July 3, 2018

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers is pleased to announce Dr. Susan Blaney has stepped into the role of director, effective July 1, while Dr. David Poplack transitions to serve as associate director of the Cancer and Hematology Centers and director of Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence), an outreach program aimed at improving pediatric cancer treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Blaney has extensive experience in clinical and translational research with a focus on the development of new treatment strategies for children with brain tumors and other refractory cancers and is a former member of Poplack’s team at the National Institutes of Health.

Blaney joined Texas Children’s in 1995 and has held the role of deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers and executive vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine for 10 years. She is vice chair of the Children’s Oncology Group, an international clinical trial cooperative group of more than 200 children’s cancer programs across North America that is supported by the National Cancer Institute. Blaney is also a co-editor of the next edition of the leading textbook in the field of pediatric oncology and a co-editor of one of the leading textbooks for pediatrics.

“I am extremely excited about this new role and opportunity. I can’t think of a better program or place to be than Texas Children’s, and am looking forward to the incredible future of our Centers,” Blaney said. “The Cancer and Hematology Centers provide outstanding, state-of-the-art family-centered care. The Centers’ faculty are nationally and internationally recognized leaders and experts in the field. They are performing cutting edge laboratory-based and clinical research to continue to improve the outcomes for children with cancer or hematologic disorders.”

Poplack said he is thrilled his friend and colleague of more than three decades will succeed him as the next Director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers and that he is confident the Centers will continue to grow and prosper under her leadership.

“Susan has served as the deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers for 10 years and has been closely involved in every aspect of oversight of our Centers,” he said. “I can think of no one in the country more qualified and capable of succeeding me and continuing our relentless pursuit of finding a cure for all children with cancer and blood disorders.”

Under Poplack and Blaney’s leadership, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers have grown exponentially – from seven faculty members, 42 employees, 4,000 square feet of laboratory space and less than $1 million in annual external grant funding in 1993 to nearly 200 faculty members, 1,000 employees, 100,000 square feet of laboratory space and $50 million in annual external grant funding.

As the largest pediatric cancer and hematology program in the nation, the Centers are a global powerhouse in pediatric cancer and hematology treatment, research, and professional education. Texas Children’s has internationally-recognized programs in immunotherapy, cell therapy, personalized medicine, developmental therapeutics, rare cancers, neuro-oncology, long-term survivorship, and sickle cell disease. There are also premier programs in musculoskeletal tumors, neuroblastoma, liver tumors, blood and clotting disorders, and many others.

Blaney said that under her leadership the operation of the Cancer and Hematology Centers will continue to focus on its primary mission, which is to provide personalized, high-quality, family-centered care to children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and blood disorders; to discover and implement innovative laboratory research and treatment advances aimed at curing and preventing childhood cancer and blood disorders; and to provide world-class training and education for current and future leaders in the field.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, click here.

Two congenital heart surgeons will be joining the Texas Children’s Heart Center® team this fall. Dr. Christopher Caldarone will serve as the chief of congenital heart surgery and Dr. E. Dean McKenzie will serve as a congenital heart surgeon.

“Drs. Caldarone and McKenzie bring a remarkable commitment to innovation, collaborative patient-centered care and dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, surgeon-in-chief. “I know our patients and their families will benefit tremendously from their vast knowledge and background in this field.”

Caldarone is an internationally-recognized leader in congenital heart surgery and most recently served as surgeon-in-chief at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He will join Texas Children’s in September as the chief of congenital heart surgery and professor of congenital heart surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

“I have always admired Texas Children’s Hospital and it is a great honor to serve as the congenital heart surgery chief,” said Caldarone. “My role is to find ways to make a great program even greater and we are off to a terrific start with Dr. McKenzie joining the team. Together, I know we will be able to contribute to the team and drive innovation in ways to better serve our patients.”

Caldarone received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from Columbia University. He completed his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery residencies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. He also completed a fellowship in congenital heart surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children. Caldarone is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society.

McKenzie, who will officially join Texas Children’s in October, is a world-renowned leader in congenital heart surgery. He was previously a member of Texas Children’s Heart Center team for more than 15 years. Most recently, he served as chief of pediatric congenital cardiothoracic surgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and professor and chair of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine.

“I’m looking forward to returning to the institution where my career as a congenital heart surgeon truly began,” said McKenzie, who will also serve as professor of congenital heart surgery at Baylor. “As I rejoin the incredible team I know so well, I am excited to be a part of all we will accomplish under Dr. Caldarone’s leadership.”

McKenzie received his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and his medical degree from Baylor. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Louisville and his residency in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at The University of Florida College of Medicine. McKenzie is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Texas Children’s Heart Center is ranked No. 1 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. The integrated, multidisciplinary team at the Heart Center has combined cutting-edge technology with a compassionate and family-centered approach to care for more than half a century. Annually, nearly 1,000 surgeries are performed and more than 28,000 patient encounters occur in the outpatient clinic.

“At Texas Children’s Heart Center, we are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Daniel Penny, chief of pediatric cardiology at Texas Children’s. “Drs. Caldarone and McKenzie will help us continue to grow and develop our exceptional heart program in order to provide the most advanced clinical care and surgical treatments to our patients.”

