Bone Health Program

Lurie Children’s Bone Health Program is the only comprehensive, multidisciplinary pediatric bone health program in a free-standing children’s hospital in Illinois. Our Bone Health Program aims to provide high quality, comprehensive, compassionate, family-centered care to patients with bone disease using a multidisciplinary approach. We aim to serve children with a wide range of bone disorders, including healthy children with fractures, children with genetic and/or metabolic bone disease, and children with bone complications from another underlying disease or its treatment. Bone disorders such as multiple fractures and juvenile osteoporosis can harm a child’s healthy skeletal development, mobility, appearance, and self-esteem, and we recognize the importance of caring for these disorders early in a child’s life.

Our Bone Health Program treats children and adolescents with health issues related to the following:

Bone mineral density and bone mass
Bone fracture
Bone deformity
Bone strength
Bone formation and growth
Bone length differences
Bone pain

Our goal is to help children have the best possible skeletal growth and bone quality. This is especially important in the first two decades of life when bone growth and formation are rapid. Our patient outcomes include:

Increased bone mineral density leading to stronger bones
Reduced risk of bone fracture
Decreased inflammation and pain
Improved skeletal growth, posture and comfort
Increased activity and mobility
Improved quality of life and long-term health
Decreased risk for fragility fractures as an adult

Why Choose Lurie Children's Bone Health Program?

We treat the whole child — not just a bone in their arm or leg. Our approach is thorough, family-centered and team-oriented. Our specialists explore a variety of factors, including family history, medical history, medications, genetics, lifestyle, nutrition, mobility and fitness to identify and treat the cause of your child’s bone problems. Based on their needs, your child will have access to a skilled and coordinated team of doctors, nurses, therapists and technicians from many specialties.

Pediatric Bone Disorders & Conditions We Treat

Fibrous dysplasia
Fragility fractures
Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI)
Hereditary multiple osteochondromas
Hypercalcemia
Hyperparathyroidism
Hypocalcemia
Hypoparathyroidism
Hypophosphatasia
Hypophosphatemia
Low bone density
McCune-Albright syndrome
Metabolic bone disease
Multiple fractures
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Osteopetrosis
Osteoporosis
- Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis
- Corticosteroid induced osteoporosis
- Secondary osteoporosis (related to underlying health conditions such as cancer treatments, epilepsy treatments, cerebral palsy; neuromuscular disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy or Duchenne muscular dystrophy; inflammatory bowel disease or hyperthyroidism)
Pseudohypoparathyroidism
Rickets
- X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets
- Hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria
- Nutritional
- Vitamin D “resistant” rickets due to 1α hydroxylase deficiency

Related disorders include:

What to Expect

Our treatment begins with your child’s bone evaluation. Our team will help you through some or all of the following assessments at your visit:

Medical and family history review
Laboratory/blood work studies
Urinalysis and urine testing
Dual-energy bone scan (DXA scan)
Bone age measurement (x-ray)
Skeletal survey (several x-rays)

You should expect to meet with at least one member of the bone health team (physician or advanced practice provider). They will discuss the needed testing and results of the bone evaluation with you and present an individualized plan for your child’s treatment. Other team members that you may meet might include nurses, social workers or dieticians.

Our Pediatric Bone Health Specialists

Joseph A. Janicki, MD

Dr. Janicki is an attending physician in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He currently serves as the co-director of the Bone Health Program. He has a number of grant-funded bone health research initiatives.

Jennifer L. Miller, MD, CCD

Dr. Miller is an attending physician in the Division of Endocrinology and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She specializes in children’s bone health, seeing patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings, and working with a national Pediatric Bone Health Learning Network to improve the care and outcomes all children with bone health concerns or conditions. She is also a certified clinical densitometrist by the International Society of Clinical Densitometry (ISCD).

Carla V. Quijano, MD

Dr. Quijano is an Assistant Professor-of Radiology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, based at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. She has been in practice for over 10 years, currently serving as the section head of Nuclear Medicine in the department of Medical Imaging.

Jonathan D. Samet, MD

Dr. Samet is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, primarily based at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, serving as the section head of pediatric musculoskeletal radiology. He also works in the adult musculoskeletal radiology section at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He trained in Diagnostic Radiology at Northwestern University followed by subspecialization in musculoskeletal radiology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He studies nerve imaging with MRI neurography and ultrasound, bone/soft tissue tumors, and bone marrow composition.

Make an Appointment

First-Time Appointments:
Please call 1.800.543.7362 (1.800.KIDS DOC). Please know that your child or patient may be scheduled with Endocrinology, Nephrology or Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine based on the intake provided.

Return Visits:
For return visits with the Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine team, please call 312.227.4030. For return visits with the Endocrinology team, please call 312.227.6090.

Questions:
If you want to learn more about the program or have questions about a referral, please call 312.227.6190.