Inside the Children's Hospital

Welcome back to NICU Awareness Month. In this episode, Katie is sitting down with Kim Holland, mom of Tripp who was born at 27 weeks and also developed NEC. NEC, or Necrotizing Enterocolitis, is the inflammation of the intestine that often leads to the death of intestinal tissue/lining, which caused Tripp to undergo multiple surgeries and spend months in the NICU.  
Kim delves into the raw emotions she went through during her pregnancy with Tripp and his stay in the NICU as she had to make tough medical decisions. She also gives us some insight into how she coped and was ultimately able to create a new normal after the NICU. Katie and Kim speak on how to build community and support during a time of healing for all parents. 
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction 
1:30 - Kim's Family and Background 
4:18 - Emergency C-Section and Preeclampsia Experience
7:39 - Tripp's Birth and NICU Journey
10:20 - Navigating the NICU 
13:28 - Understanding NEC and its Impact 
16:33 - Surgery and the Role of Faith 
19:25 - Post-Surgery and Ongoing Challenges 
34:57 - The Grim Reality of Medical Decisions
46:28 - Coping Mechanisms in the NICU 
54:26 - Life After the NICU 
58:34 - Building Community and Support 
 
Medical information shared in this episode is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your healthcare team for guidance specific to your child and family.

How U.S. News Ranks Children's Hospitals—and What Parents Should Know
Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases its Best Children's Hospitals rankings—but what do those rankings actually tell families?
In this episode, Katie Taylor, CCLS, speaks with Jennifer Winston, senior health data scientist at U.S. News & World Report, about how the rankings are built, what the scores measure and how parents can use them without over-reading small differences between hospitals.
Jennifer explains the role of clinical outcomes, hospital resources and care practices in the rankings, along with how parent feedback is incorporated into the methodology. Katie brings in the child life perspective, asking where psychosocial support, interpreter services, family involvement and emotional safety fit into the definition of excellent pediatric care.
They also explore an important question for families: Is traveling to a nationally ranked hospital always better, or can receiving care closer to home sometimes matter more?
What you'll learn
How the Best Children's Hospitals rankings have evolved from clinician surveys into a data-heavy model involving more than 1,000 data points across 11 pediatric specialties

The three primary scoring categories: hospital resources, delivery of care and best practices, and clinical outcomes

Why the outcomes being measured vary by specialty

How child life specialists, social workers, interpreter services and parent participation are represented in the rankings

How feedback from parents and patient advocates reaches the teams shaping the methodology

What it means for a hospital to make the national Honor Roll

Why a move from No. 15 to No. 20 may represent only a very small difference in score

When traveling for highly ranked care may be helpful—and when proximity to home matters

How families can use regional rankings, state rankings and hospital scorecards to look beyond one overall number

Why increased hospital participation may signal a growing commitment to transparency

Explore the rankings
View the official U.S. News Best Children's Hospitals rankings.
Parents can also search for pediatric hospitals and care by location or specialty.
Rather than relying only on a hospital's overall rank, families can explore individual specialty rankings and hospital scorecards to learn more about outcomes, staffing, available services and other factors that may matter for their child.
Episode timestamps
00:00 — Katie opens with the show's purpose and introduces Jennifer Winston

00:17 — Jennifer shares her role at U.S. News and her background in medical geography

02:15 — How the Best Children's Hospitals rankings have evolved

03:59 — The three-part methodology behind the rankings

05:00 — How clinical outcomes differ by specialty

06:09 — What the Honor Roll means

07:00 — Katie explains child life and family-centered support

08:57 — Where child life, social work and parent involvement fit in the scoring

11:56 — How parent feedback reaches the methodology team

13:34 — Should families travel for ranked care or stay closer to home?

14:18 — Using regional and state rankings to find care nearby

15:26 — Regional differences in access to pediatric specialty care

16:22 — How different are hospitals ranked No. 15 and No. 20?

17:29 — What hospitals can learn from higher-ranked programs

19:23 — How children's hospital rankings differ from maternity rankings

21:02 — Maternity care deserts and access to care

21:58 — Do children's healthcare deserts exist?

23:39 — Why outcomes, best practices and resources remain central

24:47 — What parents can ask for when their child is unexpectedly hospitalized

26:56 — Why growing hospital participation is encouraging

28:08 — Closing thoughts

Notable quotes
"We really do rely on the experts who are on these working groups to help us make those decisions."
"These are all hospitals that are providing great-quality care."
"It's important for families who need information."
About Inside the Children's Hospital
Inside the Children's Hospital shares what families lived, what they learned and what they want you to know. Hosted by Katie Taylor, a certified child life specialist, the podcast helps families better understand pediatric healthcare and feel more prepared to participate in their child's care.
Medical disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always speak with your child's healthcare team about questions or decisions related to their care.

