Free Pediatrics CME

Listening First: Shared Decisions That Build Trust in Pediatric Obesity Care is a CME activity designed to support pediatricians in delivering effective, evidence-based care to children and adolescents with obesity. Despite the growing prevalence and risks of pediatric obesity, many clinicians face barriers such as limited training, low confidence, and discomfort initiating sensitive conversations.

This activity provides practical guidance on guideline-recommended screening, culturally and developmentally appropriate communication strategies, and the development of individualized treatment plans. With a focus on shared decision-making and building trust with families, participants will gain the tools needed to improve patient engagement and outcomes in pediatric obesity care.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS) remains a leading cause of respiratory failure and morbidity among preterm infants worldwide, despite major advances in antenatal steroids, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and surfactant therapy. Contemporary guidelines emphasize early noninvasive respiratory support from birth, selective surfactant rescue once CPAP begins to fail, and structured, protocolized care across gestational age strata. Yet practice-pattern studies across high- and middle-income settings show wide variation in initial respiratory support, surfactant thresholds, and use of minimally invasive techniques, with extremely preterm and late preterm infants often receiving care that diverges from guideline-concordant pathways. These inconsistencies increase cumulative ventilator exposure and risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other complications, underscoring a persistent implementation gap between best evidence and routine NICU care.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Hemophilia is a genetic disease caused by mutation of one of the genes for coagulation proteins leading to dangerous, uncontrolled bleeding. In hemophilia B, a mutation in the gene for factor IX (FIX) leads to an endogenous deficiency in the clotting factor. The incidence of hemophilia B is the same across race and ethnic groups, affecting approximately 1 out of every 30,000 male births.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common monogenic blood disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide and approximately 100,000 Americans. Although it may be found in various areas of the world, SCD predominantly affects individuals of African or Hispanic heritage. It is caused by the inheritance of b-globin alleles that code for hemoglobin S, resulting in an amino acid substitution in hemoglobin’s b chain and clinical disease. Patients with SCD have impaired circulation, and lysis of the erythrocytes contributes to a chronic inflammatory response, causing severe pain and less efficient oxygen delivery. The hallmark clinical features of SCD are hemolytic anemia and painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which may lead to emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalization, and potentially fatal complications. In one US study, 45% of deaths among people with SCD were related to cardiopulmonary causes, and VOCs alone have been shown to increase the risk of death by 50%. SCD also imposes other significant health burdens on patients: it is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life, malnutrition, the development of mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, loss of work or school days, frequent antibiotic use leading to higher rates of antimicrobial resistance, acute chest syndrome, and stroke.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Since the discovery and development of vaccines, historical leaps have been made on public health, contributing to longevity and reduced burden of infectious diseases. Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Expanded Program on Immunization in 1974, 154 million deaths from smallpox, tuberculosis, measles, and other infectious diseases have been avoided, especially in children under the age of 5. Between 2000 to 2019, immunization has expanded its reach in infectious targets and helped prevent about 37 million deaths from 10 vaccine-preventable deaths. Despite vaccines being a cost-effective method for reducing severe consequences of infection and high-cost treatments, vaccination rates have been decreasing amongst the general public, failing to meet national and global goals. The cause is multi-factorial and complex, requiring understanding in human behavior, internal biases, and external circumstances to explore how an individual navigates the process of deciding whether or not to be vaccinated.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an ultra-rare genetic connective tissue disorder characterized by dysregulated chondrogenesis, with heterotopic ossification (HO) being the most typical feature. The global prevalence of FOP is estimated at 1.43 per million individuals, with a U.S. prevalence of 0.88 per million. FOP develops due to a mutation in the ACVR1 gene encoding the active receptor-like kinase (ALK2), with unique presenting symptoms including great toe malformations and the development of swelling in several areas of the body within the first decade of life.

In this online, self-learning activity:

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an inflammatory kidney disease with IgA deposition in the glomerular mesangium. IgAN is the most prevalent primary chronic glomerular disease worldwide. Globally, IgAN has an estimated incidence of 25 cases per one million people annually. It is more common in children and young adults than in the elderly. Among patients of all ages, the average annual prevalence of IgAN in the United States is 329 per 1 million. The epidemiology and gender distribution of IgAN vary by country and region. In North America and Europe, the prevalence is higher in men.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: nephrologists, internists, and pediatricians; physician associates, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in those areas of specialty; and those who otherwise care for or clinically encounter patients with IgAN.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Alpha-mannosidosis (AM) is a rare recessive lysosomal storage disorder characterized by immune deficiency, facial and skeletal abnormalities, hearing impairment, and intellectual disability. It is caused by mutations in the MAN2B1 gene, leading to deficiency in alpha-mannosidase, a lysosomal enzyme involved in the oligosaccharide degradation pathway. While the exact prevalence of AM in the US is unknown, it has an estimated incidence of 1 in 500,000 live births worldwide. Laboratory indicators of AM often appear shortly after birth, followed by progression of clinical manifestations. While symptoms of AM vary considerably in individual presentations, three clinical subtypes have been identified (mild, moderate, and severe) and are used to guide disease prognosis and management. The current diagnostic algorithm for AM focuses on measuring alpha-mannosidase activity in leukocytes using colorimetry or fluorimetry. An alpha-mannosidase activity level of under 5% suggests AM, and a diagnosis is then confirmed with genetic sequencing.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thymidine kinase 2 deficiency (TK2D) is an ultrarare mitochondrial disease caused by recessive mutations in the TK2 gene and manifesting as a form of mitochondrial DNA depletion/deletion syndrome (MDDS) and mitochondrial myopathy. Under normal conditions, the TK2 gene encodes for the thymidine kinase enzyme present in the mitochondria, which is responsible for the phosphorylating of pyrimidine nucleosides, deoxythymidine, and deoxycytidine. These are the first steps in mitochondrial DNA synthesis, and researchers speculate that TK2 mutations affect muscle tissue because its higher energy demands make it most susceptible to mitochondrial impairment. Mutational analyses of patients with MDDS have found that approximately 15% have TK2 mutations, which may be extrapolated to about 600 to 2,700 individuals in the US.

Target Audience:

HCPs including but not limited to: neurologists, pediatric neurologists, pediatricians, primary care providers, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, and medical geneticists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and nurses who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with TK2D.

In this online, self-learning activity:

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a rare form of early-onset epilepsy syndrome affecting between 1:16,000 and 1:46,000 and is associated with pleomorphic seizure activity, cognitive decline, motor, and behavior abnormalities. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is the cause of death in nearly half of the deaths in patients with DS, with the mean age of death 8.7 years old and 73% of deaths occurring before age 10. Seizures typically begin in the first year of age, with most occurring between months 5 and 8, and it is usually a prolonged, tonic-clonic (accounting for 52% of first seizures) or hemiclonic (35%) seizure. Environmental triggers or events, such as fever, acute stress, and physical exercise may precipitate seizures, and at least 85% of those who are clinically diagnosed with DS have variations in the SCN1A gene. Unfortunately, diagnosis is not uncommonly delayed until a patient 3 years of age or older, prior to which antiseizure medication selection may be suboptimal or ineffective, which may lead to seizure exacerbation, an increased risk of status epilepticus, and worse cognitive outcomes.