September 2026 Pediatric Partner Update

Greetings from Dr. DiFazio

Children's National is thrilled to be among the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the nation and the highest in the DMV, as recently ranked by U.S. News & World Report. This is great news for kids in our region and reaffirms our commitment to providing world-class specialty care close to home.

We’re also committed to supporting providers like you. We can bring our specialists to your practices for in-office education. We also offer virtual CE programming.

We're also excited to launch Provider Direct in January and are currently recruiting interested primary care practices to participate in our initial phase. Through this program, participating practices will have access to expedited scheduling, helping eligible patients be seen at Children's National within 14 days. Please reply to this email or ask your liaison for access to the program.

As always, we’re glad to work alongside you to bring world-class care to kids in the DMV.

Marc DiFazio, MD, MBA

Vice President of Access | Neurologist | Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics

Cancer Care at Children’s National

Every September we honor Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. If you have patients who may have cancer, please refer them to our comprehensive cancer program. We diagnose and treat more oncology patients than all other metro area hospitals. Our high volume translates into a high level of experience and expertise offered at locations across the region.

Map of Children's National Oncology locations around Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia

What You Need to Know

A doctor applies Botox to a boy's forehead to treat the boy's migraine headaches

Hope for Kids with Migraines

While Botox was approved 15 years ago as a treatment for chronic migraines in adults, treatment options for children have remained limited. Our experts recently published a study showing reduced frequency and disability in pediatric migraine patients receiving Botox.

Learn more about the study and our headache injection program

An illustration of the spiral-shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease

Lyme Disease Study

Our Division of Infectious Diseases is recruiting participants to study symptoms and recovery from Lyme disease. We need candidates aged 5–17 with Lyme disease and those with no history of Lyme disease. Compensation will be provided.

Please share this opportunity with your patients

A boy sits on the stairs at school sadly holding his head

Bullying and Body Image Support

Do you see patient families who are concerned about bullying or looking for ways to address body image concerns? Here are recent interviews with one of our mental health experts discussing bullying and how parents can help kids develop a healthy body image.

View interview about bullying Watch the video about healthy body image

The Lead in Peds podcast graphic with Lanre Falusi, MD, and Priti Bhansali, MD, from Children's National

Tune In: Podcast for Healthcare Pros

Our latest episode of The Lead in Peds explores how healthcare professionals can communicate more effectively, address social needs and improve pediatric care with rigorous study, simulation, advocacy education and partnerships with patients, families and communities.

Listen now

Continuing Medical Education

Stay updated on pediatric care and enhance your practice through our Virtual Lunch and Learn webinars. All sessions, unless otherwise noted, are eligible for continuing medical education (CME) credit within 60 days of their presentation date.

Beyond the Hospital Room: How Pediatricians and Oncology Social Workers Support Children with Cancer and Their Families

Presented by Elizabeth Hardesty, LICSW, MSW, social work manager in the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's National

In this CME, you will learn about:

The role of pediatric oncology social work in supporting patients and families during treatment and survivorship
Psychosocial and practical barriers that may contribute to delayed, declined or interrupted cancer treatment
The impact of cancer on patients, caregivers and siblings
Implementing strategies to support family resilience
Common late effects of cancer treatment
Identifying opportunities for pediatricians to partner with oncology teams in providing comprehensive survivorship care

Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at noon ET.

Critical Connections: Optimizing Emergency Referrals

Presented by: Jaclyn Kline, MD, medical director of informatics for the Division of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services at Children's National

In this CME, you'll learn about:

Cases that will benefit most from an emergency department referral
Communicating a referral to the emergency department
Educating families about what to expect for commonly referred clinical scenarios

Join us on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at noon ET.

Join Us

Our upcoming events are great opportunities to connect with our specialists at Children's National and other pediatric partners throughout the region.

Jan. 14: Business of Pediatrics

Our annual Business of Pediatrics conference will be held Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027, at the North Bethesda Marriott. It will focus on practice management, medical coding, reimbursement and care delivery. All community-based primary care pediatricians and relevant office staff are encouraged to attend. Continuing Education credit will be available.
Learn about Business of Pediatrics
Sept. 18: Pediatric Obesity Conference

Earn five CE credits learning about updated approaches to pediatric obesity management, including pharmacotherapy and surgical options, obesity-related medical complications, how to reduce bias and the management of these conditions. The daylong event at Children’s National is geared to primary care providers, subspecialists, nurses and pharmacologists.
Sign up today
Sept. 29: Practice Administrators Group

Our Practice Administrators Group meets Sept. 29 at 8 a.m. ET for Coffee & Conversation. This virtual meeting includes open discussion, practical problem-solving and real-time updates.
Learn about PAG Sign up to join us
Sept. 30: Depression Among Adolescents Webinar

As pediatricians in primary care, you are often the first point of contact for discussing mood concerns with families. Join our webinar Sept. 30 at noon ET to learn practical tools to identify, discuss and manage depressive symptoms during routine well visits, implement the PHQ-9 as a screening tool and manage medication.
Register now
Jan. 14: Business of Pediatrics

Our annual Business of Pediatrics conference will be held Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027, at the North Bethesda Marriott. It will focus on practice management, medical coding, reimbursement and care delivery. All community-based primary care pediatricians and relevant office staff are encouraged to attend. Continuing Education credit will be available.
Learn about Business of Pediatrics
Sept. 18: Pediatric Obesity Conference

Earn five CE credits learning about updated approaches to pediatric obesity management, including pharmacotherapy and surgical options, obesity-related medical complications, how to reduce bias and the management of these conditions. The daylong event at Children’s National is geared to primary care providers, subspecialists, nurses and pharmacologists.
Sign up today