UGA Miracle raises more than $1.4 million for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. UGA Miracle's 13.5-hour Dance Marathon brought together more than 2,000 students, faculty, staff and community members for a shared mission of fundraising and celebration. (Photo by UGA Miracle) Over 2,000 people gathered in Stegeman Coliseum for the 31st annual Dance Marathon. On Saturday, March 28, UGA Miracle announced it raised $1,402,031.26 for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at its 31st annual Dance Marathon. More than 2,000 students, faculty, staff and community members gathered in Stegeman Coliseum to celebrate one of the University of Georgia's largest student-run organizations and its continued commitment to children's health. The event marked a 13.5-hour marathon of dancing, fundraising and celebration, bringing together the Athens community in support of a shared mission. Participants engaged in activities throughout the day, including silent discos, live music, morale group games and time spent with Miracle Families. "Dance Marathon brings together over 1,000 members of the Athens community in support of one mission: changing kids' health," said Halle Bryan, Dance Marathon events chair. "The people in this organization are some of the most genuine and intentional I have met, and their passion is truly reflected throughout this event. Getting to know our Miracle Families makes the impact even more meaningful and reminds us why we do what we do." The marathon began at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with the total fundraising reveal taking place at midnight. The morning kicked off with an opening ceremony, dance performances and remarks from UGA President Jere W. Morehead. Throughout the day, attendees participated in four themed hours titled "Gameday," "Surf & Turf," "It's a Marathon Not a Sprint" and "Magic Hour." The night culminated with a final fundraising effort called "Circle of Hope," where participants removed hospital bands worn during the event to honor children who spend time in the hospital. UGA Miracle's mission centers on supporting patients and families at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, often referred to as "Miracle Families." These families play a central role in the organization, attending events and sharing their stories with students to highlight the real-life impact of fundraising efforts. "UGA Miracle has been such a gift to me and so many others, bringing people together and creating an incredible sense of community on campus," said Helen Arline, program director. "Dance Marathon is 13.5 unforgettable hours of music, dancing, family stories and celebration - a powerful way to close out the year, unite our campus in support of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and celebrate the impact we've made and the lives we continue to touch." Students fundraised throughout the year through initiatives such as campus-wide challenges and organizational partnerships. During Greek Week and Presidents' Day this year, Miracle raised more than $200,000. For many participants, the experience goes beyond fundraising. "UGA Miracle's Dance Marathon is the event of the year for me and so many others," shared Virginia Miller, UGA Miracle finance director. "Being in a room full of people for 13 hours who share the same passion of helping others is so inspiring. It shows that college-aged people can come together and make a big difference." As the final total was revealed, the crowd celebrated the culmination of a year of dedication, highlighting the lasting impact UGA Miracle continues to make for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the families it serves.

Feeding Matters and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta launch first national Center for Feeding Ethics. March 10, 2026 As trauma-informed care becomes a guiding principle across healthcare, pediatric feeding disorder treatment is undergoing a long-overdue ethical reexamination. In response, Feeding Matters, in collaboration with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, has launched the Center for Feeding Ethics, a first-of-its-kind national initiative dedicated to ethical exploration and standards in feeding disorders and differences such as pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) care. The Center for Feeding Ethics was born from the growing calls within the field to acknowledge historical harms and integrate lived experience into research, training, and care models. Most recently, national consensus efforts and patient- and family-centered research groups have emphasized the need for recognizing trauma history and embedding these lessons into future best practices. The Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is one of the few programs in the country to offer empirically supported treatment for children 8 months to 21 years old who have PFD and/or ARFID. Feeding Matters is the global system change leader for advancing the field of feeding disorders. Together, they are well positioned to bring the clinical, lived experience, and system change expertise to usher in a new era of feeding support for children and families. "Healthcare is evolving to recognize that how we treat matters just as much as what we treat," said William Sharp, Ph.D. who is the director of Children's Multidisciplinary Feeding Program and is leading the clinical/research partnership of the Center for Feeding Ethics. "As feeding disorder research expands, ethical responsibility must expand with it. The Center for Feeding Ethics exists to help children receive care that is safe, effective and compassionate." The need for ethical guidance is urgent. Up to 1 in 23 children under age 5 have a diagnosis of PFD and up to 1 in 6 individuals are affected by ARFID, meaning there is at least 1 child in every classroom with a feeding disorder. Despite this prevalence: * There is no specialized, standardized education pathway for providers who serve PFD or ARFID. * Many providers across the country report feeling unprepared and ill-equipped