Pediatrics Now: Cases Updates and Discussions for the Busy Pediatric Practitioner

When Breath Became My Backbone: A Surgeon’s Story of Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Gratitude

Host Holly Wayment brings us Houston spine surgeon Rex Marco who, after a terrible cycling accident , faced  life-changing paralysis to recovery through mindfulness, the RAIN method, and radical acceptance.   He describes what happened to him and how in one moment everything can change. His work now explores how compassion, mindfulness, and vulnerability can reshape how we live, lead, and heal.
In 2019, Dr. Marco sustained a C3–4 fracture-dislocation in a cycling accident, resulting in C2 quadriplegia. Today, he serves as the Chief Medical Ambassador for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, advocating for research, cure, and improved quality of life for individuals living with spinal cord injury. He is also a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and is passionate about integrating resilience, presence, and emotional healing into medicine, leadership, and life. He's known for creative and transformative teaching and shares that his most profound transformation came through recovery, where he confronted longstanding patterns in how he related to himself and others. 
This episode explores how he says acceptance, gratitude, and recovery programs transformed his leadership, clinical practice, and family life, offering actionable tools for cultivating presence and emotional safety.
Dr. Rex Marco is an internationally recognized orthopedic spine and musculoskeletal oncology surgeon whose career has centered on caring for patients with complex spinal disorders and tumors. He completed his undergraduate studies at UC Irvine and conducted research at the National Institutes of Health through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute before earning his medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. He went on to complete surgical training at Virginia Mason Medical Center, orthopedic residency at UC Davis, and dual fellowships in musculoskeletal oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and reconstructive spine surgery at Rush University.
Dr. Marco has held leadership roles at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and UTHealth Houston, where he serves as Spine Fellowship Director.
 

Recognize, Rule Out, and Return: Concussion Care for Young Athletes

Recognize, Rule Out, and Return: Concussion Care for Young Athletes
Link for CME Credit Coming Soon!
Host Holly Wayment and Spurs Team orthopedic surgeon Leah Brown discuss how to recognize and assess suspected concussions in youth — the early signs (headache, mental fog, nausea, photophobia), the importance of identifying mechanism, and when to seek advanced care.
It reviews practical tools like the Child SCAT-6/SCAT-6, updated management (avoid prolonged complete rest), stepwise return-to-learning before return-to-play, activity tolerance rules, red flags requiring emergency evaluation, and the need to prevent a dangerous second hit.

When Bruises Don't Add Up: Recognizing Sentinel Injuries in Infants | Grand Rounds Episode

When Bruises Don't Add Up: Recognizing Sentinel Injuries in Infants | Grand Rounds Episode
Link for CME Credit Coming Soon!
Join Host Holly Wayment and Daniel Reyes Ruiz, M.D., in this grand rounds episode of Pediatrics Now on sentinel injuries and infant bruising, emphasizing the importance of early recognition, common clinician biases, and the PEN‑4‑FACES framework for identifying high‑risk bruise locations in non‑mobile infants.
It reviews case examples, common medical mimics (bleeding disorders, birthmarks, dermatologic conditions), recommended evaluation steps (imaging, skeletal survey, hematology workup), and when to consult child protection resources to ensure infant safety.

Artemis II: From the Moon to Medicine — NASA’s AVATAR Experiment and Its Impact on Pediatric Care | Dr. Lisa Carnell

Bonus Episode:*Not Accredited for CME Credit*
In this episode Holly Wayment interviews Dr. Lisa Carnell, Director of NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Division, about the AVATAR bone marrow organ-chip experiment that flew on Artemis II!  The team sent personalized microphysiological "organ chips" made from astronaut blood to study deep-space radiation effects and compare results directly to the crew.
They discuss how these small, high‑fidelity models can accelerate translational research for oncology and pediatric diseases, reduce animal testing, enable personalized treatments, and help protect astronaut health on long missions. The chips can model hematopoiesis, test therapies, and provide data on radiation and drug responses.
The amazing conversation also covers broader NASA science: growing plants in space, future lunar and Mars research, and the potential real‑world benefits of space-driven technology for healthcare on Earth. Pediatricians will learn about the incredible search and organ‑chip technology as a tool to personalize care and improve outcomes for children.

Resilience Under Fire: Lessons from War Correspondent Benjamin Hall

Host Holly Wayment and war correspondent Benjamin Hall discuss his New York Times bestselling books, his near-fatal injury while reporting in Ukraine, and the long recovery that followed. He shares how family, community, and inner strength drove his rehabilitation and inspired his children’s book about bravery and standing up for others.
Hall also offers practical advice for clinicians and families on communication, resilience, and supporting loved ones through trauma, and emphasizes the importance of taking action, staying connected, and finding hope.

