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March 4, 2026 | news post

Dayton Children’s first seizure clinic receives national recognition

Pediatric patient having leads placed on her head by her nurse preparing for EEG test.

When children experience a first seizure, families often face long waits to see a specialist, delaying diagnosis and treatment during a critical period for brain development. Dayton Children’s Hospital identified this gap in care and responded with an innovative solution: a specialized First Seizure Clinic designed to provide rapid access to pediatric epilepsy expertise.

The clinic’s unique model was initiated in 2017 and has since received national recognition for its impact on access, quality and early intervention in pediatric seizure care. The information related to the First Seizure Clinic was shared by the American Epilepsy Society during its Annual Meeting in Atlanta, December 5 through 9, as a newsworthy abstract. The clinic has since received national attention for its innovative approach to early seizure evaluation and coordinated care.

Historically, children may wait weeks or even months after a first seizure to see a specialist. Through Dayton Children’s First Seizure Clinic, most children are now seen within one week of referral.

“We recognized that delays after a child’s first seizure were creating unnecessary risk and anxiety for families,” said Gogi Kumar, MD, chief of neurology at Dayton Children’s. “Our First Seizure Clinic is an innovative approach that allows us to act quickly, protect brain health and give families clear answers and a plan sooner.”

The First Seizure Clinic is a specialized outpatient model that rapidly evaluates children after a first seizure to determine the cause, assess the risk of recurrence and begin appropriate care.

Innovation is central to the clinic’s design. Every child receives an electroencephalogram, or EEG, during the initial visit, eliminating delays that often occur when testing is scheduled separately. When additional testing is needed, including long-term EEG monitoring or brain imaging, it is coordinated quickly. Social workers are also available at the first visit to help families address barriers to care, such as scheduling challenges, transportation or follow-up needs.

“For children with seizures, time truly matters,” Kumar said. “Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the risk of further seizures, injury and long-term developmental challenges. This clinic allows us to intervene earlier and support healthier outcomes for children.”

For more information about pediatric neurology and epilepsy services at Dayton Children’s here.

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November 14, 2025 | news post

Community celebrates opening of Vermillion Place, a first-of-its-kind housing community for kinship care families

A new chapter in community support began today in the Old North Dayton neighborhood. Partners, families and leaders gathered to celebrate the first phase of completion for Vermillion Place, a neighborhood designed to provide safe, affordable homes for families providing care for their extended family. 

“This initiative is more than housing,” says Jessica Salem, executive director of the Dayton Children’s Center for Community Health. 

“it’s about nurturing a sense of belonging and providing support for kinship families who give so much to the children in their care.” 

Dayton Children’s community health workers identified a growing need for stable housing among kinship families—grandparents, aunts, uncles and others stepping in to care for children when parents cannot.  Working together with more than a dozen local, state and national partners, Dayton Children’s provided the seed, and their support grew this idea into a fruitful project. It’s an innovative approach unlike any other model across the country to support kinship care families.  

honoring a servant leader 
The development along Alaska Street is named Vermillion Place, in honor of Don Vermillion, a long-time public servant of the Dayton region. Don served 30 years in local government as Miamisburg City Manager and then Montgomery County Administrator.   

When his chapter in public office ended, he didn’t step away—he stepped forward, guiding the next generation of public servants as a professor at the University of Dayton Fitz Center for Leadership in Community and Political Science Department. In this role, he trained hundreds of the next generation of servant leaders in his fundamental truth – good government begins with the people it serves. He shepherded them into Dayton’s neighborhoods, one by one, to discover the needs of its citizens. 

Old North Dayton held a special place in Don’s heart. This is where his wife grew up; they were married down the street at Holy Cross. Every Easter, you could find him there, happily rolling eggs on the lawn.  

“Don was my mentor at the county and a mentor of many of our community leaders today,” says Debbie Feldman, president and CEO for Dayton Children’s Hospital.

“this is exactly the type of endeavor he would have championed. I can think of no better way to honor his legacy than creating this namesake.” 

made possible through community partnerships  
This ambitious project has been made possible through the dedication, expertise and support of numerous partners, including: 

  • Dayton Children’s Hospital  
  • Ohio Housing Finance Agency (syndicated by Marble Cliff Capital)  
  • City of Dayton HOME and American Rescue Plan  
  • Montgomery County HOME  
  • First Financial Bank  
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development  
  • The Housing Development Loan (HDL) program   
  • Wallick Communities, property management  
  • ATA Beilharz Architects  
  • CityWide Community Development 
  • PNC Bank  

about Vermillion Place 

  • 26 homes between Alaska and Rita Streets  
  • Each has three bedrooms and two bathrooms 
  • A playground and community room  
  • Close to schools, parks, urban amenities and Dayton Children’s Hospital for easy access to resources 
  • Families gain links to education, food and social services, reducing isolation 

who can apply for kinship housing? 
Wallick Communities is the property manager and is responsible for all tenant selection, leasing and maintenance of the community. 

