Children's Healthcare Marcus Autism Center

02/09/2026

Dr. Zenobia Cooper was not going to let distance get in the way of providing care.

Growing up in the Bahamas and inspired by her father, who was also a physician, Dr. Cooper always knew she wanted to follow in his footsteps. After coming to Children’s to pursue her pediatric endocrinology fellowship, she came across a message from a mom in the Bahamas seeking care for her three-year-old son living with Type 1 diabetes.

Once the family had arrived at Children's, Dr. Cooper not only educated them on how to manage his Type 1 diabetes, but also helped provide access to continuous glucose monitoring with ongoing diabetes care.

02/08/2026

When Jennifer welcomed Marcus into the world, prenatal testing suggested he could be born with Down syndrome and a small hole in his heart. Though there were no immediate concerns at birth, Jennifer sensed something wasn’t right when Marcus struggled with feeding.

At just three weeks old, Marcus aspirated and was rushed to Children’s, where doctors confirmed what testing had suggested—Marcus had both Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect.

At one year old, Marcus underwent open heart surgery and went home just two days later. Today, he continues to make progress and reached a major milestone by walking at 18 months.

02/08/2026

Ahead of tonight's big game, our patients scored a special visit from retired NFL players and Freddie Falcon, who stopped by to deliver 'Super Baskets of Hope' and big smiles. 🏈

02/07/2026

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common birth defects that affect the structure of a baby’s heart and the way it works, affecting 1% of newborns each year. As a top-ranked center for pediatric heart care, Children's is experienced with treating all kinds of heart problems in infants and children—providing comprehensive cardiac services for congenital and acquired heart disease for babies to young adults, as well as prenatal diagnostics.

This , learn more about our top-ranked center for pediatric heart care: https://bit.ly/3jbEHKd.

02/05/2026

Three, two, one… blast off! 🚀

To celebrate , our Heart Center patients and families enjoyed an out-of-this-world evening filled with games, crafts, face painting and delicious Chick-fil-A treats. Our Facility Dogs of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Pepa, was also there to spread joy and join in on the fun.

02/04/2026

Celebrating 10 years of partnership and innovation between Georgia Tech and Children's—impacting young lives through groundbreaking research and care!

We're a perfect match. A premier research institute and one of the largest pediatric care providers in the country, Georgia Tech and Children's Healthcare of Atlantal have partnered for the last 10 years to bring cutting-edge research to pediatric patients. From 3D printing tracheal splints to developing robotic exoskeletons, we've shown that we can change lives together. 💪🦾

Today, we celebrated the people and collaborations that have made this work possible.

02/03/2026

At just four weeks old, James was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), and his family would learn, that he is one of only 33 people in the world who have this specific rare CF mutation. Treatment required James to take around 60 pills a day, wear a shake vest and use a vaporizer for about 30 minutes to keep his symptoms at bay, impacting his daily life.

When the opportunity came to be part of the clinical trial for an FDA approved drug for CF, it was a no-brainer for James' family. Following the trial, James takes just three pills a day—a significant improvement for an active young boy who aspires to be the first major league baseball player with CF.

Watch his full story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMBQTUaJ1Zk.

02/03/2026

Women trailblazers soaring to new heights!

Happy to all the incredible women physicians at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Today and every day, we celebrate the innovators and dedicated caregivers who do everything possible to make anything possible for kids. Pictured here is Dr. Shari Barkin, Pediatrician in Chief, Dr. Chevon Brooks, Campus Director at Hughes Spalding, Dr. Margaux Charbonnet, Campus Director at Scottish Rite, Dr. Lindsay Jaeger, System Medical Director of Transport, Dr. Stephanie Jernigan, Campus Director at Arthur M. Blank Hospital and Dr. Toni Gross, Chief of Emergency Medicine.

02/02/2026

Charlie is an 8-year-old who loves being outdoors and playing sports.

However, he was sidelined when he had a persistent fever and accompanying leg pain. Initial blood tests showed severe anemia, so Charlie’s parents drove him nearly two hours from North Georgia to Children's where they heard the unthinkable—Charlie has leukemia.

Due to the effects of his treatment and the high-risk of germ exposure, Charlie had to press pause on most of his hobbies. However, thanks to a special backpack his oncologist prescribed, Charlie was able to enjoy one of his outdoor passions: hunting. The “blina” backpack is a portable pump system that gave Charlie 28 days of continuous immunotherapy treatment at home, allowing him the freedom to receive treatment away from the hospital.

His family is thankful that his care team found a way to let Charlie enjoy being a kid, despite having cancer.

02/01/2026

And the Grammy for Best Album goes to… Grace! 🎶

To kick off , we’re sharing Grace’s story. Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, she had already undergone two open heart surgeries by the age of two. For years, Grace was doing relatively well. But as her heart function declined and surgery was no longer an option, she was placed on the heart transplant list three and a half years ago.

During her time at Children’s, music has always helped Grace get through some of her toughest days. With the support of her music therapist, she created her first original song (the one you’re hearing in the background) which quickly turned into something bigger—an album release party at Seacrest Studios, where her family and so many of her favorite nurses from the Heart Center came together to celebrate her.

This is just the beginning for Grace. She’s already working on her second song! 💜

01/31/2026

WINTER WEATHER UPDATE: Our three hospital locations—Arthur M. Blank Hospital, Hughes Spalding Hospital and Scottish Rite Hospital—and emergency departments are open for patient care. For the safety of our patients and staff, Children’s is making the following operational changes due to winter weather:

❄️ All urgent care centers and outpatient clinics are closed Saturday, Jan. 31.

❄️ Hamilton Creek Urgent Care and Duluth Orthopedic Clinic will be closed on Sunday, Feb. 1.

❄️ All other urgent care centers and scheduled outpatient clinics will open on a delayed start at noon on Sunday, Feb. 1.

We are continuing to monitor weather conditions. Visit www.choa.org for more information on closures and delays.

01/30/2026

WINTER WEATHER UPDATE: Our three hospital locations—Arthur M. Blank Hospital, Hughes Spalding Hospital and Scottish Rite Hospital—and emergency departments are open for patient care. For the safety of our patients and staff, Children’s is making operational changes for Saturday, January 31. All urgent care centers, outpatient clinics, primary care offices, Center for Advanced Pediatrics, Marcus Autism Center and Zalik Behavioral and Mental Health Center will be closed.

We are continuing to monitor weather conditions. Visit www.choa.org for more information on closures and delays.