Unplanned separation from parents is among the most damaging events a young child can experience, according to trauma research. A Stanford expert explains how it can hurt kids’ development.

A key hormone receptor evolved quickly as or early humans migrated from Africa, producing localized gene changes that may affect modern women’s risk of preterm birth, according to a Stanford-led study.

Measuring RNA fragments in a pregnant woman’s blood gives a reliable estimate of the baby’s due date and can predict if the baby will arrive prematurely, a Stanford-led team has shown.

The scholars said that their study contributes to the research documenting a causal link between fetal stress exposure and mental health later in life.

In the fluid around the brain, low levels of a hormone called vasopressin are linked to low social ability in monkeys and to autism in children, Stanford scientists have found.

Reward centers in the brains of children and teenagers who are obese and depressed show abnormalities that suggest the two conditions are neurologically connected, Stanford researchers have found.

A robotic assistant helped doctors detect seizures deep in Gracin Hahne’s brain without having to open her skull or even shave her head.

The new hospital’s south pavilion will be named in honor of Bay Area philanthropists Tad and Dianne Taube.

Christopher Dawes, who oversaw the development of Stanford Medicine’s pediatric health network and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, announced his retirement on March 20.

Analyzing individual cancer cells has enabled Stanford researchers to identify the small population of cells that spur relapse in some children with leukemia.