Inside Pediatrics Fall/Winter 2024

W ith another football season in full swing, many fans are hoping their favorite teams will go the distance and win a championship. Here at Children’s of Alabama, we go the distance every day to help our patients win battles against illness and injury. In some cases, that means traveling a literal distance—sometimes thousands of miles—to help children in need. Figuratively, it can mean striving for a cure or creating comprehensive programs that address the needs of every type of patient. In this issue of Inside Pediatrics, you’ll read about many of the ways Children’s is going the distance. Each year, a team from Children’s visits countries in Latin America through Heart Care International to provide care to heart patients. For cardiac pediatric intensivist Santiago Borasino, M.D., these trips are personal. A native of Peru, Borasino gets to return to his home country. He travels this long distance to give back. In pulmonology, most patients with cystic fibrosis have access to drugs that can improve their life expectancy. At Children’s, however, most isn’t enough. Our physicians want every patient to have these groundbreaking treatments. That’s why they’re working to develop genetic therapies to help the 5% of patients who don’t benefit from the current treatments. Girish Dhall, M.D., also aims to provide treatment for every patient. In six years as the director of the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program, he’s more than doubled the number of consortia in which Children’s is enrolled. This has provided our patients with access to many more clinical trials.

Tom Shufflebarger, President and CEO

Our behavioral health team also has built something special. In response to the mental health crisis, they began adding unique services to address young people’s growing needs. Now, the team offers a comprehensive array of programs that meet kids where they are on their mental health journey. Epilepsy patients in Alabama and beyond also now have access to another treatment option thanks to the work of our neurology and neurosurgery teams. In January 2024, Curtis Rozzelle, M.D., performed a deep brain stimulation procedure for epilepsy. It’s the first time Children’s had ever offered this treatment. At Children’s of Alabama, we’ll always go the distance to better the lives of children in Alabama, across the Southeast and around the world.