The Lead in Peds

Pediatric nursing is at the heart of how care is delivered, shaping every moment a child and family spends in the hospital. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH sits down with Cicely "CC" Brooks, DNP-ENL, MSN, RN, NE-BC, FAB, and Christine Riley, NP, CPNP-AC, to explore how nurses lead at the bedside, drive research and push innovation forward. From supporting families in their most vulnerable moments to rethinking the future of care, this conversation reveals how pediatric nursing is transforming medicine.

Shows like The Pitt have brought attention to emergency medicine, but pediatric emergency care is even more challenging. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, interviews Joelle Simpson, MD, MPH, and Kenneth McKinley, MD, about the realities of pediatric emergency medicine, nationwide pressures and how research and technology – especially AI –are enhancing care.

Survival is only the beginning. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, talks with pediatric cardiologist and researcher Pascal Amedro, MD, PhD, about redefining cardiac rehabilitation to help children move beyond survival toward better function, confidence and quality of life. They discuss how CPET and VO2 max can uncover early deconditioning, and why a three-pillar model of exercise training, patient education and mental health support can transform recovery.

What does whole-child care really look like for children with brain tumors? In this episode of The Lead in Peds, host Dr. Nathan Kuppermann is joined by Dr. Jennifer Dorr, a child and adolescent psychiatrist embedded directly in pediatric neuro-oncology at Children's National. They explore how integrating mental health into cancer care is transforming treatment, improving outcomes, and reshaping what comprehensive pediatric care can be. The conversation also dives into advocacy, access to behavioral health, and why treating the mind and body together is essential for the future of pediatrics.

Matthew Oetgen, MD, MPH, and Kevin Cleary, PhD, share how robotics, imaging and motion capture are transforming pediatric orthopaedics at Children's National. Between stories of coaching their kids' sports teams and leading breakthrough research, they reveal how innovation is helping kids move, heal and thrive.

Children's National is leading the way in tackling some of the most challenging pediatric brain tumors. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, Drs. Roger Packer and Adriana Fonseca share how focused ultrasound, precision medicine and global collaboration are opening new doors for children and families. Their conversation is a reminder that behind every breakthrough is hope, humanity and the courage of patients who inspire the work.

A point guard uses vision, precision and teamwork during a basketball game. These same strategies drive Dr. Anthony Sandler's approach to surgical innovation. In this episode of The Lead in Peds, he shares how Children's National is advancing robotics, artificial intelligence, T cell immunotherapy and augmented reality-guided imaging to make surgery better and safer for kids.

Federal funding for research is being cut - leading to potentially devastating impacts for our nation's health - especially for children. In this episode, our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, discusses the importance of investing in pediatric research, clinical trials, and training future generations of researchers, alongside Catherine Bollard, MBChB, MD, senior vice president and chief research officer at Children's National, and Sallie Permar, MD, PH, chair of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine. You'llalso get a peek into how these top-of-their-field experts unwind when they're not advocating for kids or chasing the next research breakthrough.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming integral to enhancing specialized care in pediatrics. Our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chief academic officer and chair of Pediatrics, chats with Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc, principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Hospital about the role of AI in the future of pediatric care and innovation. Dr. Linguraru's work focuses on building AI tools that improve access to care, especially for rare diseases and resource-limited settings. Explore the ways in which AI is making it easier to detect disease and improve health outcomes on a local, national, and global scale.

Endocrinologist Andrew Dauber, MD, lives the Children's National Hospital motto—Grow Up Stronger—every single day. When many families of children with short stature and rare genetic growth disorders reach his clinic, they've found that traditional treatments have offered limited success and Dr. Dauber often has innovative ideas.    Our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chief academic officer and chair of Pediatrics, is joined by Dr. Dauber, chief of Endocrinology and a national leader in this specialty, to discuss how researchers are unlocking genetic answers and developing novel therapies. This includes the first-ever vosoritide trial for hypochondroplasia and our revolutionary, personalized study for a single patient. Discover how science is reshaping pediatric endocrinology and offering hope to families worldwide. Plus, hear an endocrinologist's hot take on donuts!

Congenital heart disease isn't just a childhood condition—it's a lifelong journey.   Our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chief academic officer and chair of Pediatrics, sits down with two world-renowned pediatric cardiology experts to explore how pioneering care at Children's National Hospital starts as early as the first trimester and continues into adulthood. Wayne Franklin, MD, senior vice president of the Heart Center, and Mary Donofrio, MD, medical director of the Prenatal Cardiology Program, dive into the power of prenatal detection and risk-based birth plans, the promise of advanced fetal imaging and real-time monitoring, and how innovation and artificial intelligence are reshaping care to help kids with congenital heart disease grow into strong adults. Plus, Dr. Donofrio's tips on the Washington, D.C., dining scene—because great food is part of great medicine.

In 2023, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported significant rates of adolescent substance use: over 10% of 8th graders, nearly 20% of 10th graders and more than 30% of 12th graders used illicit drugs. With the ongoing fentanyl and opioid epidemic, the need for specialized pediatric addiction care has never been more urgent. Recognizing this gap, Children's National Hospital launched one of the region's few programs dedicated to pediatric addiction.   In this episode, our host, Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chief academic officer and chair of Pediatrics, is joined by Siva Kaliamurthy, MD, director of the Addictions Program at Children's National to explore the challenges of treating addiction in children, the evolving role of parents and the latest advancements in addiction care. Plus, the unexpected career path these two doctors once considered—one that involved a different kind of team and a much larger arena.