Posted on

Division Faculty Featured in EatingWell

Dr. Curtis

We are proud to share that Dr. Curtis, a member of our division’s faculty, was recently interviewed for an online feature published by EatingWell. The article, “What Happens to Your Blood Sugar When You Walk Every Day,” highlights the health impact of daily physical activity and draws on Dr. Curtis’s expert insight into blood sugar regulation and metabolic health. Dr. Curtis noted the many benefits of walking, including lower blood sugar, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower stress hormones. We are glad that Dr. Curtis contributed her expertise to this nationally visible article, which highlights her leadership in this important area of health and wellness. This feature not only reflects Dr. Curtis’s individual accomplishments, but also showcases the strength of scholarship and clinical knowledge within our division. You can view the article at this link.

Posted on

Great Nurses in Iowa – 2026

We are delighted to share that Amy Sheehan, BSN, RN, CDCES, has been honored as one of Iowa’s 100 Great Nurses. Our division is extraordinarily fortunate to have Amy leading our diabetes educator nursing team.

Amy brings leadership with heart—pairing deep clinical expertise with unwavering compassion for children living with diabetes. She is a steadfast advocate for patients and families, consistently going above and beyond to ensure they feel supported, informed, and empowered.

Her leadership is grounded in service, integrity, and genuine care. Amy guides our wonderful team of dedicated nurses through the complex and vital work of pediatric diabetes education, fostering an environment where excellence and empathy thrive.

Please join us in celebrating Amy for this well‑deserved recognition. Her impact on our patients, families, and team is immeasurable.

The list of 100 nurses can be found here: https://greatiowanurses.org/2026-great-iowa-nurses/ .

Posted on

Developing a New Pediatric Healthy Weight Clinic

Dr. Castaño

Obesity is a prevalent health risk, even among children and adolescents. Several faculty at the University of Iowa are working to help address this issue by creating a new pediatric healthy weight clinic. The faculty involved represent several areas of pediatrics, including endocrinology, gastroenterology, and general pediatrics. The goal is to create a multidisciplinary medical home for children and adolescents who have struggled to maintain a healthy weight. Together, the involved physicians crafted a vision and proposal for the clinic, which has now received startup funding by being selected as a High Impact Proposal in an internal competitive application process. The Pediatric Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes is proud to be represented in this endeavor by Dr. Gabo Castano who helped craft the proposal and will lend his obesity-care expertise to the project.

Posted on

Patient Choice Award Recipients – 2025

We are pleased to report that 5 of the pediatric endocrinology providers in our division have received Patient Choice Awards. These awards are given out by UI Health Care to recognize physicians for consistently providing patients with an excellent healthcare experience with ratings in the top 10% nationally. The recipient physicians were:

Dr. Pesce honored for 5 years of Patient Choice Awards. Here she is joined by her husband who also received a Patient Choice award.
  • Vanessa Curtis, MD
  • Katie Larson Ode, MD
  • Liuska Pesce, MD
  • Akhila Ramakrishna, MD
  • Julie Osterhaus, ARNP

Dr. Pesce was furthermore recognized for having received the award for 5 consecutive years.

The Choice Award was earned by only 276 outpatient providers across the entire institution. The Award recognizes those who scored in the top 10% nationally in response to patient surveys asking whether the physician showed concern for patient questions or worries, gave explanations about problem or condition, made efforts to include the patient in care decisions, discussed proposed treatments (options, risks, benefits, etc), and whether they would be likely to recommend the care provider to others. Our division is fortunate to have these Award winning physicians on our team. We thank each of them for their wonderful work.

Posted on

Balancing Confidentiality and Care: Dr. Kanner Helps Shape Guidelines

Dr. Kanner

We are proud to share that Dr. Kanner has helped author an important new publication in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (December 2025 issue). The manuscript, titled “NASPAG Clinical Consensus on Adolescent Pregnancy Testing: Balancing Confidentiality, Consent, and Disclosure” addresses a critical aspect of adolescent reproductive health care.

This consensus document, developed by members of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG), provides clinicians with a framework for counseling adolescent patients who present with a positive pregnancy test. It explores the legal, ethical, and clinical considerations involved in guiding patients through the testing process, including strategies for ordering tests, disclosing results, and managing care when a pregnancy is confirmed. The review emphasizes the importance of individualized, patient-centered approaches, mindful of varying clinical, institutional, and legal scenarios. The abstract for this publication is available on PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41371579/. This work represents a significant contribution to the important ongoing dialogues about adolescent health care. We thank Dr. Kanner for her efforts relating to this challenging topic.

Posted on

Drs. Castano & Palmer Pass Boards!

