Inside Pediatrics Magazine Fall/Winter 2025

A t Children’s of Alabama, we strive to provide the best care for all our patients. And while most of them come from Alabama and neighboring states, much of the work we do influences not just our region but the entire world of medicine. There’s no question that we lead the way in many areas. In this issue of Inside Pediatrics, we’ll show you how. Leading the way often begins with great leadership. This year, we hired a new physician-in-chief, Yung Lau, M.D. He’s served Children’s in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology for three decades, including in leadership roles, and now he’ll lead all divisions in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics. His goal is to build on the existing foundation of success. Our ability to solve problems also contributes to our influence. Endocrinologist Ambika Ashraf, M.D., exemplified this when she helped develop a framework and a new tool for clinicians to use when determining how to manage hypertriglyceridemia. Likewise, our pulmonology team addressed a challenging situation by starting a new initiative to help asthma patients in an underserved part of our state. We also do leading-edge research that has the potential to change standards of care. Our neonatology team is involved in

Tom Shufflebarger, President and CEO

multiple research efforts designed to address bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD.

In some cases, we’re among just a few hospitals in the nation offering certain treatments or procedures—for example, gene therapy for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). From the programs we develop to the procedures we offer, Children’s of Alabama is making a difference in all the lives we touch and many more.