [https://www.chop.edu/doctors/offit-paul-a] The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Website [https://www.chop.edu/] The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-childrens-hospital-of-philadelphia/] The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/childrensphila/] Connect with Judy Klain: Judy Klein LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-klein-8b356b6/] Unity Consortium Website [https://www.unity4teenvax.org/] Unity Consortium LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/unity-consortium/] Unity Consortium Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/unityconsortium/] Connect with us: KidsX Website [https://www.kidsx.health/] KidsX LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/kidsx/] Children's Hospital L.A. Website [https://www.chla.org/] Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/childrensla/] Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/childrensla/]