Dr. Palmer
Dr. Castaño

It takes years of training to become a pediatric endocrinologist, requiring at least a decade of studies after college. You could consider this to be the equivalent of completing the “26th grade”. The final step is to pass the Pediatric Endocrinology board exam. We are pleased to report that the two newest doctors in our Division have just passed their Board Exam. Congratulations to Dr. Castano and Dr. Palmer for becoming Board Certified Pediatric Endocrinologists. Their years of hard work and study have enabled them to become fully qualified to diagnose and treat pediatric endocrine conditions.

Posted on

Lifestyle Counseling for Adolescents by Physicians

Dr. Kanner

Lifestyle interventions can be a very powerful means to impact adolescent obesity. However lifestyle counseling of adolescence is notoriously difficult. Physicians are often poorly trained to meet this challenge. These discussions are fraught with some risk that insensitive approaches might trigger disordered eating and/or disturbed body image. To help physicians address these challenges, Dr. Lauren Kanner from our division is part of a team delivering a lecture entitled “Neither Feast nor Famine: Weight-Inclusive Approaches to Counseling Youth with Higher BMIs”. This lecture aims to provide physicians with strategies to effectively counsel adolescents to enact positive lifestyle changes. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Kanner in conjunction with Dr. Maya Kumar from Rady Children’s Hospital. The lecture is co-sponsored by Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) and the North American Society for Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG). The webinar will occur on October 8, 2025. See this link to sign up to view the webinar.

Posted on

Grand Rounds: Medical and Psychological Care for DSD

Dr. Akhila Ramakrishna

On September 19th, Dr. Ramakrishna from our division co-presented Pediatric Grand Rounds along with pediatric psychologist Dr. Laura Fuller. Their talk, entitled “Treating Patients with Differences of Sexual Development: The Intersection of Medicine and Psychology”, explored the complexities of the medical and psychological healthcare of Differences of Sexual Development (DSD).

DSDs encompass a group of conditions in which the typical processes of sexual development—anatomical, hormonal, functional, and reproductive—do not follow the usual male or female patterns. These variations may be apparent at birth or even prenatally, though some forms may not be diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood.

The primary goal of pediatric DSD care is to support the physical and emotional well-being of affected individuals during youth. During their presentation, Drs. Ramakrishna and Fuller provided an overview of the various types of DSDs and illustrated the unique medical and psychosocial needs of patients through case examples. They emphasized the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to care.

Drs. Ramakrishna and Fuller lead a multidisplinary DSD clinic that includes pediatric endocrinologists, pediatric urologists, clinical geneticists, and pediatric radiologists, with support from reproductive endocrinology and clinical pharmacy services.

We extend our sincere thanks to Drs. Ramakrishna and Fuller for their insightful presentation and for their leadership in delivering expert, compassionate DSD care through their multidisciplinary team.

Posted on

Investiture: Celebration of Dr. Tansey’s appointment to the Gary D. Hughes Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology

Dr. Tansey

In 2017, Gary D. Hughes established a philanthropic gift dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes and improving the lives of children with this disease. The gift has established the Gary D. Hughes Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology, which is held by Michael Tansey, MD. Dr. Tansey is an ideal recipient for the Professorship, as he has devoted his career to the advancement of type 1 diabetes care and treatment. Having published over 60 manuscripts, primarily focused on type 1 diabetes, Dr. Tansey has contributed to knowledge about continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and emerging treatments that can forestall the onset of type 1 diabetes. Today, the University honored Dr. Tansey and Gary D. Hughes for this partnership that has and will continue to benefit children with diabetes.

Dr. Tansey honored as the Gary D. Hughes Professorship in Pediatric Endocrinology
Posted on

New Podcast: Endocrine Disorders in Infants and Young Children

Dr. Kanner

We’re pleased to share that Dr. Kanner from our division was recently featured in a YouTube podcast hosted by pediatrician and author Dr. Carole Keim. In their 40-minute conversation, Dr. Kanner provides expert insights into a range of endocrine conditions that can affect infants and young children.

The discussion begins with congenital hypothyroidism, a serious but treatable condition that can be identified through routine newborn screening. Dr. Kanner then explores disorders related to growth abnormalities, including both insufficient and excessive growth patterns.

The conversation also covers the various forms of pediatric diabetes, highlighting key symptoms that caregivers should watch for. The episode concludes with practical advice on promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity habits in children to support long-term endocrine health.

We invite you to watch this informative and accessible interview here: the podcast on YouTube.

Thank you, Dr. Kanner, for sharing your expertise and helping to raise awareness about these important pediatric health issues.