About Homework for Health
Homework for Health is a cholesterol teaching resource for healthcare providers, teachers, parents and kids. We take a complex topic and make it warm and engaging to educate, empower, and provide support for healthier futures. Our materials are truly for kids, by kids!
Why Homework for Health was Created
In 2013, I decided to open Mobile Health Team, my own private lipids clinic that focuses on kids and families. In my practice, I struggled with the lack of kid-friendly resources available to me to educate my patients. Most were adult materials that had the numbers changed to fit pediatric parameters, and were difficult for parents and kids to understand. I saw the need for more engaging and simplified cholesterol education. I knew that if they understood how cholesterol works in their bodies, they would feel more empowered to make good, healthy choices. This inspired me to start Homework for Health!
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Dr. Ann Liebeskind, MD
Owner & Founder of Homework for Health
​​​I started to develop my own resources to engage the kids during their office visit and make the topic of cholesterol more approachable. I also wanted to reinforce that most of the treatment of cholesterol problems doesn’t happen in the office, it happens at home. Homework For Health began to take shape. I bought the design for a “cute monster” who I thought resembled LDL cholesterol and named him Lippy. From there, I had the perfect focus group – my own children. I showed my oldest son (age 9 at the time), the picture of Lippy and the pictures of real cholesterol particles. He loves to draw and he sketched some cute characters that could represent the other particles, and he wrote a cartoon about the trouble cholesterol particles caused in a kid’s body when a child eats the wrong things. My youngest son was only 5 at the time, but had some great input into what he liked and didn’t like and became our editor.
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We then worked with an artist to make the drawings come to life. As I used the teaching tools, I saw kids, parents, and other providers had a wonderful reaction to them! I started to realize that others could use these resources, too, such as healthcare providers, teachers, anyone working with kids with cholesterol problems or questions. We took a complex, boring, and scary topic and made it warm and engaging.
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The chance to work with my children in a family-owned and family-created venture has been a joy and a blessing. My kids still create and review first drafts of every new item for Homework for Health and have lots of great ideas for a kid-friendly website. I can’t keep up with their ideas! And now, we’ve added input from their friends, kids in the community, and my patients. Homework For Health is developed for kids by kids!
Founding Supporters
Thank you to the Founding Supporters of Homework for Health! We are very grateful for your support.​
The Armstrong Family
Kitsap CrossFit
Jordan Leonard
Amy Moschell, MD and Family
Jesse and Julie Ostrom
Amy Pietsch
Paul, Kelly, and Rylie Post
Dr. John Shepherd and Dr. Jenifir Bruno
The Wasco Family