February 2, 2015
Bench and Bedside is a digest of the previous month’s stories about the clinical and academic activities of our physicians and scientists. We welcome your submissions and feedback.
January 27
Renal Center reaches milestone in delivery of high-volume patient care
In January, Texas Children’s Renal Center delivered more than 100 acute therapies in less than 10 days – a remarkable milestone that demonstrates the value of teamwork and our hospital’s commitment to putting patients’ needs first.
“This is an incredible accomplishment,” said Texas Children’s Chief of Renal Services Dr. Michael Braun. “As the demand for our services continues to grow, so has our collaborative spirit to ensure critically ill patients receive efficient, high quality care every time they walk through our doors.” Read more
January 21
Leung advances research and care for cystic fibrosis patients
Dr. Daniel Leung, medical director of the Viral Hepatitis Clinic at Texas Children’s, has devoted much of his research to improving the outcomes of children with cystic fibrosis and cystic fibrosis-associated liver diseases. To accelerate CF research and patient care at Texas Children’s, Leung received a $100,000 Developing Innovative Gastroenterology Specialty Training (DIGEST) grant last spring from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This three-year grant is awarded to physicians across the country who demonstrate promise in changing the field of gastrointestinal care and research for CF patients. Read more
January 20
Call-to-action: Encourage your patients to sign up for MyChart
MyChart, the online patient portal that allows patients or their parents to access health information from Epic, recently underwent significant changes. The increased use of MyChart by Texas Children’s patient families will help providers stay connected to their patients, improve patient care and save time. Here’s how:
- MyChart is an effective tool for patient engagement, leading to better outcomes. The more patient families are involved in their care, the better their outcomes.
- MyChart allows easy login – whether on a computer or a smart phone – so patient families can see their health information and review comments from their physicians.
- MyChart enhances how physicians communicate directly with their patients by allowing conversations to occur online and at times that are convenient for the physician and the patient. This direct communication helps patient families feel connected to their care providers.
- MyChart improves the patient experience by allowing easier access to their health information, such as after-visit summaries, immunization histories and more.
- MyChart promotes efficiency by decreasing the need for printing, mailing and faxing patient information.
- Read more or Watch the video
January 20
Positioning team designs, builds swing to help conjoined twins sit up
Taking care of conjoined twins, Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata, is hard, even for the highly-trained medical staff charged with looking after the two 9-month-old girls. Diaper changes, baths, feedings, even moving the girls from one place to the other takes a lot of effort, thought and hands. So, when the team of surgeons assigned to the twins asked the girls’ primary nurses and physical therapist to figure out a way to help the twins sit up, Frank McCormick, Jennifer Pitlik and Jennifer McGinnis were stumped. Read more or Watch the video
January 20
2014 a record-breaking year for pediatric residency applicants
About 350 applicants visit the hospital campus between November and January. These students are hopeful they will be part of the elite group of 43 accepted to the highly competitive pediatric residency program. This academic year, the Department of Pediatrics had more than 990 residency applicants – the highest number of applicants in the program’s history. It’s about 100 more than last year, and it’s double the number of residents who applied just five years ago. “Recruiting residents is one of the most important things we do,” said Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “We’re ensuring the health of Houston’s children 10, 15, 20 years down the road.” Read more or Watch the video
January 13
In memoriam: Lifelong teacher Dr. Edward B. Singleton passes away leaving rich legacy
A vase of flowers rests outside the office of Dr. Edward B. Singleton with the note, “we’ll miss you.” It’s a feeling shared by all who knew Singleton, Chief Emeritus of the Edward B. Singleton Department of Pediatric Radiology at Texas Children’s Hospital. Singleton passed away on January 10 at the age of 94. Read more or watch the video
January 13
Tissue engineering expert to speak at Cooley Lectureship
Renowned tissue engineering expert and Harvard Medical School John Homans Professor of Surgery Dr. Joseph Vacanti will be the featured speaker at this year’s Denton A. Cooley Lectureship in Surgical Innovation Tuesday, February 10. Beginning at 7:30 a.m. in the fourth-floor Conference Center at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, Vacanti will discuss “Tissue Engineering and the Care of Children,” a burgeoning area of research that has untapped potential for people who need new organs. Read more
January 13
Shneider named new chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Texas Children’s recently announced the arrival of Dr. Benjamin Shneider, our new chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Shneider was also appointed professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Shneider obtained his undergraduate education at Stanford University and earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago. He completed pediatric residency training at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, as well as a subspecialty fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Yale University. Read more
January 13
Dietary intervention study underway to improve outcomes in IBS patients
Texas Children’s researchers have embarked on a five-year crossover dietary intervention study that could determine why certain children with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) develop symptoms when eating wheat. In collaboration with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Texas Children’s Gastroenterologist Dr. Bruno Chumpitazi and his team are conducting a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to examine the effects of fructans – a natural sugar found in wheat – in 80 children with IBS. Read more
January 6
Texas Children’s welcomes new cardiovascular surgeon
Texas Children’s Heart Center recently welcomed Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Lauren Kane. Kane is also an assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Kane join our growing team as she brings with her a great array of clinical and research experience,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr. “Not only will her addition to the team allow for more convenient access for children in need of cardiac surgery, but we’re confident her research will continue to advance the national prominence of our cardiovascular team.” Kane’s clinical and research interests include the full spectrum of congenital heart surgery, with a particular interest in neonatal palliation and outcomes-based research. Read more
January 6
Pilot program makes scheduling surgery from remote locations easier
Historically, it has been difficult to schedule surgery from Texas Children’s Hospital locations outside Main Campus. A pilot project launched a few months ago in Otolaryngology has overcome this challenge and made scheduling surgery from remote locations easier. Surgeons now can add an order in Epic at the time of a patient visit. Previously, when otolaryngologists traveled to see patients, they faxed or transported paper forms to Main Campus or called to schedule surgery. “Those methods of scheduling surgery from offsite locations were less efficient and rife with opportunities for missed communications,” said Dr. Carla Giannoni, the Texas Children’s otolaryngologist who spearheaded the project. Read more
Submissions for Bench and Bedside
Bench and Bedside is produced monthly by Texas Children’s Corporate Communications team to spotlight recent news about Texas Children’s physicians and scientists. The team welcomes submissions related to speaking engagements, staff awards/recognition, research, clinical work and academic activities. Send your questions or submissions to connectnews@texaschildrens.org.
In these few short months, we have had a great time showing Vivian around “her” state. We traveled to the Hill Country where we took in the scenery, saw a live glass-blowing demonstration, went to a county fair, and shopped at a huge outdoor crafts festival. We visited Austin where we toured the State Capitol, showed Vivi the famous bat bridge, and ate at a popular Mexican restaurant. In San Antonio, we explored a few of the historical mission sites, walked around the Riverwalk and listened to some live music. We’ve enjoyed spending a few days in Galveston where we watched the sunrise over the Gulf each morning and visited a large aquarium. For a couple quick trips out of town, we shopped in charming Old Town Spring. And, of course, Houston has offered plenty of great sites to visit and explore each day with our new addition including the zoo, Museum of Natural History, and several great parks.