  • Priority will be given to kinship caregivers with legal custody of the children in their care, especially those who might have specific chronic health conditions. 
  • Applicants do not currently have to live in Montgomery County but must be willing to relocate. 
  • Housing is income-restricted; housing costs should not exceed 40% of household income. 

For more information or to apply, contact Wallick Communities (614) 980-4979. Learn more here. 

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care that goes above and beyond

Because every child deserves care that goes above and beyond, Dayton Children’s provides compassionate, expert care for kids of all ages. Find a provider, schedule an appointment, or learn more about conditions we treat today.

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September 26, 2025 | news post

Dayton Children’s partners with Abridge to enhance care conversations

One of the nation’s first pediatric hospitals to deploy Abridge’s AI-powered technology for clinical conversations


Dayton Children’s Hospital is teaming up with Abridge to bring advanced AI technology into the exam room—helping doctors and nurses spend less time on paperwork and more time focused on patients and families. As one of the first pediatric hospitals in the nation to use this innovative platform, Dayton Children’s is leading the way in making care conversations clearer, more personal and more connected.

Abridge’s ambient AI platform is designed to transform medical conversations into accurate, structured documentation during patient appointments. By integrating directly with the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) system, the platform enables providers to spend more time connecting with patients and less time managing documentation, improving both clinician experience and quality of care.

“The question for health systems is not really, ‘should we do ambient AI? – because ambient will very quickly be the expected functionality for providers,” said J.D. Whitlock, chief information officer at Dayton Children’s. “The question is, who is the best strategic partner for ambient? We chose Abridge because of the quality of the AI-generated notes, their depth of integration with EPIC, the hospital’s EHR system and their aggressive product roadmap.”

Abridge’s platform is distinguished by its Contextual Reasoning Engine  – an AI architecture that produces more clinically useful and billable notes at the point of care. It supports more than 50 specialties and over 28 languages, making it a versatile tool for diverse care environments, including outpatient clinics, emergency departments, and inpatient settings. Abridge is committed to patient privacy and has a robust policy outlining practices to ensure data is secure and patients are empowered with their medical information.      

“As every parent knows, pediatric clinicians face unique challenges when seeing patients, including fidgety and crying patients,” said Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO and Founder of Abridge and a practicing cardiologist in Pittsburgh. “That’s why we designed Abridge’s AI to understand the subtleties of pediatric care, enabling the heroes who heal our children to focus on caring for kids and their families.”

The integration of Abridge at Dayton Children’s comes at a time when health systems nationwide are searching for solutions to combat clinician burnout and improve care delivery efficiency. As one of the first pediatric hospitals with this technology, Dayton Children’s continues to lead in transforming the care experience for both providers and patients.

About Abridge
Abridge was founded in 2018 to power deeper understanding in healthcare. The enterprise-grade AI platform transforms medical conversations into clinically useful and billable documentation at the point of care, reducing administrative burden and clinician burnout while improving patient experience. With deep EHR integration, support for 28+ languages, and 50+ specialties, Abridge is used across a wide range of care settings, including outpatient, emergency department, and inpatient.

Abridge’s enterprise-grade AI platform is purpose-built for healthcare. Supported by Linked Evidence, Abridge is the only solution that maps AI-generated summaries to source data, helping clinicians quickly trust and verify the output. As a pioneer in generative AI for healthcare, Abridge is setting the industry standard for the responsible deployment of AI across health systems.

Abridge was recently awarded Best in KLAS for Ambient AI segment in addition to other accolades, including TIME Best Inventions of 2024, the 2024 Forbes AI 50 List, and Fortune’s 2024 AI 50 Innovators.

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care that goes above and beyond

Because every child deserves care that goes above and beyond, Dayton Children’s provides compassionate, expert care for kids of all ages. Find a provider, schedule an appointment, or learn more about conditions we treat today.

find a provider
schedule appointment
conditions we treat

June 19, 2025 | news post

Dayton teen receives life-changing gene therapy thanks to partnership between Dayton Children’s and Nationwide Children’s

A transformative new chapter is unfolding in sickle cell care for local families, thanks to the powerful collaboration between Dayton Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Seventeen-year-old Carlos A., a Dayton resident living with sickle cell disease (SCD), is now thriving at home—pain-free—after becoming one of the first patients in the nation to receive CASGEVY™, a cutting-edge gene therapy recently approved for clinical use. 

