June 1, 2016

6116poplackaward640Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, was recently honored with the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) Distinguished Career Award.

ASPHO is the major professional society for physicians specializing in the field of childhood cancer and blood diseases. This award is given each year to a renowned individual who has made a significant impact on their subspecialty through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

Throughout his remarkable career, Poplack has made numerous contributions to the advancement of patient care, pediatric cancer research and the education of trainees all over the world. During his time as the head of the Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), he helped develop new treatment approaches for patients with leukemia and other pediatric cancers and pioneered the development of a model extensively used for more than 20 years in the development of anti-cancer drugs. He led the advancement of new pediatric leukemia treatments to help minimize effects on long-term survivors, which included the establishment of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Clinic at the NCI. His revolutionary work has expanded through his service on committees for the Food and Drug Administration, the Institute of Medicine and NCI. He has also served, and currently serves, on multiple national medical advisory boards including Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Curing Kids Cancer, Hyundai Hope on Wheels Program and St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

Since joining Texas Children’s Hospital in 1993, Poplack has continued to strive for the best and most advanced care of children with cancer, including those in underserved populations. In 2001, Poplack developed the Vannie Cook Clinic, a hematology/oncology clinic in McAllen, Texas. He also established Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center’s International Program, which provides care in four sub-Saharan African countries. Most recently, Poplack has headed the development and implementation of the Passport for Care program, a web-based decision support service that provides long-term childhood cancer survivors with individualized follow-up recommendations. This resource is implemented and used by more than 125 children’s cancer centers.

Under his guidance, the Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Program has grown to become the largest pediatric cancer and hematology center in the United States. When Poplack took the helm 23 years ago, the Cancer Center had only six faculty, 42 employees and one research lab in 1993. Today, the Cancer Center boasts 165 faculty, 800 employees and 42 different labs dedicated to pediatric cancer research.

Poplack has also made an immense impact on education. He is co-editor of “Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology,” the leading textbook in the field, currently in its seventh edition. He has also authored more than 360 original scientific articles, book chapters and reviews, and, as the director of the largest pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship training program in the United States, Poplack has trained more than 120 pediatricians to become pediatric cancer and blood disease sub-specialists. He also serves as the principal investigator of a prestigious NCI-funded pediatric oncology training grant that has trained 27 junior faculty scholars in clinical research. He also has trained a large number of pediatric oncologists in cancer pharmacology and new drug development.

Poplack is a world recognized leader in the field of pediatric hematology/oncology, an extraordinary mentor and continues to have a major and widespread impact on improving the care of children with cancer and blood disorders.

“Dr. Poplack is an outstanding mentor and one of the most visionary leaders in our field,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, deputy director of the Cancer Center and executive vice chair of Research at Baylor. “His influence has been felt worldwide in all areas of pediatric oncology, and I don’t know anyone more deserving of this award than Dr. Poplack.”

Click here for more information about Texas Children’s Cancer Center.

6116AudreyOrda175Audrey Orda Pickett of Financial Services is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star employee. “The organization has an incredibly large network of intelligent, hard-working individuals, all who work together to build each other up and bring out the best in each other,” Orda said. Read more of Orda’s interview and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Audrey Orda Pickett, Senior Project Manager, Financial Services (FS). I’ve been at Texas Children’s for almost three years.

What month are you Super Star for?
May 2016

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
We have a quarterly FS meeting at which our leaders recognize people who are celebrating their milestone anniversaries. At the April meeting, there was an extra recognition after the anniversaries, and my leader (Jennifer Wilson, Controller and Director of Financial Services) made the announcement. It was definitely a surprise!

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do? How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
It is an honor and very much appreciated. The organization has an incredibly large network of intelligent, hard-working individuals, all who work together to build each other up and bring out the best in each other.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I think anyone who demonstrates being a team player, having a great attitude, and willing to go outside one’s comfort zone to help others makes someone a Super Star. I know there are numerous stars here at Texas Children’s.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
As part of the Accounting team, my motivation stems from ensuring we understand the financial impact of operational activities, as well as collaborating with our operational teams to ensure they understand, and are comfortable with, their financials as many of their decisions are based on these results.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
It is a combination of both the mission and the people. I love that Texas Children’s strives every day to help children in all situations and that everyone is working towards accomplishing this mission. It creates a cohesiveness not found at other places.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
It shows Texas Children’s values every person at every level. Leadership is respecting the uniqueness of each individual and cultivating an environment of trust in which others are inspired to work hard, lend a hand when needed, and stay positive in times of adversity.

