Valerie Russell, PA-C is the first physician assistant at Akron Children’s Vision Center. Passionate about caring for children and providing exceptional care, Valerie is excited to further Akron Children’s mission by joining the ophthalmology team. The Vision Center, an Akron Children’s Center of Excellence, specializes in the comprehensive evaluation, coordinated care and cutting-edge treatment of […]
Patient Stories
From struggles to smiles, family finds care for clubfoot at Akron Children’s transformative
Ryker Heiss is a spirited 3-year-old who loves reading, building blocks and magnet tiles, playing outside and watching golf on TV with his Papa. His happy-go-lucky demeanor masks the medical journey that began before he was even born. When his mom, Katie, was 20 weeks pregnant, she learned he had bilateral clubfoot and an enlarged […]
Patients overcome severe burns with minimal scarring thanks to innovative treatment
Appearances can be deceiving. Fifteen-year-old Kane Selinsky appears to be a typical rising sophomore at Tusky Valley High School, where he plays football and baseball and enjoys fishing in his spare time. To see him now, you would never guess the harrowing experience he endured in June 2022. “I was in my backyard burning a […]
Akron Children’s staff help patients look and feel their best through culturally competent hair care
When a teen patient asked to have her hair braided by a patient care assistant, the simple request transformed into a larger effort to provide culturally competent hair care to all patients. The team on our 6th floor inpatient unit established a dedicated cabinet in the unit to store a wider variety of hair care […]
Lifelong trust: Local mom chooses her childhood pediatrician for her own kids’ care
For Nicole Bart, choosing a pediatrician for her three children was an easy decision. Dr. Sabrina Ben-Zion, who was Nicole’s pediatrician during her childhood and teenage years, was the natural choice. “My childhood was not ideal. I had a lot of mental and physical health problems because of childhood trauma, and Dr. Ben-Zion helped me […]
Akron Children’s Nurturing Families Program adds prenatal specialty program to help couples navigate pregnancy, delivery and new parenthood
Julia Price first heard that Akron Children’s Nurturing Families Program (NFP) offered a specialty program focused on the prenatal experience when she was pregnant with her first child. She decided to enroll in the specialized program to understand what to expect from pregnancy and parenthood. “I was 31 and nervous about what to expect,” said […]
