Yung Lau, M.D. Named Chair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics and Children's of Alabama Physician in Chief

Children's of Alabama and UAB are excited to announce that, after a national search, Yung Lau, M.D., has been named Chair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics and Physician in Chief of Children's of Alabama, effective March 24, 2025.

Dr. Lau is a Professor and the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics, where he holds the Thomas N. Carruthers Endowed Chair in Cardiology. Dr. Lau has served as Interim Chair of Pediatrics since November 1, 2024. He stepped into this role prior to the December 2024 departure of Mitch Cohen, M.D., who served as the Chair of Pediatrics for 10 years.

Children's of Alabama 2024 Annual Report

Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgical Divisions are pleased to present the 2024 Annual Report.

It features our successes in patient safety and outcomes, our clinical advances, our research breakthroughs and the expertise and dedication of our staff members. The achievements described in this report have a positive, direct impact on children’s lives. We are proud of what we have accomplished and of the ways we have fulfilled our collective mission to deliver exceptional care for children with an unwavering focus on research, innovation, education and clinical care.

Visit the link below to view Children's of Alabama's 2024 Annual Report.

Read Annual Report

Children’s of Alabama Expands Inpatient Behavioral Health Services

Children’s of Alabama recently announced the expansion of its Inpatient Behavioral Health Services. The center opened 11 additional beds to help meet the community’s increasing need for child and adolescent mental health care.

The new 11-bed unit will focus on evidence-based dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), informed skills, and behavioral interventions primarily for patients 12 to 18 years of age. Patient and family involvement will be an important aspect of the program. The unit is designed to support the patient’s ability to implement and practice skills throughout their admission, with ongoing coaching from therapists, nurses, and support staff.

Children's of Alabama Endocrinology Team Recruiting Patients for Research Study

Children's of Alabama and UAB’s Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism is now recruiting patients for the DISCOVERY study, a multi-center research effort aimed at understanding why some children with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85^thpercentile develop type 2 diabetes while others do not.

They are specifically looking to enroll children and teens aged 9-14 with a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and a HbA1c level of 5.5% or higher. Participants will receive comprehensive health assessments, including regular HbA1c monitoring, and will be compensated for their involvement.

Below is a link for more information on how patient families can get involved.

More information

On May 2, Children's of Alabama is hosting a Mental Health Conference at the Bradley Lecture Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The conference focuses on collaborative problem solving with caregivers and kids.

Visit the link below for more information and to register to attend in-person or via Zoom.

Doctor's Day at Children's of Alabama

In celebration of National Doctor’s Day, Children's of Alabama and UAB Department of Pediatrics physicians were invited to a coffee-shop themed event on Thursday, March 20. The physicians enjoyed hot breakfast and Starbucks coffee, and also received a co-branded tumbler. We are so grateful for our physicians and their work for the patients and families we serve!

April 2025 ToxUpdate

Visit the link below to view the Alabama Poison Information Center's April 2025 newsletter.

APIC ToxUpdate

Nemours® KidsHealth® Available as a Resource to Share with Families

Children’s of Alabama partners with Nemours® KidsHealth® as a trustworthy resource to provide families with dependable information on hundreds of children’s health topics. The Children’s of Alabama (COA) KidsHealth® website offers doctor-reviewed advice on physical, emotional, and behavioral topics by providing easy-to-follow videos, articles, animations and print publications.

Medical professionals, parents, teens, and kids can find a range of content tailored to the health concerns, needs, and interests of a wide range of conditions and challenges. Visit the KidsHealth link to access information for thousands of topics to provide information to support our medical care, instructions, and education.

KidsHealth Link

Live Accredited Continuing Education Opportunities

Visit the link below for live Accredited Continuing Education opportunities,

updated weekly with registration links for Grand Rounds.

View Link

2023-2025 Directory of Pediatric Services

Children's of Alabama has recently updated its new Directory of Pediatric Services for 2023-2025! Click the photo to the right to access the digital version!

To request copies of the directory, please email Emily.Whitmire@childrensal.org.

Check Out the Latest PedsCast

The Children’s of Alabama PedsCast is a pediatric sub-specialist peer-to-peer podcast focused on research, innovative programs and advances in pediatric health care at Children’s of Alabama. Featured speakers include physicians, surgeons, clinical specialists and other experts in the field of pediatrics.

Click the link below to hear our PedsCast episodes.

Listen Here

Children's Epic EMR

Epic is now live at Children's of Alabama! This new electronic medical record (EMR) platform aims to help improve the care of our patients, their families experience and the day-to-day work operations of our employees and providers.

As we adjust to this transition, we want to ensure that referring offices are receiving all patient notes, discharge summaries and other information needed.

Please submit any issues you may be experiencing and we will work to resolve them as quickly as possible.