Julie Kardos, MD, FAAP

09/13/2025

Diagnosed prenatally with bladder exstrophy, a rare birth defect where the bladder and surrounding structures develop outside the body, Lilly faced a tough road filled with setbacks, and uncertainty. Thanks to our expert care, including multiple surgeries, physical therapy, and her family’s fierce determination, this remarkable 9-year-old is now not just surviving, she’s thriving - training for her black belt and inspiring everyone around her with her strength and spirit.

Read her full story here: http://ms.spr.ly/6184sdIuA.

09/12/2025

At just five months old, Reese was admitted to the hospital more than six times for breathing issues. What first seemed like repeated cases of pneumonia, bronchitis, and RSV turned out to be something much rarer—a CT scan revealed she has neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI), a rare lung disease affecting infants.

Reese, 9, is closely followed by Dr. Lisa Young in our Children’s Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Disease (ChILD) Center. She uses inhalers and steroids as needed and requires supplemental oxygen at night. We're happy to share that Reese is thriving! Every year, her family hosts a fundraising event to benefit our Child Life team, supporting families like theirs during hospital stays. Way to go, Reese!

09/12/2025

The Philadelphia Eagles won last week’s game but our patient, KJ, won over the crowd as the home opener Gameday MVP! He loved seeing himself on the big screen at Lincoln Financial Field and cheering on the birds with his family. 💚

Learn more about KJ’s remarkable journey and how he received a first-of-its-kind gene editing therapy: http://ms.spr.ly/6185scoJP.

09/12/2025

Rowing isn’t just for elite athletes — it’s a low-impact, versatile sport that is an ideal exercise for people of all ages and fitness levels.

But like any sport, technique is key. Common injuries like rib stress, wrist or finger tendon strains, low back or knee pain can be prevented with proper training and support.

Learn more from our Sports Medicine and Performance Center experts about rowing safety and injury prevention, below.

Learn about the benefits of rowing as an accessible, low-impact sport, and how to prevent common rowing-related injuries.

09/10/2025

Since the 1960s, a single vitamin K injection after birth has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to prevent internal bleeding and strokes in newborns. In this week's Pediatric Health Chat, we are talking about the importance of the vitamin K shot:

🍼 Babies are born with low vitamin K, a crucial nutrient for blood clotting.

💉 One shot right after birth helps prevent serious bleeding and even strokes.

🥬 Babies can’t get enough vitamin K from breastmilk, formula or food (because they don’t eat veggies yet!).

🚫 Oral vitamin K isn’t reliable. It’s hard to dose and doesn’t absorb well in newborn guts.

📈 Refusals of the shot have created rising cases of dangerous bleeds.

✅ Vitamin K is not a vaccine, it’s a safe, essential vitamin.

Follow along every Wednesday as we break down myths about kids’ health. Submit a topic you have questions about: http://ms.spr.ly/6188sc6Dp.

09/09/2025

The flu vaccine is a vital way to keep your family healthy each flu season. Be a flu fighter and get your child vaccinated!

For more flu season resources from our experts, visit the link below.

When flu season hits, the health of every family member is crucial. Be a flu fighter, and get your child vaccinated today!

09/07/2025

As the school year begins, students at Middle Years Alternative and Parkway West High Schools enjoy the shade of over 50 trees planted through Deeply Rooted, our Healthier Together initiative's partnership with Penn Medicine that has planted 1,000 trees and greened 1,000 vacant lots in West and Southwest Philadelphia.

Through collaboration with community partners such as PHS Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and School District of Philadelphia students are discovering different street tree species, how to care for them and how greening can improve community health.

Photo credit: Morgan Horell Photo

Neighborhoods in West and Southwest Philadelphia look cleaner and greener, with more than 1,000 new trees and over 1,000 freshly cleaned and greened vacant lots, thanks to Deeply Rooted, a collaborative between over 25 local community organizations, Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Phi...

09/04/2025

Who is ready for the Philadelphia Eagles home opener tonight? Today we celebrated with an Eagles show on our patient television network, Galaxy 51, gave away Eagles gear and had a themed craft to get ready for the game. Our patients and families also created a mural to cheer on the birds! 💚

09/03/2025

We're excited to announce that we've created the first pediatric tracker of medical myths and rumors related to children’s health. Families often hear confusing or misleading advice. Our mission is to listen first, understand what you're hearing, and then share the facts in our video series, Pediatric Health Chat.

We will be sharing a video each week on a new topic, from our experts. Click here to submit topics and see what's coming: http://ms.spr.ly/6188seVDw.

09/03/2025

As young athletes gear up for fall, our Sports Medicine experts are here to help them train smart, stay strong, and avoid injuries — this season and all year long.

We’re sharing 5 tips every parent, coach, and athlete should know. Check them out, below!

Sports medicine experts from CHOP offer tips to help young athletes safely train, avoid injuries, and maximize their performance.

09/02/2025

Six-year-old Cassidy was born with bladder exstrophy, a rare condition where the bladder develops outside the body. Thanks to expert care from our Division of Urology, including specialized surgery and ongoing support, she’s thriving!

Read her story.

After being born with her bladder on the outside of her abdomen, Cassidy has progressed to living a full life because of CHOP’s expertise in treating bladder exstrophy.

09/02/2025

This September, in recognition of , we're proud to spotlight our patient Micaela, who turned her own cancer journey into a mission to care for others. At 14-years-old she was diagnosed with a rare cervical cancer. After chemotherapy, surgery and radiation failed, her doctors turned to immunotherapy, a treatment that worked remarkably well. We're happy to share that she's in remission 💛

Motivated by her personal experience with cancer, Micaela set her career sights on medicine. Last month, she proudly donned her white coat as a first-year medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where she is pursuing a career in pediatric surgery.

Learn more about her inspiring journey in this 6abc Action News feature.

During her battle with cancer at CHOP, Micaela Alpert's life-saving care inspired a life-changing passion to help others in her shoes.