On the Pulse

Leader in Pediatric Oncology Receives National Honor from American Cancer Society

Dr. Abby R. Rosenberg, director of the Palliative Care and Resilience lab at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute

Dr. Abby R. Rosenberg, director of the Palliative Care and Resilience (PCAR) lab at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI); an associate professor of pediatric hematology/oncology at the University of Washington (UW); director of pediatrics at the UW Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence; and director of survivorship and outcomes research in pediatric oncology at the UW, has been awarded the 2021 Trish Greene Quality of Life Award by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The prestigious award was presented to Dr. Rosenberg in an intimate ceremony in Seattle Children’s new Forest B building and honors those who have dedicated their career to research that improves the quality of life for cancer patients and their families.

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Vaccines Are Now Available for Kids Under 5

On June 21, Seattle Children’s became one of the first locations in the country to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to children ages 6 months to 4 years old.

This was a day that Seattle Children’s staff has long worked toward, as Seattle Children’s doctors were also involved clinical trial research for COVID-19 vaccines for this age group. For children in the 6 months – 4-year-old age group, our COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial spots were highly sought after, with thousands of applicants for approximately 100 slots at Seattle Children’s.

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‘I Can’t Wait to Swim!’ | How a Kidney Transplant Changed the Possibilities for 4-Year-Old Stella

4-year-old Stella Allison underwent a kidney transplant in early 2022 at Seattle Children’s

“She has so much more energy and is eating so much more. She is also moving and walking more than she ever did.”

Four-year-old Stella Allison has always loved telling jokes and playing dress up.

With energy that is contagious and a smile that lights up a room, her mom Kyley Barthlow says Stella has grown into a high-spirited and chatty child – but was born a real fighter.

 

 

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“I’ll Have Scars, Too”: A Father-Son Bond More Than Skin Deep

A few weeks after Ryder Gordon’s first surgery at Seattle Children’s, Thomas Gordon went to the tattoo shop and got an exact replica of his son’s scar on his neck and chest.

When Ryder Gordon was 2 years old, he underwent his first surgery. It took 12 hours and saved his life.

Thomas Gordon and his wife, Magi, vividly remember the day they handed over their son to surgeons at Seattle Children’s.

“It was gut-wrenching,” said Magi. “You want more than anything to switch places with your child.”

Ryder was the couple’s first child and they never imagined being thrust into a world of comprehensive medical care. But there they were, among the bright lights of the surgical suites and the bustling halls of the hospital.

“Going through a medical journey really humbles you,” added Magi. “Being at Seattle Children’s brought us a sense of comfort. I felt like they cared about us, not just as patients, but as people.”

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Blessing the Seattle Children’s Story Pole

On June 1, 2022, Seattle Children’s opened the doors to our new Forest B building – the latest addition to the Seattle Children’s hospital campus.

When Seattle Children’s began planning for the Forest B building 10 years ago, we wanted to formally recognize that the hospital is located on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people through an art installation in the lobby. We sought out an artist with a deep understanding of the Pacific Northwest and a whimsical style that patients and families could connect with. We were lucky to find Shaun “Qwalsius” Peterson, who has been creating public art inspired by the Puyallup people’s heritage and the greater Pacific Northwest region for more than 20 years. Qwalsius designed, carved and erected a Story Pole in the Forest B lobby that will now be enjoyed by all the patients, families and workforce members who walk through our doors for decades to come. Read full post »


Meet the Seattle Children’s Nurse Who Helped Deliver More Than One Thousand Pounds of Medical Supplies to Ukraine

Jenna Engelsvold helped gather and personally deliver 23 suitcases full of medical supplies to the border of Ukraine in March.

“Helping other people is a really important part of my life.”

When Jenna Engelsvold first arrived at Seattle Children’s as a nursing student more than a decade ago, she knew this is where she wanted to be.

“I was walking down the hall and looking around and just felt this gut feeling that this was where I wanted to start my career. To this day, I have never regretted that decision,” she explained.