to assess and manage the needs of these children and families. * In many regions, families seeking specialized feeding treatment, including treatment at intensive multidisciplinary feeding programs, often have to wait 12 months or longer for care. * No unified, cross-disciplinary ethical guidelines currently exist for PFD and ARFID assessment and treatment. The Center was formally introduced during the International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference last week, where clinicians, researchers, and families gathered to address the future of feeding care. The Center will serve as a national home for: * Inquiry into ethical challenges in feeding care * Consensus-building across disciplines and the feeding and eating disorder fields * Systematic evaluation of benefits and limitations of care pathways * Development of ethical treatment guidelines * Elevation of patient and family voice, lived experience, and expertise * Promoting compassionate, inclusive language "The science is evolving, and so must our standards," said Jaclyn Pederson, Feeding Matters CEO. "Acknowledging the past and working together allows us to build a more ethical future for children and families." The Center will actively listen to clinicians and lived experience experts in 2026 to begin developing foundational ethical principles and publish its findings. Additional working groups and educational resources will follow. As trauma-informed models gain momentum across pediatric and mental health care, the Center for Feeding Ethics positions feeding disorders and differences as the next frontier in ethical, patient and family-centered healthcare.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta CEO Donna Hyland announces retirement. Friday, March 6th, 2026 Children's Healthcare of Atlanta today announced Donna Hyland, Chief Executive Officer, will retire this year. The trailblazing healthcare visionary will be succeeded by Patrick Frias, M.D., currently Co-President and CEO of Rady Children's Health in Southern California. Frias returns to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where he previously served for 18 years as a cardiologist, Chief Physician Officer, and Chief Operating Officer. Hyland joined Children's in 1986 and has led the organization as CEO since 2008, guiding the healthcare system into national prominence through remarkable achievements, growing patient volumes to 1.2 million a year and serving more than 3,000 patients daily. "Over four decades, Donna's visionary leadership has transformed pediatric healthcare across Georgia," said Paul Brown, Children's Board of Trustees Chair. "Her unwavering pursuit of excellence has strengthened this vital organization and fueled its ability to grow, innovate, and serve countless children and families, creating lasting impact where it matters most." Significant accomplishments under Hyland's tenure include the merger of Scottish Rite and Egleston to form Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; welcoming Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital under Children's operations; bringing the Marcus Autism Center into the Children's System to advance care and research for children with autism; and most recently developing the North Druid Hills campus and opening the Arthur M. Blank Hospital. "I am so lucky to have joined a small children's hospital 40 years ago and to have been given the opportunity to help grow this powerful mission," said Hyland. "Every role that I have held, every challenge faced, every milestone reached has been grounded in our team's shared commitment to do our best for the children and families we serve. There is nothing more rewarding than meeting a family that experiences the life-changing impact of our work." Under her leadership, cancer survival rates at Children's improved from roughly 60% when she began her journey to more than 85% today, with some cancers now seeing survival rates above 90%. Other significant lifesaving initiatives during Hyland's tenure include building the largest sickle cell disease program in the country, which is improving life expectancy and quality-of-life for kids with this challenging disease and curing them through cord blood transplants, BMT and cell therapy. Children's 460 heart transplants in program history put Children's among the top in the nation in that specialty. "On behalf of the board of trustees, physicians, nurses, staff and, most importantly, the millions of patients and families positively impacted by her work, we are deeply grateful for Donna's dedicated service to the mission and for her vision which has fueled Children's extraordinary growth; expanding hope, possibility, and healing for generations of children," said Brown. Hyland was also the architect of formalizing the academic relationship between Children's and Emory School of Medicine, helping the collaboration between the two organizations rise in national ranking from 49th in 2004 to the top five nationally for pediatric NIH research dollars for ten consecutive years. This work has led to results such as pioneering treatments for Cystic Fibrosis that are extending the life expectancy of children from 18 years old in the past to 50 years old today and is also supporting a path to curing peanut allergies for kids. Training programs made possible by the academic relationship have also produced nearly 800 residents and fellows, more than half of whom practice in Georgia. Frias brings to Children's not only his deep experience as a clinician, and as a senior executive leading through significant growth and change, but also as a "people first" leader. Frias will assume the CEO role in the coming months, partnering with Hyland to ensure a smooth transition. "Dr. Patrick Frias is the clear choice to lead Children's into the future. He is a highly experienced leader with a clear strategic vision who is passionate about people," said Brown. "With Dr. Frias at the helm, we are poised to continue accelerating transformation and redefine what's possible in pediatric healthcare in Georgia and beyond."