January 5, 2016

1616bookdonation640Three and half years ago, the Herrington family embarked on a journey that would lead them to Texas Children’s Hospital, a place that has since become near and dear to their hearts. Shortly after birth, the youngest member of the family, Parson Blue, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that attacked the infant’s lungs, leaving her in need of a transplant.

At just 11 months old, Parson got what she needed – two new lungs – and has been on the road to recovery ever since. Her mother, Jennifer Herrington, said throughout the process the amazing doctors and nurses at Texas Children’s became family.

“They not only cared for our child but our entire family,” Herrington said. “That care was not only life-changing but heart-changing as well.”

To thank the staff at Texas Children’s for what they did for Parson and what they do for so many other children each and every day, the Herringtons organized a book drive benefitting the hospital and honoring their daughter’s love for the written word. The drive turned out to be a bigger success than the family anticipated, allowing them to donate almost 3,000 books, all of which will be available to the thousands of patients treated at Texas Children’s year after year.

“We wanted to give back to the hospital that has been such a huge part of our lives,” Herrington said. “The donation of books to Texas Children’s Hospital is such a small return for what the organization has given to our family.”

To read more about Parson’s story, read Herrington’s blog here. To read about another family that donated a handmade toddler play yard to Texas Children’s to thank caregivers for helping their son recover from cancer, click here.

8515Drzoghbi175Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, will be honored with the 2015 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science.

She is the 10th recipient of the award given by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine to recognize women scientists with a stellar record of research accomplishment who have also mentored other women in science.

Prize winners receive an honorarium, deliver a Flexner Discovery Lecture, meet with Vanderbilt faculty and mentor Vanderbilt Prize Scholars – women who are pursuing graduate studies in the biomedical sciences at the medical school.

Zoghbi will receive the prize on April 21, 2016, when she is scheduled to give the Flexner Discovery Lecture at Vanderbilt.

“Huda Zoghbi’s progression from a young woman interested in science to one of the world’s foremost physician-scientists working on the genetic bases of neurological diseases is fascinating and inspiring,” said Dr. Lawrence Marnett, associate vice chancellor for research and senior associate dean for biomedical science, at Vanderbilt.

Zoghbi has been instrumental in finding the genes for Rett Syndrome, spinal cerebellar ataxia 1 and IMath1, which is essential for generation of inner ear hair cell.

She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences and has received numerous awards throughout the years. She is committed to mentoring young scientists, and one-fourth of her former trainees are women.

1616playyard640Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus received a special gift this holiday season from a former patient whose family wanted to thank caregivers for helping their son recover from cancer.

David Lauritzen, now a healthy 5-year-old, came to Texas Children’s a very sick toddler. After being diagnosed with cancer, David was put on an aggressive treatment plan of radiation and chemotherapy, much of which he received at West Campus.

The treatment and the tender loving care he received from Texas Children’s medical staff paid off, sending him into remission about a year after being diagnosed. In appreciation for the staff’s hard work and expertise, the Lauritzen family recently donated a handmade toddler play yard to West Campus.

The red and white play yard was made by David’s great-grandfather, Ronald McKee, who dedicated the toy to his grandson and traveled from Missouri to install the piece of equipment in the Surgery Waiting Room at West Campus.

David’s mother, Samantha Lauritzen, said the play yard is a small token of her family’s appreciation to all Texas Children’s employees who came into contact with her family during her son’s 14-month treatment period.

“They made an extremely difficult situation easier on all of us,” she said of the staff “To me, they are amazing.”

bench-and-beside-Header2

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.

December 1

Texas Children’s Fetal Center celebrates 400 miracles at patient reunion

Hundreds of families from around the country traveled to Houston to attend Texas Children’s Fetal Center family reunion. Since its inaugural event in 2007, the reunion provided an opportunity for physicians and staff to reunite with patient families who received life-saving medical and surgical care at our fetal center.

December 1

Texas Children’s awards pediatric pilot grants to 10 promising researchers

Ten promising researchers received the 2015 Pediatric Pilot Awards Research grants worth up to $50,000. The grants will provide initial start-up funding for research projects that have the ultimate goal of enhancing patient outcomes.

December 8

Dr. Mary Brandt elected to ACS Medical Student Education Committee

Dr. Mary Brandt, pediatric surgeon and director of the Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program and the Anorectal Malformation Clinic at Texas Children’s, has been elected to the Medical Student Education Committee of the American College of Surgeons, which addresses the educational needs in surgery for medical students during all four years of medical school.

December 15

Texas Children’s Special Isolation Unit earns award from Texas Department of Health Services

Texas Children’s Special Isolation Unit, the only pediatric-focused unit of its kind in Texas and the Southwest, was recently awarded the Texas Department of Health Services 2015 Texas Preparedness Leadership Award. The annual award recognizes exceptionally meritorious achievements in local, regional or state Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Healthcare Systems Preparedness Programs.

December 15

Texas Children’s Main Campus Urgent Care opens

1516MCUrgentCare300Texas Children’s recently opened a 4,100-square-foot urgent care clinic on the second floor of the Abercrombie Building, creating a system-wide solution to effectively manage the Emergency Center’s (EC) low acuity patient population. The clinic has a dedicated staff of physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses and clinical support staff. The new urgent care has already helped lighten the load of the EC, seeing about 30 patients a day, or 25 percent of the EC’s daily patient volume. Wait times for patients with low-acuity illnesses also have decreased significantly.

December 15

Texas Children’s oncologists contribute to leading textbook in field

1516PoplackBook300Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, and numerous members of his medical staff helped write the recently published, 7th edition of Principles and Practice in Pediatric Oncology. This leading textbook provides the most comprehensive resource on the biology and genetics of childhood cancers.

 

December 15

Spotlight on Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program

1516achd300About 40,000 babies are born each year with a congenital heart disease, the most common birth defect. These children grow up with their conditions and are part of a growing population of adults with congenital heart disease. Texas Children’s Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program allows patients to continue their care at their childhood medical home as adults.

 

December 22

Heart Center experts present at Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society 11th International Meeting

1516PCICS300Intensivists, cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, nurses, and outcomes and quality experts from Texas Children’s Heart Center and Baylor College of Medicine served as presenters and moderators during the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS) 11th International Meeting held December 9 through 11 in Houston.

 

December 22

Surgical Research Day 2016 to feature new poster session

Plans are underway for the sixth annual Edmond T. Gonzales, Jr., Surgical Research Day which will be held on May 6, 2016. At this session, poster authors will have an opportunity to present their research to reviewers as scoring takes place.

December 22

L. E. Simmons Chair in Orthopedics awarded to Dr. John Dormans

Chief of Orthopedics Dr. John Dormans was recently awarded the L.E. Simmons Chair in Orthopedics. Provided by the Houston Endowment in recognition of Simmons, who served as chairman of Texas Children’s Board of Trustees from 2003-2004, the purpose of this chair is to support orthopedic research, education, clinic program development and advocacy at Texas Children’s.