Anything else you want to share?
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me grow as a person and as a professional, not only my team but others across the organization. I also would like to thank whoever nominated me for this award. I am truly grateful and very humbled.

6116IPRconference175Texas Children’s Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. George Bisset described Texas Children’s radiology team as the “shining star” at the 7th International Pediatric Radiology (IPR) Conjoint Meeting and Exhibition which was held in Chicago from May 10 to May 15.

“As a testament to our team’s hard work, we had 24 podium presentations and our scientific abstracts comprised one-fifth of the 120 research abstracts coming from the U.S.,” Bisset said. “This was quite an accomplishment, but on top of that, our team won two of the top three radiology research awards.”

Dr. Jacquelyn Garcia received the John Kirkpatrick Young Investigator Award for her paper, “Fetal lung volumes by MRI: Normal weekly values from 18 weeks through 28 weeks gestation.”

Her project, which was mentored by Drs. Amy Mehollin-Ray and Christopher Cassady of Texas Children’s and Dr. Mariana Meyers of Children’s Hospital of Colorado, combined extensive data from two large fetal centers to provide more robust normal fetal lung volume values for use in prognostication and parental counseling earlier in pregnancy.

Dr. Ketan Ghaghada received the Caffey Award for Best Basic Science Research Paper for his work entitled ‘In vivo Profiling of Folate Receptor Expression in Rat Placenta Using MR Molecular Imaging.’

In his study, Ghaghada and his colleagues presented the first demonstration of non-invasive imaging of placental vascular receptors. Vascular receptors in the placenta play a central role during pregnancy by facilitating the active transport of a variety of nutrients, proteins and macromolecules from the mother to the fetus. Alterations in the expression of placental receptors has been linked to pregnancy-related complications and impairment of fetal growth.

Their research work is a result of an ongoing collaborative effort led by Dr. Ananth Annapragada of the Translational Imaging Group (TIGr) at Texas Children’s Department of Pediatric Radiology and Dr. Chandrasekhar Yallampali of the Baylor College of Medicine Department of OB/GYN.

The IPR Meeting combined all of the major pediatric radiology societies around the world, which means there was a lot more competition to achieve top research honors. The conference featured world-renowned speakers, sunrise workshops, keynote lectures with scientific sessions and posters highlighting scientific research. The conference also included a separate radiographer’s program with content specifically targeted for pediatric radiology technologists and radiographers.

6116scottrosenfeld175Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Scott Rosenfeld has been elected to serve on the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) Board of Directors as a Junior Member-at-Large for the term 2016-2018.

Rosenfeld is director of the Texas Children’s Hip Prevention Program, which is a multidisciplinary program focused on the care of hip problems in patients from birth through adulthood. He also is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

Rosenfeld specializes in pediatric orthopedics, hip disorders, scoliosis and sports medicine. His major area of interest and expertise is in childhood, adolescent and young adult hip disorders and hip preservation.

Board certified in orthopedic surgery, Rosenfeld received an undergraduate degree from Duke University and earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He completed an internship in general surgery and a residency in orthopedic surgery at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital.

6116WCBusinessPartnership640Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus recently received the Houston West Chamber of Commerce’s Business Partnership Award for their continued efforts to improve and enrich the lives of individuals in the west Houston area.

Since the hospital opened its doors five years ago, leadership and staff have been incredibly committed to not only providing the highest-quality care possible for patients, but investing in the community through partnerships, events and educational opportunities.

“We are so honored to receive this award,” said Chanda Cashen Chacón, president of Texas Children’s West Campus. “Here at West Campus, we are dedicated to the west Houston community and love being involved with so many wonderful individuals and organizations in the area.”

