Developing a healthy body image and sense of self in our children is so important. And as we round out the end of summer, you might be heading to the mall or other store to pick up some new clothes for your kids for this school year. So how can you keep that experience positive and constructive?
Ellen Rome, MD, MPH, currently serves as Head of the Center for Adolescent Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital. She is a board-certified pediatrician who was also among the first in the United States to be board-certified in Adolescent Medicine.
We talk today about eating disorders, social media, social standards and trends in fashion, as well as how parents can steer clear or talking weight in front of their kids.
Body Image & Back to School Clothes Shopping
Ellen Rome, MD, MPH
Ellen Rome, MD, MPH, currently serves as Head of the Center for Adolescent Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital. She is a board-certified pediatrician who was also among the first in the United States to be board-certified in Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Rome received her undergraduate degree in psychology, magna cum laude, from Yale University in 1984. She received her medical degree and was initiated into Alpha Omega Alpha in 1988 from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, then completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She next completed a three-year fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital, Boston, during which time she also obtained a Master's Degree in Public Health at the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Dr. Rome currently serves as a Professor of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case. She has held leadership positions in various organizations serving youth, including serving as president of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG) as well as its umbrella organization with over 6000 members, the International Federation for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (FIGIJ). She has served on the Committee on Adolescence for the AAP and currently serves on its Committee on Nutrition, has chaired the Subcommittee on Eating Disorders for the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM), has chaired the Public Health and the Media Committees as well as currently serves on the Medical Care Task Force for the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). She served as Associate Chief of Staff under Cleveland Clinic’s CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove. Subsequently, as president of the Women’s Professional Staff at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Rome helped create and implement a business plan to recruit, develop, and promote the best staff within that enterprise. Dr. Rome has been an integral part of public health efforts for Cleveland Clinic and its surrounding communities, particularly for programs targeting youth at risk, including the Lakewood Cares $25,000 grant that implemented programming for elementary school children to decrease pediatric obesity, increase academic achievement, and bullyproof all school age children. She currently serves as the Cleveland Clinic’s Chair of the Opioid Education and Prevention Committee and Opioid Task Force, as well as on its Infant Mortality Prevention Committee. She formerly served on the USTA Sport Science Committee and is on the board locally of Advantage Cleveland (formerly ICTC), teaching tennis, literacy, fitness, wellness and creativity to urban youth, as well as the board of Red Oak/Chincapin Camps, where she strives to help youth combat nature deficit disorder. She is the author of two books collaboratively with Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Mike Roizen, You: The Owner’s Manual for Teens, and You Raising Your Child from First Breath to First Grade. Dr. Rome’s research interests include eating disorders and obesity, reproductive health, and efforts that promote prevention/resiliency. She has been an invited speaker locally, nationally, and internationally on various topics in adolescent medicine, while maintaining a commitment to ongoing teaching of house staff and students in the local and surrounding areas.