It is vital that health care professionals managing patients with growth disorders are knowledgeable of the emerging advances in treatments for these conditions, most notably growth hormone therapy. This monograph will review the molecular mechanism of growth hormone signaling, its multiple sites of action, and the complex pathways by which this peptide hormone is regulated. The genetic defects that result in growth hormone deficiency will be presented, as well as the pathophysiology of this disorder. Criteria for the diagnosis of short stature and the management of growth hormone deficiency with growth hormone therapy will be evaluated.