Pediatrics Now: Cases Updates and Discussions for the Busy Pediatric Practitioner

Shaping the Standard: A Cranial Remolding Pioneer on Diagnosis, Treatment & Coverage

In this episode host Holly Wayment talks with Jim Brookshire, Clinical Director of the Cranial Remolding Program at UTHealth San Antonio, about diagnosing and treating infant head shape abnormalities.

They cover common conditions like plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, how to distinguish positional deformity from craniosynostosis, the ideal four-to-six month treatment window for helmet therapy, imaging options, adherence tips, and emerging technologies such as 3D scanning, 3D printing, and AI — plus recent Medicaid coverage changes.

Inside the OR: A Life-Changing Cleft Lip & Palate Repair

Link for CME Credit Coming Soon

Host Holly Wayment brings you this special episode from outside the OR on the surgical unit at University Hospital. Dr. Richard Thomson performs a bilateral cleft lip repair and leads a team debrief afterward. The episode explains the staged timing of lip and palate surgeries, the role of the multidisciplinary cleft team, and why early palate repair supports better speech and hearing outcomes.

Listeners learn about feeding and hearing management, long-term follow-up from infancy through adolescence, support programs like Fresh Start and Austin Smiles, and the emotional and functional impact of cleft care on families and children.

Episode 30: From Foodborne Outbreaks to Rabies: What Pediatricians Need to Know

https://cmetracker.net/UTHSCSA/Publisher?page=pubOpen#/getCertificate/10103176

 

FACULTY:
Deena Sutter, MD, Colonel (retired), United States Air Force, joined the faculty after retiring from the Air Force in December 2020, after 21 years of service.

 

OVERVIEW:

Dr. Deena Sutter joins Pediatrics Now to explain the current cyclospora outbreak, how testing and PCR panels detect cases, and practical food-safety steps for families – especially for young or immunocompromised children. She reviews the limits of washing produce, differences between prepackaged and whole-head lettuce, and the recommended treatment (trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole) when infection is confirmed.

The episode also covers rising local rabies concerns in Bexar County, high-risk animals (bats, skunks, foxes), when bites or exposures warrant post-exposure prophylaxis, and the importance of timely public-health reporting and vaccination. Practical advice for pediatricians and families on prevention, testing, and when to seek care is provided throughout.

 

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
Increased awareness and education for pediatric providers

 

DISCLOSURE TO LEARNERS:

Speaker: Deena Sutter, MD has no financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.     

 

The Pediatrics Now Podcast Planning Committee members: Steven Seidner, MD, and Holly Wayment have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

 

The University of Texas at San Antonio and Steven Seidner, MD course director and content reviewer for the activity, have reviewed all financial disclosure information for all speakers, facilitators, and planning committee members; and determined and resolved all conflicts of interests.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION STATEMENTS:
The University of Texas at San Antonio is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Texas at San Antonio designates this live activity up to a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE:
Healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance and are asked to consult with their licensing board for information on applicability and acceptance.

Credit may be obtained upon successful completion of the activity’s evaluation.

RELEASE DATE:
8/14/2026

EXPIRATION DATE:
8/31/2028

Episode 29: Treating Teen Obesity: A National Leader in Bariatric Surgery on GLP-1 vs. Surgery

https://cmetracker.net/UTHSCSA/Publisher?page=pubOpen#/getCertificate/10103150

 

FACULTY:
Richard Peterson, MD is a Professor and serves as the Chief of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery for UT Health San Antonio and is the medical director of the Christus Weight Loss Institute at Westover Hills.

 

OVERVIEW:

Host Holly Wayment sits down with Dr. Richard Peterson to unpack the shifting landscape of pediatric obesity care. Dr. Peterson explains why GLP-1 medications have driven down bariatric surgery volumes — and why surgery still offers the most durable outcomes for obesity and its complications. He walks through updated pediatric referral criteria, compares results across medication and surgical pathways, and outlines when a combined or individualized approach makes the most sense.

 

For pediatricians, the takeaways are practical: recognize obesity as a disease, partner with obesity specialists, navigate insurance and access barriers, and intervene early to improve long-term outcomes for adolescents and their families.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics released updated obesity guidelines in 2023 that moved away from the old “watchful waiting” approach. Under the new guidance, providers should offer weight-loss medications to patients age 12 and older with obesity, alongside lifestyle treatment, and patients 13 and older with severe obesity should be evaluated for bariatric surgery. Severe obesity is defined as a BMI at or above 120% of the 95th percentile for age and sex. Medication isn’t meant to be a first-line or standalone treatment — the AAP still supports intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment as the initial step in pediatric weight management. In a follow-up policy statement, the AAP called severe pediatric obesity an “epidemic within an epidemic” and urged that insurance cover surgery and follow-up care at high-quality multidisciplinary centers.

 

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
Increased awareness and education for pediatric providers

 

DISCLOSURE TO LEARNERS:

Speaker: Richard Peterson, MD has disclosed he is a consultant for Teleflex/Standard Bariatrics, Medtronic, and Intuitive. The relevant financial relationships noted for Dr. Peterson have been mitigated.     

 

The Pediatrics Now Podcast Planning Committee members: Steven Seidner, MD, and Holly Wayment have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

 

The University of Texas at San Antonio and Steven Seidner, MD course director and content reviewer for the activity, have reviewed all financial disclosure information for all speakers, facilitators, and planning committee members; and determined and resolved all conflicts of interests.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION STATEMENTS:
The University of Texas at San Antonio is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Texas at San Antonio designates this live activity up to a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE:
Healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance and are asked to consult with their licensing board for information on applicability and acceptance.

Credit may be obtained upon successful completion of the activity’s evaluation.

RELEASE DATE:
8/12/2026

EXPIRATION DATE:
8/31/2028

Energy Drinks Can Damage a Healthy Heart; Plus When Anxiety Symptoms Are Really Cardiac

Link for CME Credit Coming Soon!

A recent case involving a teenage cheerleader’s death has prompted a closer look at energy drinks and cardiovascular risks in young people. Host Holly Wayment and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Elaine Maldonado discuss how high-caffeine and stimulant drinks—often marketed to teens and available in school vending machines or coffee bars—can trigger palpitations, chest pain, high blood pressure, and dangerous heart rhythms.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no role for caffeine in children; parents and pediatricians should watch for red flags (persistent rapid heartbeat, unexplained chest pain, fainting during exertion), counsel on sleep, hydration, and exercise, and offer safer alternatives to energy drinks.