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Diabetes Camp Hertko Hollow 2026 – A Wonderful Summer Session

Dr. Palmer & Dr. Tansey

Diabetes Camps are a summer highlight for many kids who live with diabetes. Camp represents a chance to experience outdoor fun, make new friends who understand what it is like to have diabetes and learn more about diabetes self-care, all while under the watchful eye of diabetes-knowledgeable camp counselors and staff. Several of the staff in our Division help support Camp Hertko Hollow (click for link ), a diabetes camp in central Iowa with access to 400 acres of forest / outdoor recreation space. Dr. Palmer from our division serves to provide medical direction for the camp, and diabetes nurse Susan Huff has long volunteered to support the camp. This year’s camp occurred June 21-27. The Camp website (link above) also has details about Mini Camp and Family Camp opportunities, as well as next summer’s Camp and financial assistance. Sponsorship, donation, and volunteer opportunities also exist. We are grateful for the doctors and nurses from our Division who have volunteered their time in camp last week: Dr. Palmer, Dr. Tansey, Dr. Castaño, Dr. Baum, Dr. Radig, Dr. Gu, Alex LaCarte ARNP, Sue Huff RN, & Ashley Norris RN. Also, a special thanks to Drs. Ariel Roghair, Dr. Julie Lindower, and Kelly Hoenig PharmD from outside our division for helping out. Some of the physician and nurse volunteers from last week are pictured below.

Camp Hertko Hollow – Summer 2026 – some of the Medical Staff Volunteers
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Announcing New Pediatric Endocrine Fellow: Dr. Radig

Dr. Radig

Today we are thrilled to announce that Dr. Ashley Radig has joined our division as a new pediatric endocrine fellow. She will serve three years in this role, after which she will be a full-fledged, board-eligible pediatric endocrinologist. Dr. Radig received her Medical Doctorate degree from the University of Iowa having completed undergraduate studies at Central College where she was an athlete scholar. She just completed a three-year pediatric residency at the University of Iowa. She has a long standing interest in diabetes care and has volunteered multiple times at Diabetes Camp. In 2024, she was selected to join the PedsENDO Discovery Program administered by the Pediatric Endocrine Society. She has worked in various diabetes research programs for the past decade and has been working recently on methods to better deliver diabetes care to underserved populations. A warm welcome from all of us to Dr. Radig!!

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Adrenal Insufficiency after Pediatric ICU

Dr. Radig

Children admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) often receive glucocorticoid steroids as part of their treatment. While these medications can be highly effective in managing critical illness, prolonged use may lead to adrenal insufficiency—a dangerous but treatable condition in which the body cannot produce adequate levels of cortisol. To better understand the risks, researchers reviewed the medical records of 530 pediatric patients who received steroids during their PICU stay. Among these patients, 2.3% were diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency. The study identified several key risk factors including the following: younger age, higher cumulative dose of steroids and the use of steroids specifically for treating excess inflammation. These findings aim to improve the identification of pediatric patients at risk for adrenal insufficiency following critical illness. The study has been published in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. The lead author, Dr. Radig, will soon join our Division as a pediatric endocrinology fellow. Also contributing to the the research was Dr. Curtis, also from our Division. The abstract is available on PubMed at the following link.