Growth Disorders Program
The Growth Disorders Program at Children’s National Hospital specializes in assessing, diagnosing and treating adolescents with growth problems that cause the child to grow abnormally slow or fast. Our experts address all types of growth disorders, whether caused by genetics, hormonal imbalances, poor food absorption or systemic diseases.
Our Providers
Our pediatric specialists provide personalized care for your child’s physical, mental and emotional health needs.
Urgent Appointments
For urgent requests, please email medical records to Youn Hee Jee, MD, or Deepika D’Cunha Burkardt, DO, or fax them to 202-476-4095.
Choosing Children's National for Growth Disorders Care
Abnormal height or weight can cause concern for parents who want to see their child grow at a healthy rate for their age. Children’s National is equipped with tools to identify specific biochemical or genetic markers of growth disorders and apply targeted treatments with precision medicine. In addition to our innovative treatments, we offer:
- Expertise: The Growth Disorders Program is the only specialized program in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland area that combines the expertise of endocrinologists and geneticists to provide multidisciplinary care for growth disorders in children. Andrew Dauber, MD, MMSc, chief of Endocrinology, and Youn Hee Jee, MD, are both experts in genetic growth disorders that cause children to be shorter than normal, while Deepika D’Cunha Burkardt, DO, has expertise in genetic overgrowth syndrome that causes children to be taller than normal. Learn more about our distinguished team.
- Clinical Trials and Research: Our commitment to advancing the understanding and treatment of growth disorders in children is demonstrated through our robust clinical trials and research initiatives. Dr. Dauber runs various clinical trials to address genetic growth disorders, and Dr. Jee runs a translational laboratory to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of growth disorders and to develop new drugs to treat severe growth disorders. Learn more about these clinical trials.
- Genetic Testing: Our team will conduct extensive genetic testing as part of our research to uncover the underlying causes of your child’s growth disorder. Our experts also specialize in genomic data analysis for children who have already undergone genetic testing to provide clearer insights on variants of uncertain significance.
Conditions We Treat
Endocrine-Related Short Stature
- Chronic glucocorticoid use
- Stimulant-related growth deceleration
- Inflammatory bowel disease-related growth deceleration
- Celiac disease-related growth disorder
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Growth hormone resistance
- IGF-1 deficiency
- IGF-1 resistance
- Altered pubertal timing-related growth concerns
Genetic Causes of Short Stature
- Skeletal dysplasia
- Dense bone disorders (osteopetrosis, osterosclerosis)
- Aggrecan (ACAN)-associated short stature
- Silver-Russell syndrome
- Rasopathies (such as Noonan syndrome, CBL spectrum, Costello syndrome and CFC)
- Acromelic dysplasia or FBN-1-associated short stature
- BAF-opathies (Coffin-Siris and Nicolaides-Baraitser syndromes)
- WASHOpathy
- Other rare genetic or inherited metabolic disorders presenting with short stature or growth failure
Genetic Causes of Overgrowth Syndrome
- Beckwith–Wiedemann spectrum
- NSD1- or NONO-associated Sotos Syndrome
- PRC2-complex disorders:
- EZH2- or PRC2-associated Weaver syndrome
- EED or SUZ12-asociated overgrowth syndrome
- CHD8 or NFIX/A/B-associated overgrowth syndrome
- Ubiquitin Ligase disorders, such as Tenorio syndrome
- Newly identified SPIN4-associated overgrowth syndrome
