Healing Children

Product Description

Anyone who has seen a child recover from a deep wound or a broken bone knows that kids are made to heal. Their bodies are more resilient, more adaptive, and far more able to withstand acute stress than adults. And yet children are often treated as an afterthought by the medical establishment and shunted off to doctors who specialize in treating adults. Will an anesthesiologist accustomed to treating older patients know how best to handle a toddler going under for the first time? If your soccer-playing daughter suffers a concussion, should you take her to the nearest ER-or drive further to seek out doctors who specialize in treating kids? In this deeply inspiring memoir Dr. Kurt Newman draws from his long experience as a pediatric surgeon working at one of our nation's top children's hospitals to make the case that children are more than miniature adults. Through the story of his own career and deeply moving accounts of the brave kids he has treated over the years (and their equally brave and determined parents) he reveals the revolution that is taking place in pediatric medicine. When Dr. Newman decided to specialize in pediatrics in the 80s, the field was in its infancy, struggling for investment and esteem. Now, nearly 40 years later, pediatric medicine is in the midst of an exhilarating transformation, but few parents know how to find the best doctors or access the best care for their children. Far too many find themselves marooned, frustrated, and afraid. Doctor Newman wrote this book in part to help guide parents-not only of sick kids, but of all kids. A deeply human story with a spectacular cast of young heroes and heroines, Healing Children will convince you that we still have a lot to learn from our kids.Anyone who has seen a child recover from a deep wound or a broken bone knows that kids are made to heal. Their bodies are more resilient, more adaptive, and far more able to withstand acute stress than adults. And yet children are often treated as an afterthought by the medical establishment and shunted off to doctors who specialize in treating adults. Will an anesthesiologist accustomed to treating older patients know how best to handle a toddler going under for the first time? If your soccer-playing daughter suffers a concussion, should you take her to the nearest ER-or drive further to seek out doctors who specialize in treating kids? In this deeply inspiring memoir Dr. Kurt Newman draws from his long experience as a pediatric surgeon working at one of our nation's top children's hospitals to make the case that children are more than miniature adults. Through the story of his own career and deeply moving accounts of the brave kids he has treated over the years (and their equally brave and determined parents) he reveals the revolution that is taking place in pediatric medicine. When Dr. Newman decided to specialize in pediatrics in the 80s, the field was in its infancy, struggling for investment and esteem. Now, nearly 40 years later, pediatric medicine is in the midst of an exhilarating transformation, but few parents know how to find the best doctors or access the best care for their children. Far too many find themselves marooned, frustrated, and afraid. Doctor Newman wrote this book in part to help guide parents-not only of sick kids, but of all kids. A deeply human story with a spectacular cast of young heroes and heroines, Healing Children will convince you that we still have a lot to learn from our kids.
Kurt Newman, MD, is President and CEO of Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, widely recognized as one of the nation's best pediatric hospitals. Dr. Newman has been a surgeon at Children's National for over 30 years and is professor of surgery and pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine. He helped create the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, dedicated to making children's surgery less invasive and pain free. A strong advocate for the expansion of mental health access for kids, he is actively involved in improving pediatric health nationally through his work on the boards of the Children's Hospital Association and Safe Kids Worldwide. He and his wife Alison are the parents of two college age sons and live in Bethesda.