Children’s National Hospital

09/23/2025

At our Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, healing goes beyond medicine—it’s about helping kids hold onto the joy of learning and feel a sense of normalcy. 📚

Our education team—Cara, Allison, Meaghan and Stefanie—makes sure patients can keep up with school while receiving life-saving care. From preschool to college, they bridge the gap between families, schools, and the medical team, helping kids stay connected to friends, classrooms, and their dreams.

Cara, our hospital teacher, brings school to the bedside with lessons and activities that make our kids feel like students, not just patients. Meanwhile, our education specialists advocate for everything from preschool enrollment to college housing accommodations, lifting a huge weight off families during overwhelming times.

Their work isn’t just about academics, it’s about connection, normalcy, and hope! 💛

09/19/2025

Our Sickle Cell Transition Clinic bridges the gap between pediatric and adult care for young people living with sickle cell. Beginning at age 18, patients receive structured support—readiness assessments, education modules, and coaching from a dedicated nurse coordinator—to build skills in pain management, prescription refills, insurance navigation, and accessing community resources.

For Dr. Barbara Speller-Brown and her team, their goal is to ensure every patient has the confidence and continuity of care they need for a healthy future.

09/19/2025

Meet Montana! Professional good boy and facility dog in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders 🦮 Whether it's accompanying kids to surgery, playing dog-tor, or giving pawsitive motivation, he's there to make the hospital less scary. If you're ever at Children's National, be sure to say hi!

09/18/2025

It's almost time for Fall Fest! 🍂 Hurry to reserve your tickets to join us this Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus for a fun afternoon to support world-class care for kids.

Enjoy family-friendly street fair games, live music and great food. Plus, you can tour the Children's National mobile health unit and ambulance, brush up on your pediatric CPR skills and take photos with Dr. Bear!

Reserve your tickets today: https://bit.ly/4n4Cyjv

09/18/2025

Football season is underway and so is our Kid in Command reporter series with 97.1 WASH-FM! Tune in each week as patients like Mackenzie deliver Washington Commanders game recaps on air 🤗🎙

09/17/2025

Kidney cancer in kids: new research is changing the outlook. Dr. Jeffrey Dome's work is helping reduce radiation for kids with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney and improving survival for those with focal anaplastic Wilms tumor—steps toward safer, stronger treatments.

(2 min. read)

09/16/2025

On Saturday, hundreds of families came together at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute for our first NICU reunion since 2019! They reconnected with members of their care team and other families, met Dr. Bear and enjoyed a great day at the zoo. We love seeing our NICU babies grow up and are so glad to see them happy and thriving. ❤️

Also a big congratulations to patient navigator Alicia Duran who received the Starfish Award, a special family-nominated honor for a staff member who has made a lasting impact on NICU families. 🤗

09/15/2025

Last week the Air Force Thunderbirds flew by to deliver some smiles to the halls of Children's National 😊. Thank you to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds for reminding us that strength and courage aren't just in the skies, they're in our staff and in every patient who walks through our doors. ❤️✈️

09/15/2025

Running (or walking) in the Race for Every Child this October? Fiber is your friend! Here are a few race-day tips from Dr. Levitt to get your gut in check👟 🔗 https://giving.childrensnational.org/site/TR?fr_id=1460&pg=entry&s_src=race25&s_subsrc=os-fb&utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=race25&utm_content=

09/12/2025

When Ginny began chemo treatment, the side effects were more than she expected. Severe neuropathy (nerve damage) left her unable to do simple tasks — walking, holding a spoon or even playing the piano like she used to. The loss of these simple things brought her down.

That’s when Lauren and Allie, two members of our incredible art and music therapy teams, stepped in. Through creativity, patience and encouragement, they helped Ginny find small victories — strumming a one-string guitar, making a birthday card for her brother and rebuilding confidence with every step.

What started as simple, low-stress activities became powerful tools for healing. Today, Ginny is regaining strength, movement and even her handwriting. 💛

09/12/2025

We (and Dr. Bear) are thrilled to welcome the 2025-2026 LEND-CN training cohort. 15 disciplines, one big mission: advancing care for those with neuro-developmental disabilities. Here’s to a year of learning, growing and leading together in the healthcare advocacy space!

09/10/2025

Our very own Dr. Oetgen & Kevin Cleary both spoke with Fox 5 DC about a more precise screw placement in hip surgeries that leads to less radiation exposure for young patients: a true shift in pediatric care!

Dr. Matthew Oetgen, chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Children’s National and Kevin Cleary, PhD, associate director of engineering, joined Fox 5 DC.