Christina Echegaray Archive

March 20, 2026

Champ’s Cupboard expands reach, services after strong first year at Monroe Carell. Read the Impact Report.

In the program’s first year, the team distributed a frozen meal or box of nonperishable food items to 235 families in the hospital, with 98% of recipients saying the food was helpful.

By Christina Echegaray
Photo of the exterior of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt shows the four new floors added atop the pediatric facility. (photo by Anne Rayner)
March 9, 2026

Pediatric sedation program earns prestigious Center of Excellence designation

To earn the designation, hospitals go through a rigorous application and evaluation process, for which only about 50% of applicants successfully achieve the designation. In this latest cycle of applicants, Monroe Carell was one of only 10 hospitals awarded the distinction.

By Christina Echegaray
February 2, 2026

Pom-poms for a new era: Briceton Latta’s next cystic fibrosis chapter

When Briceton Latta was born in 2006, the average life expectancy of a patient with CF was 37. Today, that expectancy is 65 and beyond.

By Christina Echegaray
Traumatic brain injury patient Mark Ogorodnik. (photo by Donn Jones)
January 20, 2026

From tragedy to triumph: How a 6-year-old beat the odds after a devastating brain injury

A fall from a tree left Mark Ogorodnik fighting for his life. Thanks to faith, family and cutting-edge neurocritical care at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, his story became a testament to resilience and hope.

By Christina Echegaray
Larry Markham, MD
January 2, 2026

Larry Markham named director of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and co-director of the Pediatric Heart Institute

Markham succeeds Scott Baldwin, MD, who stepped down after leading the division for more than two decades.

By Christina Echegaray
Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, at the reception with a cake depicting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (photo by Susan Urmy)
December 22, 2025

Meg Rush and her storied career of caring for children celebrated

For Rush, the most meaningful part of her journey has been the people — the children, their families, and the faculty, staff and trainees with whom she has worked over the years. 

By Christina Echegaray