Grand Rounds: When Kids Hurt: Modern Approaches to Chronic Pediatric Pain

Link for CME Credit Coming Soon!
Holly Wayment welcomes grand rounds speaker  Dr. Maged Mina on chronic pediatric pain, presented by University Health’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital and UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Mina reviews his background in anesthesiology and pain management and his long-standing work with children.
The episode covers recognition and diagnosis of chronic pediatric pain (>3 months), common presentations (headaches, recurrent abdominal pain, musculoskeletal pain, CRPS, cancer- and sickle cell–related pain), and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach focused on functional restoration. Physical therapy (including aquatic therapy), behavioral therapies, hypnosis, acupuncture, and virtual reality are emphasized alongside family collaboration and school reintegration.
Pharmacologic and interventional options are presented as adjuncts: basic analgesics, gabapentinoids, tricyclics, melatonin, cautious opioid use when necessary, and procedures such as nerve blocks, epidural catheters, Botox, and emerging neuromodulation (peripheral nerve and dorsal root ganglion stimulation). Barriers such as cost, access, and the need for patience and team-based care are also highlighted.

“My Brain Feels Better!”

Link for CME credit coming soon!
This episode follows Lisa and Craig Wilkerson as they share their son Ryan’s sudden, severe decline from sudden-onset OCD-like symptoms to full disability caused by PANS/PANDAS, and the family’s multi-year struggle to get proper medical care.
They describe repeated misdiagnoses, traumatic hospital experiences, and even CPS involvement, until Dr. Anthony Infante used specialized testing and prescribed IVIG immunotherapy. The treatment gradually restored Ryan’s sleep, hygiene, social life, and independence.
Listeners and viewers will hear clinical pearls about listening to families, considering autoimmune causes for acute neuropsychiatric changes, and the role of multidisciplinary care and targeted immune testing and treatment.

Silent Crisis: Pediatric Cancer Gaps in Latino Communities

Link for free CME Credit
https://cmetracker.net/UTHSCSA/Publisher?page=pubOpen#/getCertificate/10101682
In this episode of Pediatrics Now, two experts present from the Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos conference on why children—especially Hispanic and Latino youth—are being left behind in pediatric cancer care. Adam De Smith, PhD, University of Southern California, reviews genetic and ancestral contributors to increased acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) risk in Latino populations, highlighting IKZF1 and polygenic risk patterns, ancient origins of risk alleles, and ongoing efforts to expand genomic studies across Latin America. Jenny Ruiz, MD,University of Pittsburgh,  examines how language access and communication gaps affect pediatric cancer experiences and outcomes, presenting qualitative interviews and quantitative analyses showing higher acuity and ICU needs for Spanish-preferred patients, and calling for better interpreter services and multifaceted interventions.

Constipation and Abdominal Pain: What To Do and When To Worry

Constipation and Abdominal Pain: What To Do and When To Worry
https://cmetracker.net/UTHSCSA/Publisher?page=pubOpen#/getCertificate/10101548
 
 
This episode explains how to distinguish functional constipation from organic causes in children, outlines the key red flags that require further workup or referral, and reviews evidence-based management including clean-outs, maintenance with polyethylene glycol (Miralax), dietary guidance, and when imaging or tests are appropriate.
Host Holly Wayment and Dr. Anandini Suri also discuss practical advice,  toilet-training guidance, how to ensure medication adherence, and nonpharmacologic strategies like breathing and exercise for functional abdominal pain.

Adolescent Relationships in the Digital Age: Violence, Risk, and Prevention

Adolescent Relationships in the Digital Age: Violence, Risk, and Prevention
Link for CME Credit:
https://cmetracker.net/UTHSCSA/Publisher?page=pubOpen#/getCertificate/10101483
Dr. Jeff Temple presents findings from the long-running longitudinal study tracking youth relationships, dating violence, mental health, substance use, firearms, and sexting from adolescence into adulthood. The episode highlights key findings such as the high cumulative prevalence of bidirectional dating violence, links between parental IPV and later perpetration, and the association between childhood corporal punishment and future dating violence.
The talk also covers sexting research showing harms mainly when non‑consensual or coerced, the addition of firearm measures after 2013, and the study’s strong retention and diverse sample. Dr. Temple discusses prevention, including the successful Fourth R relationship curriculum that reduced violence and long‑term depression, and the importance of continuing prevention into the 20s and across generations.