Carlos’ journey with sickle cell disease began at just one year old. For years, he endured severe pain crises, organ damage and frequent hospitalizations. But thanks to Nationwide Children’s and Dayton Children’s one program, two campus approach to bone marrow transplants, Carlos was able to receive this groundbreaking therapy with the support of both institutions every step of the way. 

“Thanks to the active collaboration between Nationwide Children’s and Dayton Children’s, Carlos’ care following discharge will continue closer to his home,” said Mukund Dole, MD, pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Dayton Children’s Hospital and program director of the West Central Ohio Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center in Dayton.

“It is truly wonderful to be able to work together in this way to nurture this kind of outcome for a patient with sickle cell disease.” 

Carlos’ 18-month journey to gene therapy included close coordination between his Dayton Children’s care team and specialists at Nationwide Children’s. He received monthly exchange transfusions, multiple rounds of stem cell mobilization, chemotherapy and finally, the CASGEVY infusion—a CRISPR-based therapy that reactivates the body’s ability to produce fetal hemoglobin. The result: red blood cells that can once again flow freely, without causing the painful blockages that define sickle cell disease. 

“Carlos has been through a very traumatic journey with his sickle cell disease, so when we presented this gene therapy option to his family, they were excited to pursue it,” said Hemalatha Rangarajan, MD, pediatric stem cell transplant physician at Nationwide Children’s. “The type of gene therapy Carlos has undergone resulted in a reawakening of the fetal hemoglobin, the hemoglobin that is present in utero. Now, Carlos is making his own fetal hemoglobin, which should not cause further sickle cell crisis.” 

While the infusion itself took less than an hour, the impact is lifelong. Carlos is now pain-free and optimistic about what lies ahead.  

“I want to enjoy life before I get to the grind. I want to go outside for longer, be in extreme temperatures for as long as I want, because my physical strength can be up for it,” said Carlos. “I wish that this had been available earlier in my life, and I hope that a lot more kids get access to this, not just me.” 

With recovery now underway, Carlos will continue his follow-up care at Dayton Children’s, thanks to the shared program’s integrated approach. This joint effort ensures seamless continuity of care, from gene therapy consultation through long-term monitoring and support. 

“We didn’t think people cared enough about sickle cell, because it only affects a certain demographic of Americans,” said Carlos’ grandmother, Crystal Sullivan. “Now, Carlos has his freedom. We can finally do whatever he wants—without fear of pain.” 

Nationwide Children’s became an authorized treatment center for CASGEVY™ in December 2023. The therapy, which uses CRISPR technology to edit a patient’s own stem cells, is the first of its kind and represents a promising leap forward in the search for a cure. 

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If you are interested in pursuing a story about Dayton Children’s please contact: Katie Solovey public relations manager 937-641-3666

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care that goes above and beyond

Because every child deserves care that goes above and beyond, Dayton Children’s provides compassionate, expert care for kids of all ages. Find a provider, schedule an appointment, or learn more about conditions we treat today.

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March 20, 2024 | news post

Dayton Children’s opens Simulation Center, including first ambulance simulator in Ohio hospital

Today, Dayton Children’s will open a simulation center inside the hospital’s main campus, which will include the only ambulance simulator of its kind in an Ohio hospital, and the only one in a pediatric hospital in the U.S. This is one of just 140 ambulance simulators in the nation. 

A medical simulation center is an essential training ground for health care professionals and the region’s only level 1 pediatric trauma center at Dayton Children’s is no exception. Dayton Children’s Simulation Center is designed to help medical staff become more confident in treating pediatric patients, including local EMTs and students in training or school.

“This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant milestone for our institution and an investment in the next generation of pediatric health care experts,” shares Adam Mezoff, MD, vice president and chief medical officer. “By providing an advanced and immersive training environment, we are fostering caregiver innovation and excellence that will impact the lives of our region’s children for years to come.”

