About

Adda Grimberg, M.D., FAAP, is a Professor of Pediatrics specializing in Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is an attending physician in the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the same hospital. Dr. Grimberg is a member of several research and clinical institutes, including the Abramson Cancer Center, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, and the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania. She serves as Scientific Director of the Diagnostic and Research Growth Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Her professional activities also include membership in the Anna T. Meadows Society and the Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty. Dr. Grimberg's research focuses on pediatric endocrinology, particularly growth hormone treatment, growth disorders, and related safety and efficacy studies. She has contributed to clinical guidelines and research publications in her field, emphasizing her role in advancing pediatric endocrine care and research.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Pediatrics
• Computer Science
• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Cardiology
• Genetics
• Bioinformatics
• Biology
• Gynecology

Selected publications

• Heightism, growth hormone treatment, and social functioning: a holistic approach to a persistent clinical challenge

  UNC Libraries · 2025-05-11

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Use of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment to increase height in children with non-growth hormone deficient short stature is becoming more common. Yet, the evidence to support the notion that augmenting height directly leads to increased well being, specifically psychosocial well being, is inconsistent, with high-quality evidence lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: Review of recent studies demonstrates that the association between height augmentation and psychosocial well being is complex. The direct contribution of height to well being may be less than the current model of clinical care of short stature assumes. Rather, the new studies provide evidence to support a role for psychosocial factors, including height-related beliefs, social support, and coping skills, in promoting psychosocial well being, specifically quality of life and self-esteem. SUMMARY: Clinical care of short stature would benefit from incorporating a holistic model of care that considers psychosocial interventions in addition to, or instead of, rhGH treatment.

  PublisherDOI

• A database study of the safety and effectiveness of daily growth hormone in treating more than 80,000 children with growth disorders worldwide: a plain language summary of publication

  Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2025-08-01

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Summary Researchers looked at data from the largest and longest-running database of children with growth disorders who were treated with daily injections of a brand of growth hormone called Genotropin . The researchers used these data to better understand the safety and effectiveness of daily growth hormone treatment. Researchers showed that daily growth hormone treatment: ○ Increased the children’s heights, measured after 1 year of treatment. This was seen for all of the growth disorders studied. ○ Increased growth in children of different ages, with higher growth seen in children who had begun treatment before they started puberty. ○ Allowed short children to reach an adult height within the normal range. This was true even for children who did not begin treatment until early adolescence. ○ Was safe. Only a very small percentage (3%) of children had any side effects related to growth hormone treatment, the most common of which was headaches. When children reach the end of puberty, their growth plates close and they are unable to grow any taller. Once this happens, growth hormone treatment cannot increase their growth further and treatment should be stopped. The purpose of this plain language summary is to help you to understand the findings from recent research. Somatropin is used to treat the conditions under study that are discussed in this summary. Approval varies by country; please check with your local healthcare provider for more details. The results of this study may differ from those of other studies. Health professionals should make treatment decisions based on all available evidence and not on the results of a single study.

  PublisherDOI

• Consensus and controversies about diagnosing GH deficiency: a Delphi survey by the GH research society

  Pituitary · 2025-05-07 · 6 citations

  reviewOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Correlates of youth involvement in decision making about growth hormone treatment.

  Families Systems & Health · 2025-04-07

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  INTRODUCTION: Youth decision-making involvement (DMI) regarding growth hormone (GH) may be beneficial. Identification of correlates of DMI may inform the development of strategies to encourage youth involvement and enhance self-efficacy. The goal of this study was to examine the associations of DMI regarding GH treatment with youth and parent characteristics. METHOD: Youth, aged 8-14 years (34% female), undergoing GH stimulation testing and a parent (94% mothers) completed surveys at the time of testing (Visit 1; 2019-2023); the Decision-Making Involvement Scale was completed 3 months later. Surveys collected demographics; decision-making involvement; youth coping skills, parent social support; parent autonomy support; parental perceived worry, scarcity, and instability regarding the child's current/future environments; and parents' achievement goals for their child. Correlations and multivariable linear regressions were used to identify factors significantly associated with Decision-Making Involvement Scale subscales. RESULTS: The analysis included 44 parents who indicated that a decision about GH was made and that they discussed the decision with the youth, as well as 30 youth who remembered having such a discussion. On multivariable modeling, youth who had more engaged coping skills and parents who perceived resources in the world as scarce reported higher youth DMI. Parents with older children, less worry about their children being out in the world, and less desire for the child to avoid activities that he/she might not do well in reported higher youth DMI. DISCUSSION: Parental worry and youth coping may be important targets of intervention when seeking to facilitate youth involvement in GH-related decision making. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Patient and Parent Characteristics Related to Quality of Life and Self-Esteem in Healthy Youth Undergoing Provocative Growth Hormone Testing

