Article
Screening for Social Determinants of Health By Paul Dworkin, MD: By: Paul Dworkin, MD It’s important that physicians screen for problems related to the critical social determinants of health. Those are the circumstances in which people live and work, such as food insecurity, housing insecurity, and transportation, that have been shown to have
Article
Need Fetal Care for a High-Risk Pregnancy? 6 Factors to Consider By Timothy Crombleholme, MD: If you’ve just been told that your developing baby has a fetal condition that may require special expertise to be managed, you’re likely feeling all kinds of emotions. Your first instinct may be to search the web for information about this diagnosis and find the best fetal care
Article
The 6 Rules of Sports Injury Prevention for Kids, Teens and Young Athletes By Imran Hafeez, MD: The longer an athlete is inactive, the longer it takes for them to come back to full activity after a break. Connecticut Children's pediatric and adolescent sports medicine experts have been hearing one question a lot: How can athletes prevent injury? Here are 6 tips from our
Article
How to Support Your LGBTQIA Loved Ones Who May be Struggling By Tasha Hawksley: Social acceptance of the LGBTQIA community has progressed in recent years, but those old stereotypes and misconceptions can still greatly affect the mental health of members of this community. So how can we as their loved ones make them feel comfortable during times of transition
Article
The Pernicious Impact of COVID-19 on Children Demands Immediate Attention By Paul Dworkin, MD: By: Paul Dworkin, MD As a pediatrician working at a children’s hospital, I am profoundly grateful for the relatively modest direct effect of COVID-19 on children as compared to adults. My colleagues are as well. As noted by the CDC, while some children are sick with the disease
Article
Personal Hygiene Milestones: A Guide for Parents By Andrew Carlson, MD: Good hygiene habits start young. As kids develop, they reach important milestones and one of the most noticeable ones is personal hygiene. Proper hygiene is your child’s foundation for good health, confidence and a solid social life—and it’s so much more than learning about
Article
Why Do We Hold Gun Buybacks? By Brendan Campbell, MD, MPH: By: Brendan Campbell, MD, MPH , J. Leslie Knod, MD , and Kevin Borrup, DrPH, JD, MPA Each year, Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center is proud to participate in a gun buyback event to make our communities safer. The point is to provide people with a way to safely
Article
AI is Here to Stay. 4 Things Parents of Teens Should Know By Preeti Sandhu, PsyD: This blog was originally published in February 2024 and has been updated as of February 4, 2025. In today's digital age, teenagers are growing up in a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is part of everyday life. From virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to
Article
Care Coordination is Critical for Children in Mental Health Crisis By Steven C. Rogers, MD, MS: By: Allison Matthews-Wilson, LCSW, Susan Roman, RN, MPH, and Steven Rogers, MD Children with complex medical conditions deserve strong care coordination to support their families in promoting optimal healthy development. A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted the issue
Article
Meet Rachel: Making a Difference in Children’s Lives Through Excellent Care After working alongside Advanced Practice Providers (APP) for several years as a bedside nurse, Rachel Caplan, APRN, was inspired to go back to school. Now a nurse practitioner in Hospital Medicine, Rachel creates a genuine connection with patients and their families by
Article
Innovating with Purpose: Lessons Learned from Team Members By Jacquelyn Rose, MPH: This is the fourth article in our Innovating with Purpose series, which describes Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health’s journey to create and nurture a culture of innovation. Innovating with purpose is critical to an organization’s success. As you can imagine Article
Community Health Needs Assessment Priorities We are excited to share our newly published 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment. The report is a bedrock document for Connecticut Children’s and our Office for Community Child Health. It summarizes expansive community health data into concise critical community health needs
Article
Divine Inspiration for CT’s Health Care Transformation By Paul Dworkin, MD: By: Paul Dworkin, MD The Old Testament seems an unlikely source for inspiration on healthcare reform. Nonetheless, the admittedly commonplace quote, “….a little child shall lead them,” (Isaiah 11:6) may be regarded as applicable to our state’s notable efforts to achieve health
Article
Signs Your Child Might Be Depressed or Anxious – and What to Do Next By Lauren K. Ayr-Volta, PhD: Over the last few years, some parents and pediatric experts have noticed an increase in youth anxiety and depression. For general advice on how to support your teen, check out Is Your Teen Stressed, Sad or Angry? They May Be Feeling Grief . If you’re wondering how you’ll know Article
Understanding Celiac Disease: Facts vs. Fiction By Sarita Singhal, MD: Many of us are familiar with the phrase “gluten-free” and choose to follow a gluten-free diet for health reasons or based on what we see on social media. But did you know that not everyone who chooses to go gluten-free has celiac disease? At Connecticut Children’s, our pediatric