Imagine you are 4 years old (or 8 or 12 or 16, for that matter) and you have to come to the hospital. You have to leave your regular routine to go to a place that is perhaps scary or lonely and you aren’t exactly sure what is going on. You might be feeling emotionally … Read more →

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on the sale of big soft drinks has prompted international media attention, added fuel to the obesity debate in the United States, and made Bloomberg the butt of jokes on late-night comedy shows and the target of ire for those who feel the proposed ban is government … Read more →

When I first walked into Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, I had the same reaction as many others. “This doesn’t feel like a hospital,” I thought as I strolled by child-friendly art, play areas, a gift shop and even a performance stage. I later learned that the non-medical feeling invoked by “Main Street” … Read more →

U.S. News and World Report has named the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt among the nation’s leaders in pediatric health care. The hospital achieved national rankings for a maximum of 10 out of 10 pediatric specialty programs considered for the magazine’s annual Best Children’s Hospitals list released today. The U.S. News Best Children’s … Read more →

For many new moms, breastfeeding is one of the most joyful parts of motherhood. For me, what I remember is pain and disappointment. The physical pain when my daughter Mary Jane latched onto my cracked and bleeding breast was bad enough. Even worse was the emotional pain when, after a few seconds of suckling, she … Read more →