With the almost unlimited resources parents have at their disposal, finding health information is not hard.  Finding GOOD health information is harder than ever, and I am increasingly aware that internet content  demands the same critical eye that we must use to scrutinize nutrition labels and the side effects of a medicine.  My ‘go to’ site for information on kids health is the topic for this DrDownload blog.

“Who says?  Where’d you hear that?  Was the study double-blinded, placebo controlled and prospective?”  That’s where a good pediatrician comes in handy assuming she’s out on the Internet reading.  One of my cherished biophysics professors taught me that the difference between a good and a great doctor is one who reads, and although I did not do particularly well in his class, I do LOVE to read!

When I’m looking for information on a particular topic, I have found myself drawn to the work produced by the Nemours Foundation.  They have gathered an amazing body of health and wellness information on their site, KidsHealth.org.  It’s the kind of writing that both parents and kids want to read, and it’s well organized, user-friendly, and accurately detailed.  I learn something every time I’m there.  I have mentioned their site on numerous occasions to my colleagues at the AAP as an example of what our pediatrician-developed website should be.  It’s that good!

So to celebrate their billionth hit, they deserve recognition.  And it’s not just me who think so.  Watch ~

Here’s a video clip and a link to their amazing site.

And here’s my take:  I think the Nemours people are so successful on behalf of children because they love what they do.  They love making a difference educating and encouraging those of us who care for and about children.  I’ll bet that, even if you didn’t pay them to do what they do…they couldn’t stop!

So thank you, Dr. Neil Izenberg, founding pediatrician of KidsHealth.org, from the bottom of my heart.  I believe that we change the world by what we teach our children.  In all the good ways that knowledge and understanding change the child in each of us…you are a GameChanger.  Welcome to the team!