Wherever we walked through old Quito we were swarmed by very young unsmiling children desperate to sell trinkets or to shine our shoes to get a little cash. These kids were sweet (mostly), unwashed, and very persistent. When we spotted the hardened young adult pressuring them to sell more, we understood their twin desperation of poverty and [...]

We just spent our first night in Ecuador,  where they say you find "La vida estada pura," or "Life at its purest."
We were welcomed with a glass of fresh tree tomato juice. Tree tomatos are a local fruit with a thin rind of mottled green-red. When you slice one in half with a knife, it [...]

According to a groundbreaking new study, preschoolers with gas appliances in their homes scored lower on cognitive tests and were more likely to have ADHD than their peers. Researchers visited the homes of 482 babies in the first twelve weeks of life to count gas appliances in the homes and to install a device to [...]

Every year wildfires are a danger to the lives and homes of many. But it doesn’t seem like a reality until you know someone personally who has been impacted directly. For several years we’ve been supporters of Vitamin Angels. Last year we became very close friends with Howard Schiffer, the founder and CEO of Vitamin [...]

A day to honor mother has been celebrated in different ways in different countries throughout history. In the United States we celebrate Mother’s Day each year on the second Sunday of May. But in my role as a pediatrician I see the important work you do each and every day of the year. I see [...]