In 2010, Alexis, who is visually impaired and profoundly deaf, visited a Philips showroom and was captivated by the interactive displays of colored LED lighting. Intrigued by her daughter’s response to light, Rose called upon her mechanical engineering background and conceptualized and launched LightAide, a teaching tool for children with low vision and cognitive disabilities that uses interactive displays of color to introduce literacy and mathematical concepts. Full story »
Peers describe David G. Nathan, MD, president emeritus of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and physician-in-chief emeritus of Boston Children’s Hospital, as a “a once-in-a-generation leader,” a “giant” and a “proverbial triple threat” combining clinical care, research and teaching leadership.
Nathan, whose commitment to pediatric medicine spans nearly six decades, received a standing ovation when presented with Boston Children’s inaugural Lifetime Impact Award Friday afternoon at the hospital’s Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards.
The Lifetime Impact Award recognizes a clinician and/or researcher who has devoted his or her career to accelerating innovation in pediatric medicine and who has made extraordinary and sustained leadership contributions. Full story »
The mobile and digital health market is evolving with great intensity and speed. The surge in wearable technology, health-related apps and the explosion of digital health communication continue to flood the marketplace.
Joseph Kvedar, MD, of Partners Healthcare’s Center for Connected Health—who took part in a think tank of panelists at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards 2014—says this surge is the beginning of the “mHealth” revolution:
Clinical excellence is the foundation of patient care. But at a recent TEDx Longwood event, Elaine C. Meyer, PhD, RN, co-founder and director of the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, offered insight on the other half of the health care equation: the human connection and the power of conversation.
Meyer’s moving presentation makes clear how communication—listening and sharing words of comfort—profoundly impacts patient experiences, as does its absence. Through heartfelt stories, including her own experience as a patient, her talk empowers physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists and other medical staff to “be present” and communicate with patients and families compassionately.
“Dig deep, find your inspiration to have conversations,” Meyer says, because patients remember the words spoken to them and how those words made them feel.
Alina Morris, Archivist, Boston Children’s Hospital, contributed to this post.
In 1914, Boston Children’s Hospital, then simply called The Children’s Hospital, constructed the 145-bed Hunnewell Building, joining Harvard Medical School as one of several founding members of the Longwood Medical Area.
As the hospital’s oldest continuously occupied building, Hunnewell has presided over many of the century’s great medical advances and innovations. We celebrate a portion of them in this slideshow honoring Hunnewell’s 100th anniversary—and invite you to help write the next 100 years of history October 30-31 at Boston Children’s Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards 2014.
