Charting Pediatrics

Caring for a child with life threatening illness, poor prognosis or who is at the end of life is one of the most difficult experiences a pediatrician can face. Beyond the medical decision making, these moments require complex communication of painful information while supporting children and families through fear, uncertainty, grief, and loss. In this episode, we're exploring the challenges of caring for children with life-threatening illness and the skills that can help clinicians deliver difficult news with clarity, compassion and empathy. 

To help us understand how to make these difficult conversations more meaningful and comprehensible, we are joined by two experts: Kristen Eisenman, MD, and Allison Feldman, MD. Both specialize in hospice and palliative medicine, and Dr. Eisenman also specializes in hematology/oncology. They are both associate professors at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

Some highlights from this episode include:
The unique role of the pediatrician in end-of-life care, as well as care for a serious illness 
Balancing honesty about prognosis while still allowing families to maintain hope 
Language and communication strategies particularly helpful for families
How meaningful support and listening can be to struggling families 

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

A child can be doing well on paper and still be struggling to grow into who they are. They're meeting milestones. They're doing fine in school. There's no diagnosis and no crisis. There's nothing that sends up a red flag. But are they learning how to manage frustration, build healthy relationships, navigate conflict, recover from setbacks and ask for help when they need it? Mental health in childhood isn't just about identifying what's wrong. It's also about understanding what healthy development looks like and recognizing opportunities to strengthen it before there's a problem to diagnose. 

This episode was recorded live on the exhibit floor at the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics Conference in San Diego, California. Joining us for this episode is Joan Jeung, MD. She is a clinical professor within the Department of Pediatricians and Division of Developmental Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.

Some highlights from this episode include:
Understanding healthy mental development beyond diagnosis 
How this changes across age groups and what pediatricians should expect 
When and how a pediatrician can provide support to a family who is struggling 
The role of sleep, physical, activity, play, school, friendships and family connection 

This episode is underwritten by Wings Credit Union, a proud supporter of Charting Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Colorado. Wings generously responded to Children's Colorado's State of Emergency for pediatric mental health in 2021 and is pleased to support this episode. For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

Toilet training may seem like a simple developmental milestone until you're the pediatrician helping a family navigate accidents, resistance, constipation, regression, and the growing pressure to get it right. For many families, toilet training quickly stops being about developmental readiness and starts becoming a collision of pressure, comparison, preschool deadlines, power struggles, and late-night Googling. What seems like a simple milestone on the surface often turns into one of early childhood's most emotionally charged transitions. And for pediatricians, it remains one of the most common yet surprisingly nuanced conversations in clinical practice. 

To unpack the developmental science, behavioral realities, and clinical challenges we are joined by two experts: Yodit Denu, PhD, and Melissa Buchholz, PsyD. As child psychologists, they specialize in infant and early childhood mental health. They both teach at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

Some highlights from this episode include:
The concept of the "right age" to start toilet training versus when a child is ready 
How pediatricians can counsel families when starting this process 
The connection between toilet training and constipation 
How to promote a healthy, successful experience for families 

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org. Follow us on Instagram @ChartingPediatrics

The NICU discharge is a milestone, but it's not the finish line. For children born prematurely, primary care plays a critical role in what comes next: tracking growth and development, recognizing ongoing health needs and helping families navigate the transition from intensive neonatal care to everyday childhood. But how should pediatricians adjust their approach? And what are the things we're at risk of missing? We're focusing on the practical side of caring for children born prematurely in the primary care setting, with the goal of helping pediatricians turn a complex NICU history into a clear, proactive care plan. Prematurity may shape the beginning of the story, but primary care helps shape what comes next. 

To move beyond the NICU discharge summary, we are joined by Laura Brown, MD. She specializes in neonatal and perinatal medicine at Children's Hospital Colorado. She is also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Some highlights from this episode include:
When to use corrected age versus chronological age for preterm infants 
How a pediatrician should be watching these children differently in the days and months after transition of care 
When preterm babies need specialized follow up care 
Biggest red flags for pediatricians to watch during infancy

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.

An earache. A fussy toddler. A worried parent. And often, a familiar prescription: antibiotics. Acute otitis media is one of the most common reasons children receive antibiotics. But as we continue to better understand when antibiotics truly make a difference — and when children may do just as well without them — there's an opportunity to rethink what appropriate treatment looks like. So how can pediatricians confidently reduce unnecessary prescribing while still treating pain, addressing parents' concerns, and making sure the children who do need antibiotics get them? We'll answer that in this episode. 

To dive into this ever-evolving topic, we are joined by two experts. Nicole Poole, MD, specializes in infectious diseases at Children's Colorado, serves as the Associate Medical Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and leads the Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Program. She is also an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Holly Frost, MD is a pediatrician at Intermountain Health and also serves as Enterprise Associate Chief Medical Officer, Professor of Research at Intermountain and faculty in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Utah 

Some highlights from this episode include:
Consequences of prescribing antibiotics when not necessary 
How it impacts pediatrics on a larger scale beyond an individual patient 
Common pitfalls pediatricians encounter when diagnosing AOM 
The importance of addressing pain and ways to do that aside from prescribing antibiotics 

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org.