Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children's Health Podcast

How can we guide boys through health, emotions and relationships in a culture that often tells them to “toughen up”? Christopher Pepper and Joanna Schroeder, co-authors of Talk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Teens and Tweens Grow into Confident, Compassionate Men, share practical, real-world advice. We cover everything from navigating social media and digital culture to building friendships and emotional skills, giving pare...

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we speak with Adela Casas-Melley, MD, Chair of Surgery, Nemours Children's Health. She shares her journey from a young Cuban immigrant in Miami to a leader in pediatric surgery, how her family’s belief in education guided her, the challenges she faced, and the legacy she’s creating through mentorship and advocacy.

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Featuring: 
Adela Casas-Melley, MD, Cha...

When technology promises to lighten the load but instead adds to it, what’s really going on? Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FAONL, Senior Vice President for Equity and Engagement, American Nurses Association,  joins us to share her journey from aspiring accountant to national nursing leader — and explores how AI, virtual care and innovation can actually empower nurses instead of overwhelming them.

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Nemours Children’s Health is proud to be the official Children’s Hospital of the Philadelphia Phillies. For the third year in a row, the Phillies welcomed our podcast team to share powerful stories from Childhood Cancer Awareness Night on September 13, 2025.

In our first segment, we talk with Douglas J. Harrison, MD, MS, Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology/Transplant and Cellular Therapy, Inaugural Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Pre...

Charles Johnson walked into a California hospital expecting joy – hours later, his wife, Kira, was gone after preventable delays and inaction. Charles shares how that devastating loss sparked the creation of 4Kira4Moms, a nonprofit dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes, advancing policy reform and supporting families impacted by maternal mortality. The U.S. is facing a maternal health crisis, with Black women most at risk...

Asthma and food allergies remain major health concerns, especially as students head back to school. Chris Martinez, President and CEO, Asthma and Allergy Impact and Rescue (AAIR), joins us to share life-saving, practical solutions that keep kids healthy and learning. From stocking albuterol in schools to equipping families with diagnostic kits and advancing key policy initiatives, AAIR is transforming how communities respond to the...

Caring for a child with a chronic condition can feel overwhelming – especially when it involves coordinating specialists, therapies and countless appointments. That’s where Health Hug helps. By combining technology with a personal touch, Health Hug streamlines pediatric care, connects families to resources, and eases burdens for both parents and providers. On this episode, Health Hug’s CEO & Co-founder, Christina Sloan-Vélez, t...

Mama Glow founder Latham Thomas shares her personal journey into birth work, breastfeeding and the difference between doulas and midwives. A SuperSoul 100 honoree, she’s advancing maternal health through advocacy, education and birth equity.

Guest: Latham Thomas, Founder, Mama Glow

Host/Producer: Carol Vassar

Views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or management.

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Tina Aswani-Omprakash began experiencing symptoms as a child – joint pain, eye inflammation and digestive issues – but no one connected them. Without a diagnosis, health insurance, or support due to the cultural stigma surrounding inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Crohn’s disease, Tina endured a long and painful journey to understand her own body.

Today, she’s a patient advocate, storyteller and CEO of the South Asian IBD Allianc...

Anne Snowdon, PhD, Chief Scientific Research Officer, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), joins us to discuss how information, innovation and digital technology are transforming health care worldwide. From AI tools that support early-career clinicians to cross-border collaboration on system design, this conversation explores how digital health is improving outcomes, addressing workforce shortages and adva...

Early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong health and success – yet reading scores across the U.S. are falling at an alarming rate.

In part two of our series on early literacy and health, we highlight Nemours Children’s Reading BrightStart!, a proven, science-based program celebrating 20 years of impact.

Reading BrightStart! supports children from birth through first grade with early literacy curricula, educator tr...

Early literacy is one of the strongest indicators of lifelong health and success – yet reading scores across the U.S. are declining at an alarming rate. In part one of this two-part series, we dive into what the latest data reveals, how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the literacy crisis, and what actions educators and health care providers can take to reverse these trends.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Nemours Children’s ...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 60 million Americans – one in five – live in rural areas, including 12 million children. But hospitals in these communities face growing challenges: cybersecurity threats, aging infrastructure, staffing shortages and limited funding are all jeopardizing access to care.

Laura Kreofsky, Director of Rural Health, Microsoft Philanthropies, highlights the critical need to bolster rural health ca...

Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group and a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses his latest book, ChatGPT, MD. He shares how generative AI could transform health care by empowering patients and clinicians through real-time data analysis and insights. These AI tools could significantly improve chronic disease management, helping to reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and ki...

Achondroplasia advocate Chandler Crews, founder of The Chandler Project, joins us to discuss life with the most common form of skeletal dysplasia. She shares her personal journey, including her decision to undergo limb-lengthening surgery. We also explore emerging treatments and the evolving conversation around advocacy, research and innovation in the achondroplasia community.

Guest:
Chandler Crews, Founder, The Chandler Project...

Dr. Jackie Gerhart, Chief Medical Officer for Epic, and Phil Lindeman, Vice President of Data and Research at Epic, join us to explore how real-world data is transforming pediatric care with the power of Epic's Cosmos and EpicShare platforms. We also discuss how data-sharing collaborations across health systems are advancing pediatric research and innovation, with a special focus on the groundbreaking work of Dr. Kevin Dysart ...

The United Nations and World Health Organization have long recognized health as a fundamental human right. Yet barriers to care persist — not only in the United States, but around the world.

PERSOWN Connect is introducing a bold new care model designed to help break down those barriers. Its innovative platform empowers underserved communities by combining AI-powered diagnostic tools, microloans and satellite connectivity to deliver ...

From melatonin to probiotics, more parents than ever are turning to herbs and supplements to support their children’s health. But are these products safe? Do they work? And how can pediatricians partner with families to make informed decisions?

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Cora Collette Breuner of Seattle Children’s shares her insight on the rising use of natural remedies in pediatrics, exploring what families are using, how ...

Hurricanes, wildfires, power outages — disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. But how do they affect children’s health, and how can we better prepare? This episode looks at disaster response through a pediatric lens to highlight the unique risks kids face and the steps we can take to protect them.

We hear from Dr. Cindy Calderon in Puerto Rico, who shares lessons from Hurricane Maria and the 2020 earthquake, and Malia D'Alio f...