Transformational Pediatrics

Explore why treating pediatric STEMI is not like treating adults. This podcast discusses clinical presentations, diagnostic challenges, and the critical role of congenital heart disease. Delve into the findings from a decade-long study that reshaped the management strategies for children presenting with STEMI symptoms. #PediatricCardiology #STEMI #CongenitalHeartDisease #ChildrensMercy #CardiacCare #PediatricHealth

Children’s Mercy set out to solve a persistent problem in hospital care: nurses spending too much time on non‑clinical tasks. In this episode, CEO Alejandro Quiroga, MD, MBA, shares how the Helen concierge ecosystem is returning meaningful time to nurses, reducing interruptions, and improving patient and family experience. He breaks down the outcomes, the safety and standard‑work design behind the model, and why applying complexity principles—rapid iteration, hypothesis testing, and responsive workflows—was essential. Ale also explores what health systems can learn from tech industries that excel at adaptability and speed.

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Guevara hosts Dr. Sanket Shah and Dr. Erin Opfer from Children's Mercy to discuss how the groundbreaking flash scanner technology is transforming pediatric imaging. Discover the advantages of reduced sedation and lower radiation exposure, and why this innovative approach is essential for diagnosing complex congenital heart diseases. Tune in to learn how the collaborative efforts of medical professionals enhance patient care. Don't forget to subscribe for more insights! #PediatricImaging #FlashScanner #CardiacImaging #HealthcareInnovation #ChildrensMercy #Radiology

Children’s Mercy is transforming pediatric genetic diagnosis with a single, advanced sequencing test. Learn how this breakthrough is delivering faster answers, fewer tests, and new hope for families facing rare diseases.

Join Dr. Anmol Goyal as he explains the educational power of 3D modeling in explaining complex heart conditions. This episode highlights how visual tools help families understand diagnoses and surgical procedures, making complex medical terms accessible to everyone. Learn more about Anmol Goyal, MD, MBBS

J. Allyson Hays, MD, discusses the rare disease histiocytosis, how it presents in pediatric cases, how Children's Mercy treats it and more. Learn more about Allyson Hays, MD

Mark Ryan, MD, MSPH, FACS, discusses the use of virtual reality and 3D imaging in pediatric surgery, and the impact it has on planning, outcomes and the future of pediatric procedures.

Tomoo Iwakuma, MD, PhD, discusses recent research findings around his studies of the p53 gene.

Discover the unique challenges faced by adolescent kidney transplant recipients and their families in this deep dive into patient-centered assessments. Host Dr. Mike and pediatric nephrologist Dr. Judith Van Sickle discuss barriers to medical adherence and the importance of a supportive network in optimizing health outcomes for young patients.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City is the first pediatric hospital in the U.S. to clinically launch Optical Genome Mapping (OGM), an advanced digitized technology that enhances the detection of genetic abnormalities. Dr. John Herriges discusses what this means for pediatric care and what's to come.

Ana Cohen, PhD, discusses Children's Mercy's cutting edge genetic testing, and how they're improving access by expanding research to rural communities.

Stephanie Burrus, DO, discusses physician burnout, and how Children's Mercy Kansas City's Center for Wellbeing is addressing it at their institution.

The Piccolo device is an innovative and minimally invasive way to close the Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in pediatrics. Dr. Rockefeller talks about how the Piccolo came to fruition, the benefits, and what else is on the horizon for the PDA closure world.

Bactrim is a commonly prescribed antibiotic used to treat a variety of conditions, including urinary tract infections, acne and skin and soft tissue infections. The American Academy of Dermatology recently revised its guidelines discouraging the use of Bactrim to treat acne based on research conducted by my next guests – Dr. Jenna Miller, pediatric intensivist, and Dr. Jennifer Goldman, Infectious Diseases, of Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

To accelerate precision medicine for pediatric oncology, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, together with its Research Institute (CMRI), pioneered a new whole-exome-sequencing-based genetic test for all children diagnosed with cancer. While many pediatric research institutions in the country conduct genetic sequencing of tumors, CMRI is one of the few institutions performing both research and clinical sequencing in-house on both tumor and normal DNA samples.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City, one of the nation’s leading independent pediatric health organizations, announced it is the first health care system to use 5-base HiFi sequencing, the world’s most-advanced genomic sequencing technology from PacBio, in the clinical setting to accelerate diagnoses for even more patients and families.

Incredible advances in the care of patients born with single-ventricle heart disease have led to significantly better quality of life and survival. Complex surgical palliation culminating in the Fontan procedure is effective and can allow patients to grow and develop similar to their peers. Unfortunately, changes related to Fontan anatomy lead to stress and increased pressure on the liver, known as Fontan-associated liver disease. These stresses can cause scar tissue to form and—rarely—liver cancer to form. Dedicated liver care is vital to providing Fontan patients with the healthiest life possible.

In this episode, Dr. Mark Clements leads a discussion focusing on population health management and pediatric type 1 diabetes.

Data science -- often discussed with terms like artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, data goverernance -- has the potential to transform every aspect of health care, from the patient experience to how, when and where care is provided, and improving outcomes. In this Transformational Pediatrics episode, Mark Hoffman, PhD, Chief Research Information Officer at Children's Mercy Kansas City, discusses the challenges and opportunities for data science within pediatric health care and gives examples where it is already making a difference for children today.

The health care sector has begun to embrace coaching to promote resilience and innovation during a time of massive disruption while also cultivating healthier workplace cultures. In this podcast, Alyssa Stephany, MD, Director of the Physician Leadership Center at Children's Mercy Kansas City shares how professional and peer coaching can help reduce burnout, increase job satisfaction, and improve the overall provider experience of health care, while also having a positive effect on patient care.