As part of its community engagement efforts, West Campus hosts annual events such as the Family Fun Run and sponsors area events including the inaugural Typhoon Texas Triathlon. The hospital also recently hosted a group of over 50 eighth graders from The Village School to teach them about the health care industry and the numerous career opportunities available. This new partnership will provide additional experiences for more students in the community to learn about the hospital and help them choose potential areas of interest to study in high school and college.

6116distinguishedsurgeonsinside640The Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Surgery recently announced the recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Surgeon Award. The award is given to those who have forged a path of innovation in surgical excellence, research and education within the hospital’s Department of Surgery. Leaders in the department chose the recipients and announced this year’s winners on May 6 at the department’s annual dinner event. Each of these distinguished surgeons has significantly contributed to the legacy of the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Surgery.

This year’s Distinguished Surgeon Award winners are:

Dr. Ellen Friedman

Friedman was one of few women in the field when she began her career as a pediatric otolaryngologist, becoming a role model for not only for female academic otolaryngologists, but for academic surgeons in general. Currently, Friedman is a pediatric otolaryngologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and the director for the Center for Professionalism in Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to that, for 24 years from 1991 until 2014, she served as Chief of Otolaryngology at Texas Children’s Hospital and held the Bobby Alford Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Friedman regularly contributes to research, recently completing an online video abstract that was published on the New England Journal of Medicine website. She is highly active in professional societies at a national level and has served as president of several organizations. She was the first woman to serve as the president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) and the third woman to serve as president for the American Broncho-Esophagological Association (ABEA). She also served as president of the medical staff at Texas Children’s Hospital from 2011-2012.

Among many professional honors, Friedman was named a 2010 recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism in Medicine. She has also received the Fulbright and Jaworski Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching and Evaluation from the Baylor College of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Educators. As a singular honor, the ABEA renamed a national award for Dr. Friedman. The Ellen M. Friedman Award for Excellence in Foreign Body Management is given for excellence in innovation, skill and education in the management of aero-digestive foreign bodies.

Dr. William J. Pokorny

Pokorny was a skilled technical surgeon dedicated to surgical education, research and excellence in patient care. He led the Pediatric Surgery Division as Chief of Pediatric Surgical Services at Texas Children’s Hospital from 1988 to 1994, served as Chief of the Section of Pediatric Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and led the Pediatric Surgery Service at Ben Taub General Hospital.

He left his mark on Texas Children’s Hospital by establishing the ACGME Pediatric Surgery Residency Program and worked collaboratively with other program directors, always keeping a quality educational experience, along with the welfare of all the trainees, in mind.

Pokorny also was involved in advancing pediatric surgery and pediatric surgical oncology on a national level by participating and leading committees and workgroups in national surgical organizations. He was held in the highest esteem by his peers and professional community. During his career, he authored more than 50 journal articles and contributed to more than 20 medical textbooks.

Drs. Friedman and Pokorny join the list of previous honorees, which includes: Dr. William Cheek, Dr. Denton Cooley, Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier, Dr. Edmond Gonzales, Jr, Dr. Franklin Harberg and Dr. David Wesson.

6116TCHAPPConference640Texas Children’s Hospital recently hosted the third annual Texas Children’s Hospital Advanced Practice Provider (TCHAPP) Conference at the Pavilion for Women Conference Center. The event was well attended with more than 130 registrants. Many of Texas Children’s own advanced practice providers as well as nurse practitioners and physician assistants from across the nation attended this three-day event.

The conference provided attendees with a broad view of pediatric care from a subspecialty and acute care perspective, and opportunities to connect with experts and colleagues. A panel of guest speakers delivered presentations on evidence-based and innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of various pediatric medical and surgical conditions. The event also provided attendees the opportunity to learn more about pharmacology and improve skills such as suturing and lumbar punctures.

The committee would like to thank the speakers and attendees who helped make this year a success. Click here to view the names of the presenters and specific topics discussed at the conference.

Planning is currently underway for the fourth TCHAPP conference to be held in 2017.