7 reasons why the Simulation Center matters to staff, patients and families:

  1. Safe training environment: It provides a risk-free setting for practicing medical procedures without endangering patients as training is performed on mannequins.
  2. Skill refinement: Repeated practice hones clinical skills and boosts confidence in health care providers.
  3. Teamwork skills: It fosters collaboration among medical teams, improving communication and coordination during patient care.
  4. Error prevention: By simulating real-life scenarios, the simulator helps identify and prevent potential medical errors, enhancing patient safety.
  5. Consistent education: Ensures that all learners receive standardized training, maintaining quality and competency across the board.
  6. Innovation hub: Acts as a platform for testing and refining new medical techniques and procedures.
  7. Cost-efficiency: While it requires an initial investment, it ultimately saves money by reducing training costs and preventing costly medical errors in the long run.

Dayton Children’s ambulance simulator is one of just 140 in the nation. The ambulance is on a traction device that mimics being on a highway while providing care for critically ill or injured patients (mannequins) to simulate a real-life situation for training purposes.

In addition to the ambulance simulator, there are a variety of features included with the simulation center for training staff and community members. These spaces are also designed for hands-on training, which includes a trauma/intensive care unit room, inpatient room, clinic/family training room, control room, and two debriefing rooms.

additional spaces:

  • Trauma/Intensive Care Unit room: This space is specifically set up for practicing trauma scenarios and handling various situations encountered in Dayton Children’s emergency department and Intensive Care Units. Simulations are recorded for later review, helping clinicians to learn and enhance patient care.
  • Inpatient room:  This room is a duplicate of the hospital’s regular inpatient rooms from the patient tower for training purposes.
  • Control room: This is the central hub where all the action unfolds. From initiating recordings to controlling the breathing of the practice mannequin, the control room orchestrates the simulation scenarios.
  • Debrief room: In this room, groups and individuals will break down the scenarios and talk about what went right and what could have gone better. 

For community providers, local schools or others who may be interested in scheduling time at the Dayton Children’s Simulation Center, please contact the Center at 937-641-3086.

contact us

If you are interested in pursuing a story about Dayton Children’s please contact:

Katie Solovey
public relations manager
937-641-3666

email

related posts

 

 

care that goes above and beyond

Because every child deserves care that goes above and beyond, Dayton Children’s provides compassionate, expert care for kids of all ages. Find a provider, schedule an appointment, or learn more about conditions we treat today.

find a provider
schedule appointment
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April 16, 2021 | news post

Dayton Children’s first in the world to trial new gene therapy for Canavan disease

Last week, Dayton Children’s Hospital became the first in the world to use gene therapy in a child affected by Canavan Disease, a rare neurologic

disorder, implementing the first clinical application of a newly modified recombinant Adeno-Associated – Viral Vector (rAAV). The novel rAAV is customized to express a healthy gene in the myelin-producing cells to restore enzymatic function in the most needed cell compartment (white matter) and promote brain development.

Canavan disease is an inherited, fatal, neurological disease, characterized by the spongy degeneration of the white matter in the brain, which begins in infancy and destroys a child’s vision, speech and motor function. Currently, there is no cure for Canavan disease.

The clinical trial is led by Robert Lober, MD, PhD, Dayton Children’s Hospital, Paola Leone, PhD, CureRareDisease, LLC, and Christopher G. Janson, MD, Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Premier Health. At least sixteen families from around the world will travel to Dayton over the next two years to participate in the early phase I/II trial.

“For the last year in our hospital windows, we’ve featured ‘hope lives in Dayton,’ and that couldn’t be truer than it is today,” said Dr. Lober, pediatric neurosurgeon at Dayton Children’s. “This work is giving hope to so many families and will open the door for additional research at Dayton Children’s, allowing us to provide life-changing care for kids within our own community and around the world.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, infants with Canavan disease appear normal at birth and usually develop symptoms between two and six months of age. Initial symptoms typically include poor head control, an abnormally large head and severely diminished muscle tone, resulting in “floppiness.” Canavan disease is most frequently found in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Both parents must be carriers of the defective gene in order to have an affected child. When both parents are found to carry the Canavan gene mutation, there is a 25 percent chance that the child will be affected with Canavan disease. Most children with Canavan disease do not live past the age of 10. It is believed that there are between 750 and 1,000 children living with Canavan disease in the United States today.

This clinical trial is based on years of research by Dr. Leone and Dr. Janson and was able to move forward and gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration despite ongoing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the clinical trial will not be known for several years. The clinical team is actively recruiting patients for this study. For more information visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

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care that goes above and beyond

Because every child deserves care that goes above and beyond, Dayton Children’s provides compassionate, expert care for kids of all ages. Find a provider, schedule an appointment, or learn more about conditions we treat today.

find a provider
schedule appointment
conditions we treat