Continuing NICU Awareness Month, in this week's episode, Katie is talking to Emily Rosen, the author of Waiting for Max: A NICU Story. Emily is a mom to 2 children, Max and Eva. Emily's book is about her experience being a parent in the NICU, with the hopes that the book can help communicate with other NICU families that they aren't alone in this journey. 
Throughout the episode, Emily details the emotions she went though as a parent, along with giving advice as to how to navigate new and possibly frightening feelings that came be brought on. Together, Emily and Katie walk through the different treks of healing that parents/families go through after being in the NICU, and how not all journeys follow the same path. 
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction to Emily 
1:39 - Meet Emily Rosen
4:09 - Emily's Journey to Motherhood 
7:48 - The NICU Experience
13:42 - The Emotional Toll of the NICU 
19:51 - Creating a Children's Book for NICU Families
23:27 - The Decision to Expand the Family
28:05 - Healing through Storytelling  
Resources Mentioned
Emily's Book
Emily's Instagram
 
Medical information shared in this episode is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your healthcare team for guidance specific to your child and family.

September is NICU Awareness Month, and in this week's episode, Katie sits down with Dr. Gal, @galthebabydoc, a Neonatologist and Pediatrician, and a dad with experience as a parent in the NICU. He shares his knowledge and experience on social media in digestible ways to help parents and others feel comfortable during difficult times.
Throughout the episode, they delve into the experiences and emotions of what parents might be facing when their baby is in the NICU, and how parents can get the most out of communicating with the hospital's healthcare providers. Dr.Gal, having experience on both ends of the spectrum, brings a unique perspective on how to properly handle sensitive topics between both parties. 
Timestamps 
00:00 - Meet Dr.Gal
1:52 -  Introduction and connection to Dr.Gal 
3:59 - The Journey to Neonatology 
6:39 - The Role of Humor in Medicine 
9:43 - Navigating Rounds: Best Practices for Parents
12:49 - Understanding the Attending's Responsibilities 
15:56 - The Importance of Family Presence in the NICU 
20:04 - A Day in the Life of a Neonatologist 
21:22 - Personal Experiences Shaping Professional Perspectives 
24:38 - The Emotional Impact of the NICU Admissions 
26:45 - Building Trust Through Transparency 
29:47 - Humor in Medicine
33:42 - Understanding the Father's Experience in the NICU 
 
Resources Mentioned
Dr.Gal's Tiktok Account
Dr.Gal's Instagram Account
 
Medical information shared in this episode is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your healthcare team for guidance specific to your child and family.

How do families navigate a serious childhood diagnosis while still focusing on hope, quality of life, and the everyday moments that matter most?
In this episode of Inside the Children's Hospital Podcast, Katie Taylor sits down with Dr. Korie Leigh, PhD, CCLS, a child life specialist, psychologist, thanatologist, author, educator, and pediatric palliative care advocate. Drawing on more than two decades of supporting children and families, Dr. Leigh shares what pediatric palliative care really is—and why it is so much more than many families believe.
Together, they explore how pediatric palliative care supports children living with serious or complex medical conditions from the time of diagnosis, helping families manage not only medical needs, but also emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual well-being. Dr. Leigh discusses how parents can advocate for palliative care services, even if they are not offered at their local hospital, and explains why caregiver support and respite care are essential parts of caring for the whole family.
The conversation also dives into resilience, grief, and the power of creativity. Dr. Leigh shares how writing can become a meaningful tool for processing difficult experiences, why preparing children for life's hardest moments matters, and how her books were created to help families navigate conversations surrounding illness, hospitalization, and loss with confidence and compassion.
Whether you're navigating a new diagnosis, caring for a child with a complex medical condition, supporting a family through hospitalization, or you're a healthcare professional looking to better understand pediatric palliative care, this episode offers practical insights, encouragement, and hope.
In This Episode, We Discuss:
What pediatric palliative care really means

The difference between palliative care and hospice

Why palliative care should begin at diagnosis

How parents can advocate for pediatric palliative care

Finding support when services aren't available locally

Caregiver burnout and the importance of respite care

Building resilience during a child's medical journey

Talking with children about illness, grief, and loss

Using writing and creativity as tools for healing

Improving access to pediatric palliative care through advocacy

 
Episode Timestamps
00:00 Meet Dr. Korie Leigh
02:33 A career in child life and palliative care
05:25 What is pediatric palliative care?
08:00 How parents can advocate for support
10:59 Insurance and access to care
12:05 Why respite care matters
14:18 Supporting families beyond the hospital
15:07 Building resilience through crisis
19:13 Writing through grief and healing
22:26 Creativity as a coping tool
27:29 Books, music, and final reflections
Resources Mentioned
When Everything Changes: Parenting through Loss and Grief by Dr. Korie Leigh

Hero's Path Palliative

Dr. Korie Leigh's Website

Leigh Moody (music)

George Mark Children's House

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Medical information shared in this episode is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your healthcare team for guidance specific to your child and family.