As Engelsvold’s passion for pediatrics grew while at Seattle Children’s, so did her career, starting as a nurse in 2011 and then joining the nurse practitioner team in 2018 after completing graduate school. In her current role, she cares for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery and helps enable parents to take care of their child once they leave the hospital.

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Seattle Children’s Research Institute Creating ‘On-ramp to Biotech’ for Early Career Scientists

Drs. Alison Williams and Eric Nealy are helping to build a program at Seattle Children’s Research Institute for early career scientists who have historically been excluded from or underrepresented in biotech.

Seattle Children’s Research Institute today announced the Invent at Seattle Children’s Postdoctoral Scholars Program, a $45 million investment in training early career scientists historically underrepresented in biotech in the development of therapeutics for childhood conditions. Seattle Children’s has pledged to raise an additional $10 million for the program.

“We want to create an on-ramp to the biotech sector for people who have traditionally not had that opportunity,” said Dr. Jim Olson, program director. Read full post »


Seattle Children’s Partners with Community to Turn Heartbreak into Action

Over the past eight years, Seattle Children’s has worked diligently across Washington to protect youth from firearm tragedies and improve safe firearm storage practices

Lara Sim, Seattle Children’s Director of Community Health and Isabell Sakamoto, Program Manager of Suicide and Injury Prevention at Children’s bring you this post as part of our Keeping Kids Healthy efforts.

Content warning: In support of trauma-informed communications, please be aware that this message contains topics that may be activating for survivors of gun violence and those who have been impacted by it. Support yourself and loved ones–emotional and crisis support services are available to anyone.

In recent days, communities across the country have been squarely reminded that gun violence is a public health crisis for our children and their families. As we sit at the intersection of these tragedies stemming from deep rooted issues like racism and gun violence, we not only mourn the victims but join in the grief unleashed by these tragedies; we share our condolences with all who have been impacted.

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Seattle Children’s Opens the New Front Door to the Hospital

 

Forest B is a critical addition to Seattle Children’s, given our region’s incredible historic and anticipated growth,” said Mandy Hansen, senior director of planning, design, and construction at Seattle Children’s. “The building gives our care teams the space they need to provide lifesaving and life-changing treatments, surgeries and procedures to even more patients in the coming years. The thoughtful design will also help us integrate more of our breakthrough research into the clinical care environment as we tirelessly work toward cures.”  

 With eight floors above ground, one below ground and three levels of underground parking, patients visiting the new building will experience: 

 

  • Eight new operating rooms (ORs) 
  • Two catheterization labs 
  • 20 additional inpatient rooms 
  • New outpatient clinical space for the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (CBDC) 
  • Outpatient infusion center 
  • Additional retail pharmacy and new inpatient pharmacy 
  • New laboratory space and new sterile processing space 

 

In addition to allowing Seattle Children’s to care for more patients, Forest B was also designed to support transformative, patient-centered care. For children and families, that means starting and ending their journey with ease so they can focus on the care and not the process; providing time and space to decompress and take a breath when they walk through the front door; and having access to the right amenities in the right locations without being overwhelmed with information. For providers and care teams, it means optimizing the work environment so they can focus on patient care and having dedicated amenities and respite spaces so they can step away and recharge.         Read full post »


Seattle Children’s Opens New “Forest B” Building

New “Forest B” Building Features More In-Patient and Operating Rooms, Cancer and Blood Disorders Care Facilities and more

On June 1st, Seattle Children’s opens the latest addition to the hospital campus — a building called “Forest B.”  Forest B is a project over 10 years in the making and will add an additional 310,000 square feet of space to the hospital campus.  

“Forest B is a critical addition to Seattle Children’s, given our region’s incredible historic and anticipated growth,” said Mandy Hansen, senior director of planning, design, and construction at Seattle Children’s. “The building gives our care teams the space they need to provide lifesaving and life-changing treatments, surgeries and procedures to even more patients in the coming years. The thoughtful design will also help us integrate more of our breakthrough research into the clinical care environment as we tirelessly work toward cures.”  Read full post »