Rare Disease The Scientific Center for Rare Disease at Connecticut Children’s Research Institute is a hub of expertise in the fields of pediatric endocrinology, rheumatology, gene therapy, metabolic bone disease, neurology, and many other disciplines in the field of rare disease. With a focus
Advocacy Connecticut Children’s is often called upon by policy makers to act as an expert resource on health care issues that affect children. Too often, kids do not have a voice in the decisions that affect them and their families. Connecticut Children’s advocacy efforts are aimed at
Service/Program
Neuromuscular Disorders Program Connecticut Children’s Division of Orthopedics specializes in all types of complex neuromuscular disorders and provides comprehensive care for associated limb and spine deformities. The diagnoses that we treat include: Cerebral palsy Duchenne muscular dystrophy Turner syndrome Article
A Public Health Approach to Preventing Community Gun Violence By Kelsey Arias, MPH: This week commemorates National Public Health Week, offering us in the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children’s a chance to highlight the importance of the public health approach in addressing community gun violence. Historically, communities have worked to address
Article
Fresh Check Day Joins Connecticut Children’s to Expand Youth Mental Health Movement By Isabella Baldino: As youth mental health continues to demand urgent national attention, Connecticut Children’s Youth Suicide Prevention Center (the Center) is taking a major step forward by assuming management of Fresh Check Day —a nationally recognized, evidence-informed mental health promotion
Article
Level Up Your Video Game Knowledge: An Interview with a Child Life Gaming & Technology Specialist By Annie Goldsnider: The world of video gaming offers so much! Did you know Connecticut Children’s Child Life team works with families during hospital stays to encourage therapeutic video game play? That’s because, with the support of Child’s Play Charity, we have a Gaming & Technology Specialist
Article
Peer-to-Peer Road Safety By Amy Watkins, MPH: By: Amy Watkins, MPH Watch for Me CT, a partnership between the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office and Connecticut Children’s Injury Prevention Center, is wrapping up an exciting youth-led bicycle and pedestrian safety program, held over the summer
Article
Fevers in Children: When to Worry and When to Stay Calm By Saima N. Jafri, DO: This article was originally published in 2022 and last updated in October 2025 for relevance. Do we need to be worried when our kids spike a low- or high-grade fever? Dr. Saima Jafri, pediatrician with Connecticut Children’s Care Network, lays out the facts on fever in kids. What
Article
Easy Breathing Asthma Program Goes Digital By: Jessica Hollenbach, PhD and Christine Langton, MSW, MPH The COVID-19 pandemic placed new pressure on healthcare providers to adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Innovative solutions are more welcome and necessary than ever. Our Easy Breathing asthma management
Article
How, and When, to Talk to Your Child About Drugs By Melissa Santos, PhD: Families in Connecticut are mourning the death of a 13-year-old who overdosed on the painkiller fentanyl while at his Hartford school. It’s a tragic reminder of the dangers of drugs around kids. If you’re a parent or caregiver, it can be hard to know how to talk to your child
Condition
Ebstein Anomaly Ebstein anomaly is a birth defect that affects the tricuspid valve, which connects the heart’s right chambers and helps control how blood moves through the heart. Normally, blood flows through the tricuspid valve on its way from the heart’s upper right chamber to the lower right Open Fetal Surgery Fetal surgery poses a unique challenge as it involves one operation on two patients: the mother and her fetus. This is a scenario similar to transplantation from a living donor. Because of the risk to the mother, who derives no direct benefit from fetal surgery, open fetal
Article
Medicaid Matters for Kids: Part 3 - A Community-Driven Approach By Paul Dworkin, MD: As a pediatrician and Executive Vice President for the Office for Community Child Health at Connecticut Children’s, I’ve spent much of my career focusing on improving child health services. In my various roles—including Project Director for North Hartford Ascend and Founding
Article
In the Best Hands: Miles’ Story In the third trimester of pregnancy, Hattie and Donnie Donner went to one last ultrasound to check on Hattie’s thyroid levels. Her levels were fine, but something else wasn’t. The ultrasound picked up on two bubbles in the baby’s small intestines. Their baby boy had a rare, life
Service/Program
Bariatric Surgery Program Performing weight loss surgery on adolescents since 2008, Connecticut Children’s Bariatric Surgery Program offers the adjustable gastric banding procedure and sleeve gastrectomy to select youth ages 10 and older who have a BMI of 40 or greater, or have a BMI of 35 with a medical