UVA Health Children's

11/12/2025

11/11/2025

We're excited for the 44th annual Boar's Head Resort Turkey Trot! This Charlottesville-area Thanksgiving Day 5K benefits our patient care and support services. For tiny turkeys (ages 8 and under), there's a 1/4 mile dash.

We're also looking for volunteers to help with packet pickup, race setup and breakdown, and on-course support. Sign up to race and/or volunteer: https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Charlottesville/BoarsHeadTurkeyTrot

11/08/2025

Earlier this week, some super window washers visited us at UVA Health Children’s! 💜 🧽 🫧 Seeing Superman, Iron Man and other famous faces right outside their room brought smiles to the faces of our young patients and their families.

11/07/2025

We're tackling the trends. Today's trend? 🚭 Va**ng

Family medicine doctor Kearn Ghuman, DO, shares the dangers of va**ng and just how quickly an addiction can form in teens.

11/05/2025

Now that your family has a stockpile of Halloween candy, how do you manage doling out sweets without overdoing it?

Unfortunately, most American children are already getting a heaping helping of daily added sugar beyond the holiday season. That can lead to all sorts of health issues, including but not limited to tooth decay, unwanted weight gain, acne, and diabetes.

But what does it do to the brain? registered dietitian Katherine Basbaum, MS, RD points to research that found strong evidence of the existence of sugar "addiction." She also noted that sugar can also trigger inflammation: “if inflammation is the root of so many health issues, like arthritis, autoimmune diseases [like rheumatoid arthritis], heart disease and diabetes, then sugar, which we know is inflammatory, is only going to make things worse,” says Basbaum.

If you feel like you always end up binge-eating caramels or that your child complains joint pain after a big dessert, it might be worth tapering back sugar consumption overall. 🍬

11/04/2025

Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency and often requires hospitalization. Left untreated, it can cause women to kill themselves or their babies.

Although experts consider postpartum psychosis to be one of the most easily identified mental illnesses among women, it's not recognized in two key resources used for medical treatment and billing. An international panel of leading women's mental health experts, including UVA Health's Jennifer Payne, MD, wants to change that.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4nuTUFv

11/01/2025

Our littlest patients got the full Halloween experience this year with volunteers from all over "reverse trick-or-treating" by bringing costumes and small toys right to their rooms! 🎃 Our team members also dressed up in themed group costumes and made hallway decorations to get in on the fun!

10/20/2025

"They were alone, far from home, and without the resources to change their situation... That’s when Sarah stepped in — not just as a nurse, but as a human being with extraordinary empathy. Without being asked and without hesitation, Sarah called her husband at home and asked him to bring their own pack-and-play to the hospital. She did this quietly, humbly, and without seeking recognition — simply because it was the right thing to do."

's DAISY Foundation is a nursing-specific award created to honor extraordinary care. We're proud to honor Sarah Bast, BSN, RN, CPEN, who was assigned to care for a pediatric patient who had been transferred from several hours away. The child arrived with their mother and infant sibling with no local support system, no transportation, and no plan for how the mother would be able to stay with both of her children once the patient was admitted.

🌼 The colleague who nominated Sarah praised her effort to "[give] a scared mother the ability to stay with both of her children in a safe and supportive environment."

10/20/2025

Our sports concussion clinic sees kids ages 6 and up!

10/17/2025

Over 400 University Medical Center NICU graduates and their families celebrated together at the 2025 UVA Health Children’s NICU Reunion earlier this month! 💜 Graduates ranging in age from just a few months old to 29 and their loved ones enjoyed many activities including face painting, County of Albemarle touch-a-truck opportunities and MooThru ice cream.