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6 Tips to Help Kids Deal With Peer Pressure By Lauren K. Ayr-Volta, PhD: TikTok dares. Drug and alcohol abuse. Bullying. Peer pressure can lead to a lot of difficult and dangerous situations for kids and teens. It’s hard for your child to know how to handle that, especially in the moment. But you can help them understand what to watch out for, and

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3 Things to Know About Treating Fetal Renal Failure By Timothy Crombleholme, MD: In the world of fetal care, fetal renal failure is one of the most misunderstood diagnoses. That’s because, for a long time, it was untreatable. But today, the nation’s top fetal care centers can and do offer options for treatment — a deeply personal decision for families. What
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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
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Deciding to Treat Fetal Renal Failure: Information & Support for Families By Timothy Crombleholme, MD: Until recently, most experts thought fetal renal failure was fatal — period. Expecting parents were simply told they had no options. Today, that’s no longer the case. With special care, it’s possible for a baby with fetal renal failure to survive and eventually thrive. But the
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Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Hazards The Office for Community Child Health works to enhance healthy child development across a variety of areas. As part of this mission, two of our programs—the Injury Prevention Center and Healthy Homes —focus specifically on safety, helping to protect children and families from
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Getting to Know Genetic Counselors: What They Do and What to Expect in a Session By Ginger Nichols, MS, LCGC: Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health is home to the Connecticut Newborn Screening Network (the Network), which responds to flagged newborn screening results in the state. The Network is staffed by board-certified physicians, genetic counselors, nurses, and a
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Back to School Road Safety: Bus Stops, Biking and More By Amy Watkins, MPH: When school is in session, we can expect buses, crowded drop-offs and bicycling or walking along busy roads. Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States, so it’s important to talk to your child now about being safe around buses and cars
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Bella Zeisler, MD Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship
- Specialties
- Gastroenterology
- Aerodigestive Medicine


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The World’s Smallest Mechanical Heart Valve: Ellis’ Story To solve a life-threatening heart defect, Ellis Schwartz-Mosca’s care team at Connecticut Children’s had to think big – by thinking small. On Oct. 27, Connecticut Children’s pediatric cardiac surgeons successfully implanted the world’s tiniest mechanical heart valve into Ellis’
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Lauren Schmidtberg, PA-C, MMSc Physician Assistant, Plastic Surgery
- Specialties
- Plastic Surgery
