All CHLA Blog Posts
Published on April 6, 2018
A rare, polio-like illness called acute flaccid myelitis appeared on the national radar in 2014 and may be on track to return this summer and fall. Here is one family’s story, and a look at CHLA’s innovative, multidisciplinary approach.
By Candace Pearson
Like many parents,... Read More
Published on April 3, 2018
If you have school-age children in your house I am sure you are familiar with the homemade slime craze. Many parents love the idea of making slime and why not? It’s a rare chance for kids to be technology-free, and encourages them to express their creativity by adding... Read More
Published on March 30, 2018
Robert Adler, MD, MSEd, doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t want to be a pediatrician. “It never gets boring, because every family is different,” he says. “Every family has different aspirations and goals for their kids.” After 40 years in the field, his enthusiasm is still... Read More
Published on March 20, 2018
My name is Grace Rose and I’m 15 years old. I was born with cystic fibrosis, which is a life-threatening disease that attacks my lungs and digestive system. I need to be watched carefully and treated often.
I’ve been going to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles since I was very... Read More
Published on March 15, 2018
One of the most exciting milestones for parents is their child’s first steps. They will film it, post it on social media, and tell all their friends about that exciting day. So it is no surprise that as a physical therapist to children with special needs, I am often asked, “... Read More
Published on March 14, 2018
In addition to providing world-class care for children diagnosed with biliary atresia, physicians in the Liver Transplant Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are trying to understand biliary atresia and find better ways to treat it.
What is biliary atresia?
Biliary... Read More
Published on March 5, 2018
Jennifer Raymond, MD, MCR
Lessons Learned From Challenges Faced
Jennifer Raymond, MD, MCR, grew up in Garnett, Kansas, earned her undergraduate degree at Kansas State University, received her medical degree at University of Kansas, and earned a Master of Clinical Research... Read More
Published on March 5, 2018
Sylvia Del Castillo, MD
Resilience Is Key
Sylvia Del Castillo, MD, grew up in Brownsville, Texas, graduated from medical school at Texas A&M College of Medicine. After completing her residency at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Maricopa Medical Center, she came to CHLA... Read More
Published on March 5, 2018
Lara M. Khouri, MBA, MPH
Getting Things Done
Five Questions
1. What did you say when you were a young girl and someone asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I was interested in being a lawyer, because a family friend that I admired was an attorney. I always... Read More
Published on March 5, 2018
Nancy J. Lee, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Keeping Patients and Families as her Beacon
Nancy Lee was born in Fairfield, Iowa and grew up in Lakewood, Calif. She went to Riverside City College for her nursing degree, and California State University Dominguez Hills for bachelor’s and... Read More
Published on March 5, 2018
Tracy Zaslow, MD, FAAP, CAQSM
Take a Step Back to Move Forward
Tracy Zaslow, MD, FAAP, CAQSM, grew up in Los Angeles. She earned degrees in biochemistry and cell biology at the University of California, San Diego. After earning her medical degree at New York Medical College... Read More
Published on March 2, 2018
Superheroes come in many shapes and sizes. In the movies and the comics, they’re most often big and strong, with bulging biceps and superpowers unlike anything we earthlings have ever seen. In real life, however, superheroes often look much different, their powers subtler.... Read More
Published on February 23, 2018
Jim Harrison, age 2
CHLA’s Home Mechanical Ventilation Program Marks 40th Anniversary
There was a time when it was devastating news for a parent to learn that in order to survive, their child would need to be hospitalized and require assistance to breathe with a mechanical... Read More
Published on February 23, 2018
When I decided to look into the question of amber teething beads for infants, I first searched the internet to see what popped up. Google produced a host of very pretty looking beads for sale for this purpose. As a lover of amber, coral and turquoise I can understand the... Read More
Published on February 22, 2018
By Katie Sweeney
On a picture-perfect summer day at the lake in August 2016, William Lievense, then 9, stood at the edge of the dock, ready to jump gleefully into the water one more time.
At that moment, his life was still the normal life he had always known. In that life,... Read More
Published on February 15, 2018
After beating back two life-threatening illnesses, the resilient teenager has a new heart to take forward and a bout with cancer to leave behind.
By Jeff Weinstock
Consider this a chicken-and-egg discussion no one ever wanted to have, but knowing which came first, the... Read More
Published on February 6, 2018
By Katie Sweeney
Fifteen-year-old Zerkari Payne is back at school these days, hanging out with his friends again and “shooting some hoop.” The outgoing high school sophomore has more energy than he can ever remember.
“I feel like a brand-new person,” Zerkari says.
Still, the... Read More
Published on January 24, 2018
I am lucky enough to have been raised Spanish-English bilingual in Los Angeles, a city in which greater than 50 percent of the population speaks a language other than English. Current estimates indicate that the number of people whose first language is not English will... Read More
Published on January 12, 2018
Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, FACS, FRCS, FAAP: The Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Haitian-born medical maven who has dedicated his life to not only helping the many kids that walk through CHLA's doors, but also the children and people of... Read More
Published on January 5, 2018
As a Family Resource Center nurse, I have learned a lot from my families about living with central venous catheters (CVCs), also known as “lines.” I worked with a group of specialists that included a central line specialist, a Child Life specialist, a social worker, an... Read More