Mama Doc • Health & Medicine Blog • Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson

Women And Work

Women At Work In Digital Health

Although women now represent more than 50% of medical students in training, they lag greatly behind men in leadership roles, academic titles, wage earnings and ultimately,…

“My ultimate belief is that we can serve patients, and those who love them, at scale more compassionately with digital tools. I hold an enduring belief that elegant prevention translation can save lives and reduce suffering. We can leverage the wisdom of clinicians, patients, and researchers to innovate and transform health care delivery in the digital age.”

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson

Women At Work In Digital Health

Although women now represent more than 50% of medical students in training, they lag greatly behind men in leadership roles, academic titles, wage earnings and ultimately, […]

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drwendysueswanson

•Dr Wendy Sue Swanson•
Pediatrician, mom, author, digital health, innovation. Champion of science & evidence. Building solutions in PREVENTION.

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I had the opportunity of speaking at the @foodallergyfund summit today with @spoonfulone. So many smart people and all so passionate to understand better — and solve the problem — for children and adults w food allergies. So much focus on environmental influences, the microbiome, and the lack of funding. Amazing to see parents, patients, doctors, researchers, politicians, & reporters all working together to help solve food allergy issues and raise awareness. #foodallergies #parenting #foodallergyawareness

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Flu Shot FriYAY!! II recommend flu shots, and we get flu shots. My boys and I got flu shots at the pharmacy today. Easy, easy! We’ll decrease the likelihood of getting flu and spreading it. We’ll decrease the likelihood of dying from flu. We’ll protect ourselves and others including my mom (she’s high risk for many reasons but esp bc she’s over age 65) and my boys’ grandfather. We have immune-compromised people in our family and neighborhood.
Vaccines are amazing. I love working to prevent disease...protecting my family and those we love. ♥️ This is NOT an ad. I’m grateful to local pharmacies for making flu vaccination easy for our community. So I left the branded band-aid in place... Flu shot Friday! #flushotselfie

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1/2 hr webinar & live Q&A tomorrow for #pediatricians & #parents w Dr David Stukus @allergykidsdoc / the evidence for how and why to feed babies and toddlers common allergens early and often while they grow up. Parents have a chance to reduce risks of food allergies by early intro of diverse foods regularly... Let the babies eat! We review the science and new ways parents can start a variety of foods — including common allergens — early in life and set their children up for a lifetime of allergy-free eating. #foodallergy #meded #prevention #food

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Talk with teens abut risks of vaping. Risks are real and hard to predict, it seems.
Lots of recent news about the dangers of vaping. The CDC is reporting at least 193 people (including teens) have fallen seriously ill with lung damage and difficulty breathing. Cases do not appear to be infectious & the only thing linking these cases is that all patients reported using vaping products containing nicotine or THC. This has a lot of parents concerned (rightly so). I recommend having open conversations without judgment with your teens, and let them know that there are both acute and long-term effects — that there have been children who have been put in the hospital on breathing support because they were using these devices. More from an interview I did with NBC News linked in bio. #vaping #teenvaping #ecigs #parenting #teens #ecigarette #pediatrics

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Spent yesterday afternoon filming a webinar for pediatricians on food allergies with smartypants, Dr. David Stukus (@Allergykidsdoc). There is power and protection when you introduce your baby to foods early, often, and include diverse foods routinely, especially foods that are known and common allergens.
We’re working hard to de-medicalize feeding and encourage parents to feel comfortable feeding lots of diversity from the beginning of solid-food introduction!
We broke down some myths about early introduction and needing days in-between different foods. We reviewed and confirmed how break-through research from around the world shows it’s safe and important to introduce lots of foods early into a baby’s diet and that you have to keep that diversity around for years. Especially during the critical periods of immune development from infancy to kindergarten. Let the babies eat!Early = between 4-6 months of age.
Often = at least multiple times per week.
Diversity = lots of different types of foods including those most commonly associated with food allergies (peanut, milk, shellﬁsh (shrimp), tree nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts), egg, ﬁsh (cod and salmon), grains (oats and wheat), soy, and sesame.#foodallergies #foodallergy #foodallergyprotection #babyledweaning #babyfood #feedingbaby

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The weather is heating up and we’re often opening up windows to bring the summer breeze into our homes. No question children are curious and can often play near windows, allowing them to unexpectedly and easily fall through. A local hospital in Seattle reports that they see 40-50 cases every year where young kids fall out of open windows. I’ve seen many in practice. Terrifyingly tiny errors have led to tragic falls. Screens are NOT protective! Window falls are usually in the summertime. Keep furniture and cribs away from windows and always install window locks or guards for windows above the ground floor. I’ve cared for 2 children who fell from high windows while exploring out of their beds during nap time — these falls can happen when you LEAST expect it. More from a post I wrote back in 2015 linked in bio.
#parenting #pediatrics #windowfalls #safety #homesafety #prevention

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Food allergies have doubled, and tripled for some foods, during each of the last few decades. It’s left us with nearly 6 million children in the United States – about 1 in 12 or literally 2 children in every classroom – with a food allergy. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new recommendations that approves of parents introducing “purposeful feeding” of peanut-containing foods to babies 4-6 months old. The guidance maintains there is no convincing evidence that delaying allergenic foods prevents food allergies. As for my own advice to parents, I break it down into a three-part food allergy protection plan that centers on these feeding habits:1. Introduce solid foods with potential allergens early, starting at 4-6 months of age.2. Adopt a diverse diet as a family, including foods with potential allergens and lots of different foods every day. This can begin immediately when starting solids and baby’s immune system is growing up.3. Keep feeding these diverse foods regularly, every single week, to help the immune system maintain tolerance to those foods and support allergy protection.More information from a @SpoonfulOne interview featured on the TODAY Show linked in bio. I am the company’s Chief Medical Officer and am so proud to be a part of this team working tirelessly to help parents trust early and diverse food introduction.
#foodallergies #foodallergyawareness #foodallergyprevention #parenting #foodallergymom #foodallergy #pediatrics

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Mealtime is kind of precious. As my boys get older and more independent I know this more and more. Compartmentalization is obviously a huge challenge for all of us, if we admit it or not. But clearly we have to have limits in our days — mealtime is one place that can be a non-negotiable, device-free space. Meals are gold for families. Breakfast, lunch or dinner…whenever your family is able to come together to eat and connect…the devices gotta go. Sit down, eat some healthy food, and engage in conversation. I’m willing to bet you leave the table feeling more connected and happy. #family #familymeals #compartmentalization #devicefreedinner #bonding #parenting #screentime

WendySueSwanson MDFollow

Mom, pediatrician, author, medical news, Chief Med Officer @beforebrands. Technology, empathy, prevention. I was @seattlemamadoc on twitter from 2009-2019