Our experts created resources to help families enjoy themselves without worrying about gluten. Take a look at our cooking videos, classes, gluten-free diet guides and more.
Children’s National Hospital is helping to improve the way pediatric celiac disease is diagnosed and treated. Working in partnership with concerned members of our community, our Celiac Disease Program and Multidisciplinary Celiac Disease Clinic bring together a team of expert physicians, nurses, nutritional consultants and psychologists dedicated to developing a national model for detecting and treating celiac disease in children.
Our goal is to attack celiac disease aggressively through improved diagnosis, treatment and awareness, using a five-pronged approach featuring:
Learn more about our program.
We work with providers in the following programs at Children's National to provide the best care possible for your child:
Celiac disease is a genetic, autoimmune digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. About one in 100 people has celiac disease, making it one of the most common conditions in children.
People who have celiac disease are permanently intolerant to gluten, a protein found in all forms of wheat, rye and barley. When ingested by affected individuals, an autoimmune reaction causes inflammation and damage to the nutrient-absorbing villi in the small intestine. Children with celiac disease are also at increased risk of experiencing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and ADHD, as well as poorer quality of life.
If left unchecked, damage can occur in nearly every system in the body, such as:
Although the common belief is that gluten is found only in foods, the protein is used in many everyday products including:
For more information about the Celiac Disease Program, please email us.
Our gluten-free diet app is designed and maintained by the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National. It provides a cohesive set of high-quality educational materials to patients and families living with celiac disease or a gluten-related condition in order to help with living a safe, nutritious and tasty gluten-free lifestyle.
For more information on celiac disease, sign up to receive our Celiac Disease Digest, which provides helpful information for patients with the autoimmune disorder. This newsletter is published six times/year.
Because treatment for celiac is nutritional (a gluten-free diet), our program emphasizes patient education, and we offer a range of patient- and family-centered programs about living with and managing celiac disease.
A gluten-free diet shouldn’t mean less flavor. After years of experimenting with celiac-friendly meals and goodies, the Children’s National Hospital Celiac Disease Program has gathered a compilation of gluten-free recipes to share with your family and friends.
Looking to foster a gluten-free (GF) community of support? Join us on the first Wednesday of each month for our Virtual GF Parent Support Group! This is a safe space to discuss everything from the frustrations of ordering GF take-out to where to find the best GF donuts.
It has been more than 10 years since Maia first started to exhibit symptoms that would ultimately lead to her celiac disease diagnosis. Read her story.
Vahe Badalyan Director, Celiac Disease ProgramGastroenterologist
Lauren Pavone Registered Dietician
Shayna Coburn Psychologist
Lori Stern Nurse Practitioner
Kate Raber Program Coordinator