As a social worker in the neuro-oncology program at Johns Hopkins All Children's, Allegra Kartha, M.S.W., provides social and emotional support for patients and their families. In celebration of Pride month, they talk about their role at the hospital and involvement in several committees making an impact for patients, families and staff, and why Pride is more than just a month.

<p>Diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) shortly after birth, Birdie received care at Johns Hopkins All Children&rsquo;s and is now a happy and healthy 1-year-old. She and her family recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to share her story as part of the Children&rsquo;s Hospital Association&rsquo;s Family Advocacy Day annual event.</p>

For Father's Day, Johns Hopkins All Children's honors the fathers like Luis Rodriguez, M.D., M.A.S., who work at the hospital. The pediatric neurosurgeon talks about how being a dad impacts the way he cares for his patients, and the ways his own father inspired him.

When Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers got precious heart tissue back from space, they needed to do carefully calibrated testing. Rather than fly the samples back to Baltimore, the samples were brought across the state to Johns Hopkins All Children's, where the hospital's scientists and state-of-the-art research facilities could assist.

For the Johns Hopkins All Children's residents in the class of 2023, their residency started around the same time the pandemic did. The residents and the program adapted, and their perseverance paid off with a recent graduation ceremony.

Johns Hopkins All Children's ranked nationally in seven specialty areas, marking the third time in four years it has led the state in ranked pediatric specialties. The hospital's diabetes and endocrinology program, cancer program and pulmonology program achieved their highest rankings ever.

As a respiratory therapy clinical supervisor, Eric Newcomer, B.S., RRT-NPS, works with patient families and other care team members in the acute care areas of the hospital, like the pediatric intensive care unit. In celebration of Pride month, Newcomer talks about what he loves about working at the hospital, as well as what Pride month means to him.

As a pediatric psychologist at Johns Hopkins All Children's, Callie King, Ph.D., sees patients and helps train hospital staff, medical providers and others on best practices when working with members of the LGBTQ+ community. In celebration of Pride month, she talks about her work at the hospital and why she sees Pride month as a time of reflection and gratitude.

The 5-year-old sibling of a toddler being treated for cancer "opens up shop" to provide sweet treats to clinical staff who are caring for his baby brother.

As a Child Life aide, Elijah Shannon shares smiles and helps to make a difference across the hospital. He talks about why he enjoys working at Johns Hopkins All Children&rsquo;s, what a typical day is like, and how he recently competed in the state Special Olympics in Orlando.

The committee advises and makes recommendations to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health on safety issues related to the use of blood, blood products, organs and tissues in transfusion medicine and transplantation.

A grant from Hyundai Hope on Wheels will be directed to Dr. Nanette Grana's work with the newly established genetic predisposition program, which helps identify pediatric cancer patients who have an increased likelihood to develop certain diseases, based on the presence of one or more genetic variants.

Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Ryan Fitzgerald, M.D., shares six tips on how to pick and wear a backpack to prevent injury.

Increasingly, mental health professionals observe children and teens "self-diagnosing" mental disorders after watching influencers discuss them on social media platforms. Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D., provides tips for families on how to talk to children and teens about the mental health-related content they're seeing online.