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Donate Now HomeSeattle Mama Doc Seattle Mama Doc Thank you, and a Look Ahead Author: Seattle Children’s October 7, 2019 | Doctoring & Healthcare Comments Off on Thank you, and a Look Ahead As Seattle Mama Doc settles into her new home in Wisconsin, all of us at Seattle Children’s thank her for her many years of tireless work to help you do what’s right for your kids. Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson recognized a need to demystify some of today’s most complex and controversial medical issues. We at Seattle Children’s remain committed to that charge, supporting you with advice on child health, safety and parenting. Please watch this space as we build upon the foundation set by Dr. Swanson. In the meantime, we invite you to engage with us in these ways: Sign up to receive my Good Growing , a free e-newsletter filled with health and safety information for parents and caregivers , delivered six times each year. Subscribe to On the Pulse, our blog that offers the latest news from inside Seattle Children’s, including patient stories and research advancements. Check out our Health & Safety section , filled with advice on how you can help your kids live healthy and safe lives. Our mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible, and that includes the kids who’ll never be our patients. Thank you for trusting us as a source for reliable information. We’re excited to share more soon! You can continue to find content from Dr. Swanson at www.wendysueswanson.com . Farewell And Thank You So Much Author: Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE September 30, 2019 | Mama Doc Philosophies 1 Comment She said, leave space in your heart for the unimaginable.” I could write and write and write things to you today about the over 1,000 posts, videos and podcasts we’ve shared here but let me keep this last post a tiny bit brief: I am so grateful to you for reading the words here in this blog and for entrusting me with this place to help you understand. I am thankful that so many, especially Seattle Children’s, believed me that pediatric health care can change shape. Blogging, and eventually digital health, became a decade-long constitutional part of my job as a pediatrician and parent. I grew and gained and shared so much because of what I learned here listening to and talking with the public about how best to care for our children. There is no question that the world we inhabit today is different than the one I sat in when I took to this work 10 years ago. More than ever before, those of us interested in helping the public understand how science illuminates truth must keep at it. The stakes are higher and our nation’s health depends upon expert leadership and translation. Please keep writing if you are. I will. I wrote my first post here in November of 2009 when my babies were just…babies. Now I’ve got 5th and 7th grade boys that I adore more every single day. Don’t let any parent tell you it goes by too quickly – please know that it just gets exponentially better as our children grow into themselves. Each bit of the future can be something bigger. Read full post » Digital Innovation At Seattle Children’s, A Look Back 2013-2019 Author: Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE September 30, 2019 | Doctoring & Healthcare Comments Off on Digital Innovation At Seattle Children’s, A Look Back 2013-2019 I began the Seattle Mama Doc blog in 2009 as the first-ever, solely pediatrician authored blog on behalf of a children’s hospital. After nearly a decade of blogging, some 800 posts and hundreds of hundreds of videos and podcasts , it is bittersweet for me to announce that this is the end for the Seattle Mama Doc podcast and blog. I have learned so much about pediatrics, innovation, and caring for children and their families from Mama Doc followers around the world. Thank you! I founded the Digital Health department at Seattle Children’s Hospital in 2013. My goal was to leverage the wisdom of clinicians, patients, and researchers to transform health care delivery in the digital age. The vision that a world where healthcare providers and patients use new technology to collaborate more closely and build deeper relationships, that wasn’t mine alone, certainly. I’m indebted to so many internal and external partners who guided and partnered with this transforming work, along the way. I’ve always believed innovation must embody duel-centricity”: novel solutions must be both patient-centered but also clinician-centered to create long-lasting change and staying power. Striking a balance with that dual-focus is key for successful innovation. The other thing key: integration into the EHR. Just no way around that reality.” As I begin the transition out of the role of Chief of Digital Innovation, I wanted to leave behind a quick reference and highlight some of the amazing work that has been produced out of our Digital Health team over the past 6 years. My hope is that you find this both informative and inspirational, but I also wanted to share our failures and lessons we learned in these early innovation pilots and programs. Of note, the majority of the Seattle Mama Doc blog will live on for some time on www.seattlechildrens.org, but the posts will also live on my new website www.wendysueswanson.com. And of course, I’ll be online – in minimum on Twitter and Instagram . My commitment to prevention, digital health, public health, and translation will not fade. Read full post » 2019 Measles Outbreak: Information for Parents Author: Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE May 17, 2019 | Parenting , Vaccines 7 Comments Measles, measles, and more measles. I know, it seems like all I’m writing about. I’ve been doing media interviews for weeks now on measles infections and there doesn’t seem to be a slowdown yet. As it stands, there are currently 839 measles cases in the U.S. and children under age 5 years old account for about half of the cases. The vast majority of cases are in those who are unvaccinated. I’ve been asked: Is the situation improving?” The answer is…no…sadly. The 75 new cases this week are a higher bump than in the previous two weeks, when about 60 additional cases were reported each week. Measles is wildly contagious. It spreads when a person infected with the measles virus breathes, coughs, or sneezes. You can catch measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, up to 2 hours after that person is gone. The great news, as always, is that we have a vaccine for this! We can prevent this from ever happening in the first place! Parents and children who are immunized are well protected and don’t need to worry right now. Read full post » Measles, MMR Vaccine, Immunity, & Breastmilk Author: Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE April 11, 2019 | Vaccines 2 Comments So much in the news lately about measles. A bit disappointing considering we sincerely thought it waseliminated ” in 2000. As you’ve heard, in the New York City area, there have been 285 confirmed cases since their outbreak began in the fall. Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency that would require unvaccinated individuals living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to receive the measles vaccine. The mayor said the city would issue violations and possible fines of $1,000 for those who did not comply who lived in areas with dense outbreaks. Under-vaccinated populations are at risk for outbreaks. Case in point in New York and Washington State. Public health officials are stepping in to stop the spread, the hospitalizations, and the absolutely unnecessary toll it’s taking on human health. Measles IS and remains a wildly contagious virus; measles IS and remains vaccine-preventable. Across the country, there have been 465 measles cases since the start of 2019, with 78 new cases in the last week alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday (4.8.19). In Washington State, our outbreak led to 73 confirmed cases. I don’t think I can be any more...