After 37 years, Tina Bair is closing the chapter on a remarkable career at Akron Children’s. Tina’s path to nursing was sparked by childhood inspiration and nurtured by career opportunities. And she’s closing it out with one of nursing’s highest honors, being named Akron Children’s 2025 Magnet Nurse of the Year. “My interest in nursing […]
Archives for 2025
What parents need to know about newborn hearing loss
Hearing loss is the most common sensory problem in newborns. If you’re pregnant, you can take steps to lower the chances of your baby being born with hearing loss. If your newborn has hearing loss, it’s important to get help right away. Newborn hearing tests “Newborn hearing loss is very common, affecting 2-4% of all […]
Kimberly Firestone receives Ohio Society for Respiratory Care’s Neonatal/Pediatric Practitioner of the Year award
Congratulations to Kimberly Firestone, MSc, RRT, FAARC, FNAP, director of respiratory care and clinical outreach services at Akron Children’s, for receiving Ohio Society for Respiratory Care’s Neonatal/Pediatric Practitioner of the Year award. This annual award is presented at the statewide meeting to a practitioner who has exemplified leadership, mentorship, clinical expertise, team building and professionalism […]
Six tips to balance school and sports
Anyone with young athletes at home knows how quickly daily schedules fill up. To help kids balance school, sports and fun, Allyson Weldon, PhD, sports psychologist at Akron Children’s suggests teaching kids time management early so they are better at it as they grow. “Time management is a hard skill for many people to learn, […]
Nurse practitioner organizes teddy bear clinic for kids with Down syndrome
Two organizations are near and dear to Emergency Room (ER) Nurse Practitioner Carrie Litten’s heart: Akron Children’s and GiGi’s Playhouse. She recently brought those organizations together by coordinating a hands-on learning experience. Carrie’s event was the first teddy bear clinic for school-aged kids with Down syndrome at GiGi’s Playhouse in Cleveland. GiGi’s Playhouse is a […]
Devika Walia, only surviving sibling of micropreemie triplets, gives back to NICU families
It may seem surprising to some that Devika Walia, the only surviving sibling of triplets, has such strong feelings of gratitude and connection to Akron Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She has taken something sad, the loss of her brother and sister, and has chosen to focus on the positive – that she herself […]
