Inside Pediatrics

In this episode, Children's of Alabama pediatrician Amy McCollum, M.D., talks about her favorite topic: reading to kids. No matter their age, children can benefit from this fun activity. It helps them bond with their parents, prepare for school and learn crucial skills.

If you’re an expectant mother, you’ve probably given some thought to breastfeeding. In this episode, Children’s of Alabama neonatologist Allison Black, M.D., explains the benefits of breastfeeding for the baby and the mother. She provides answers to some of the most common concerns new mothers have about breastfeeding. Black also describes the Project HOME initiative, a quality improvement project she leads to improve the percentage of NICU babies receiving human milk.

Gunshot injuries are becoming more common among children, and these injuries can affect a child for life. As a physical rehabilitation medicine physician at Children’s of Alabama, Erin Swanson, M.D., helps patients who have been affected by firearm injuries. In this episode, she explains the impact a gunshot injury can have on a child and their family. She shares advice for parents on how to keep their children safe.

Firearm injuries among children have increased exponentially over the last decade. Dr. Jennifer McCain has seen it as a nocturnist in the emergency department at Children’s of Alabama. In this episode, McCain—who also has 12 years of experience as a pediatrician—explains the role pediatricians and parents can play in driving down these numbers.

The mental health needs of children have increased exponentially in recent years, and doctors are facing challenges to meet those needs. That’s why Children’s of Alabama developed Pediatric Access to Telemental Health Services. Known as the PATHS program, it helps connect patients with providers, particularly in areas where access to mental health resources may be limited. In this episode, Dr. Vinita Yalamanchili explains how the program is helping specialists, primary care providers and patients.

The Children’s of Alabama Critical Care Transport team has been around since 1983, transporting critically ill and injured children between medical facilities across the state and beyond. Whenever a child needs a level of care beyond what’s offered in their area, the team transports them to a facility that offers that level of care. In this episode, you'll hear from program director Jason Peterson about the impact the program has made, how it has evolved, and what the future holds.

After losing her son due to a complication of sepsis, Judy Fuller decided to pursue a career in nursing. Now, she’s a sepsis expert who plays a key role in Children’s of Alabama’s sepsis strategies. In this episode, she explains why sepsis is so difficult to detect and the impact that nurses have in preventing and treating it.

Since arriving at Children's of Alabama in 2019, Girish Dhall, M.D., has worked to get the hospital involved in more research consortia. In this episode, Dhall explains the role of consortia, how they're helping Children's patients and how they're enabling the hospital to make a global impact.

Dehydration can cause a variety of health problems for athletes and non-athletes alike. It's a front-of-mind topic during the summer, but it's also important all year. In this episode, clinical nutritionist Gary Atchley explains how parents can keep their kids hydrated no matter what types of activities they're enjoying.

Feeding and language are important skills for babies to develop. But if you're a new parent, you may not know the developmental milestones to expect. In this episode, two speech pathologists from Children's of Alabama share advice for parents on these milestones along with strategies for helping your child as they develop these key skills.

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, occurring in about 1% of all people. In this episode, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Camden Hebson describes some of the types of congenital heart disease and explains how screening and technological advances are helping.

Antimicrobial resistance—when bacteria develop a way to render antibiotics ineffective—has become a growing concern in the world of medicine over the last several decades. Pediatric infectious disease doctor Shannon Ross, M.D., explains the effects it can have and what parents need to know.

The ketogenic diet is more than just a popular way to lose weight; it can also help children who have epilepsy. Two experts from Children's of Alabama explain the diet's history and how it works.

September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. In this episode, a former sickle cell disease patient at Children's of Alabama interviews his former Children’s doctor to reflect on his battle with sickle cell disease and how the doctor empowered him to advocate for his care and create his own success story.

"The developing brain of a teen is basically rewired when it comes in contact with nicotine." That's according to nationally certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist Robin Geurs. In this episode, she explains the impact vaping has on a teen's body and brain, and how parents can prevent vaping or help teens who already are vaping.

In early December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory citing an urgent need to address the mental health crisis among the country’s youth. Many children and teens were then and still are struggling with mental health issues. Some of the problems stem from the coronavirus pandemic, but many predate that. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Marullo explains the many reasons for this crisis, and what parents need to know.

Human trafficking has been a problem for a long time, but in recent years, experts have changed the way they handle human trafficking cases. Deb Schneider, a licensed social worker at Children’s of Alabama, explains this change and the difference it has made for victims of human trafficking. She also explains how to identify a possible human trafficking victim, and how a center a Children’s is providing hope for victims of all types of abuse.

Each year, the Alabama Poison Information Center (APIC) receives thousands of calls from parents and health care providers with questions about everything from drug interactions to possible poison exposures to snake bites. Registered nurses and pharmacists trained in toxicology are available 24 hours a day to answer these questions. In this episode, Becky DeVore, a nurse educator with the APIC, explains the role of the center and how parents can protect their kids from some of the most common medication errors.

Tetralogy of Fallot is a heart defect that usually requires open-heart surgery. But thanks to a new device called the Harmony Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve, many patients can have their hearts repaired without an open-heart procedure. Children's of Alabama pediatric cardiologist Dr. William McMahon was among the first doctors in the Southeast to perform a procedure with the Harmony valve. In this episode, he explains how this new device helps patients.

Since early November, many children ages 5 to 11 have received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. But before this could happen, Pfizer had to test the vaccine in a trial. Children's of Alabama pediatric hospitalist Dr. Erinn Schmit entered her son in that trial. She explains why she wanted to have him participate and what it means to her family to play a role in this process.