  UNC Libraries · 2025-02-05

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Diagnosis and treatment of growth hormone deficiency in children on the ketogenic diet: A case series

  Epilepsia Open · 2024-04-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The ketogenic diet (KD) can have a negative impact on the linear growth and body composition of children. The aims of this study were to review two centers' experience with children who developed height deceleration on the KD and determine if the height deceleration was secondary to growth hormone deficiency (GHD), and if growth hormone therapy (GHT) would be effective and safe (not altering ketosis or seizure frequency). Retrospective chart reviews were performed on patients with KD referred to Endocrinology between 2013 and 2018. Seventeen children were identified. Data reviewed included: demographics, growth velocity, KD ratio, protein/calorie intake, lab results, GH dosage, Tanner stage, and seizure frequency, and endocrine recommendations. Descriptive statistics were performed. Of the 17 children referred to the Endocrine Division, seven children were growth hormone deficient and began GHT. Data were provided for six patients (2 males, 4 females; age 2-7 years at the start of KD) on the KD for >6 years and on GHT for >4 years. Growth for all patients stabilized or increased. IGF-1 z-scores normalized. GHT did not affect seizure frequency or ketosis. GHT in those with GHD can be an appropriate option allowing better growth while still maintaining ketogenic therapy and seizure control. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: The KD can be an effective treatment for difficult-to-control epilepsy and some disorders of carbohydrate metabolism. The KD can adversely affect the linear growth (height) of children. This case series reviewed six patients who had slow linear growth. It was found that all six children had growth hormone deficiency, grew better with growth hormone treatments, and that their seizures and ketone levels were not affected.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Growth, Therapeutic Effectiveness, and Disparities in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: Lessons from Continuous Glucose Monitoring Use in Latin America

  The Journal of Pediatrics Clinical Practice · 2024-11-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Heightism, growth hormone treatment, and social functioning: a holistic approach to a persistent clinical challenge

  Current Opinion in Pediatrics · 2024-05-10 · 5 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Use of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment to increase height in children with non-growth hormone deficient short stature is becoming more common. Yet, the evidence to support the notion that augmenting height directly leads to increased well being, specifically psychosocial well being, is inconsistent, with high-quality evidence lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: Review of recent studies demonstrates that the association between height augmentation and psychosocial well being is complex. The direct contribution of height to well being may be less than the current model of clinical care of short stature assumes. Rather, the new studies provide evidence to support a role for psychosocial factors, including height-related beliefs, social support, and coping skills, in promoting psychosocial well being, specifically quality of life and self-esteem. SUMMARY: Clinical care of short stature would benefit from incorporating a holistic model of care that considers psychosocial interventions in addition to, or instead of, rhGH treatment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Patient and Parent Characteristics Related to Quality of Life and Self-Esteem in Healthy Youth Undergoing Provocative Growth Hormone Testing

  The Journal of Pediatrics · 2023-05-10 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Views on Short Stature of Female vs Male Endocrine Pediatric Patients Undergoing Provocative Growth Hormone Testing and Their Parents

  Endocrine Practice · 2023-04-22 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• A new paradigm of short stature: Incorporating parent and youth characteristics into understanding GH-related decision making and trajectories of quality of life and self-esteem

  NIH · $2.4M · 2019–2025

• NIH Grant K08DK064352

  NIH · $659k · 2008

• NIH Grant R01HD057037

  NIH · $2.1M · 2015

Frequent coauthors

• Colin P. Hawkes

  University College Cork

  68 shared

• Robert J. Ferry

  30 shared

• Charles A. Stanley

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  26 shared

• Joel N. Hirschhorn

  Harvard University

  24 shared

• Andrew Dauber

  22 shared

• Samantha Koo-McCoy

  Io Therapeutics (United States)

  22 shared

• Terri H. Lipman

  University of Pennsylvania

  21 shared

• Andrea Kelly

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  20 shared

Education

• B.S., Biology [Genetics and Development]

  Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

  1989

• M.D.

  Cornell University Medical College

  1993