The Heart Center is led by Penny and Caldarone, as well as Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, chief of critical care at Texas Children’s, and Dr. Emad Mossad, chief of cardiovascular anesthesia at Texas Children’s.

“We are so excited for Drs. Caldarone and McKenzie to join our outstanding congenital heart surgery team as we strive to provide the best possible care to infants, children and young adults with heart disease,” said Shekerdemian.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Heart Center, click here.

Patients and their families enjoyed a summer camp in the hospital for two weeks in June, when Camp For All 2U was brought to Texas Children’s Hospital’s Medical Center and West Campuses.

Camp for All 2U is a unique, barrier-free camp that brings the same eventful camping experience to patients and their siblings. Many patients may have missed out on those valuable experiences because they are in the hospital.

The program transformed areas of the hospital into camp spaces providing patients, who may not get the experience of camp outside of the hospital, the opportunity to enjoy a variety of games and activities. With a different theme each day, camp activities included archery, canoeing, arts and crafts and much more.

“So many kids look forward to summer camps each year,” said Child Life Specialist Sarah Herbek, who collaborated with Camp For All 2U to bring the experience to Texas Children’s. “It’s a time to step outside of their comfort zone, try new things, make new friends and create lifelong memories.”

Camp For All 2U at West Campus was an expansion of the Medical Center Campus event and generously funded by the Wood Group. After returning for the second consecutive year, Child Life Specialist Riley Hammond said that it was easier to prepare this year and patients and families were eager for the event to begin.

“The kids are incredibly engaged and excited,” said Hammond. “It is so great to hear all of the singing and laughter; the hospital is filled with lots of joy while they are here.”

View photos from Camp For All 2U below.

Camp For All is for inpatients, as well as outpatient kids, whose parents may struggle with finding group experiences for their child with special needs or just need some time to themselves.

“They are getting a chance for respite,” said Hammond. “Here at camp, the Camp For All 2U staff is specially trained to work with children of all abilities and we have hospital staff and volunteers that are trained to assist as well.”

Although there is a pre-registration process, patients are more than welcome to join in on the fun if they happen to come across the camp activities. According to Herbek, at Main Campus, a mother passed by and requested information about Camp for All 2U program; but initially assumed her child could not participate since he was not in a wheelchair.

“After finding out that he could not only participate in Camp for All 2U, but he was also eligible to attend overnight camp at Camp For All’s campsite in Burton, she was in tears,” said Herbek. “She was genuinely surprised that we would be able to adapt camp activities to meet her son’s needs. That is what makes this week of Camp for All 2U so special. It is truly meant ‘For All.’ Our goal is to show kids of any ability what they can do, not what they can’t do.”

For more information about Camp For All, visit http://www.campforall.org/.

For the second consecutive year, Texas Children’s Sickle Cell Center hosted a celebration in honor of World Sickle Cell Day. On June 19, sickle cell patients, families, physicians, researchers and others joined forces to raise awareness about sickle cell disease, an inherited red blood cell disorder that affects about 100,000 Americans and many more worldwide.

Held at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, the celebration began with a greeting from one of Texas Children’s Hospital’s most friendly employees, Elsa, one of three therapy dogs who helps comfort patients during their stay at the hospital.

Notable presentations, given by Texas Children’s faculty, reviewed the historical considerations of sickle cell and advancements in care and therapies.

“Our team is doing a great job developing drug strategies, but we do have room to grow,” said Dr. Donald Mahoney Jr., director of Texas Children’s Hematology Center. “Our goal is to make sure the disease is no longer progressive and debilitating.”

Dr. Alex George, co-director of Texas Children’s Sickle Cell Center, highlighted four elements that are essential to Texas Children’s methodology of helping reverse this outlook: patient care, education, research and advocacy. Texas Children’s has been at the forefront of the fight against sickle cell disease for decades, screening newborns for the disease since the 1950s. Since 2011, these efforts have been expanded globally to Africa, where many more people suffer from the disease and screening and treatment are limited.

Texas Children’s is now treating children with sickle cell disease in Angola, Malawi, Uganda, Botswana, and other areas of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as training local physicians to do the same. Dr. Parth Mehta, Director of the Global Oncology Program, and Dr. Peter Wasswa, Director of Hematology for the Global HOPE Hematology/Oncology Pediatric Excellence) Program in Uganda, discussed the various milestones of the programs including the estimated 245,000 babies who have been screened with about one in 65 having sickle cell disease.

Another memorable aspect of this year’s ceremony were the family experiences which reflected on the Center’s individualized course of treatment including patient care, education, psychosocial support services, screening and counseling for children and their families. Serving more than 1,100 children each year, Texas Children’s Sickle Cell Center is one of the largest in Texas, offering the latest treatments including hydroxyurea, transfusions and stem cell transplantation.

Uduak Ekaette and her 15-year-old son have experienced sickle cell care in a low-resource setting having lived in Nigeria, West Africa, and he now receives treatment at the Sickle Cell Center which she describes as a place of hope.

“I really have been blessed in unmeasurable ways by my interactions with the staff at Texas Children’s Hospital,” Ekaette said. “Our experience has been fantastic.”

Maya Cooper, mother of a sickle cell patient, said her family also has had a great experience at Texas Children’s Sickle Cell Center.

“They always strive to keep us in the loop, keep us educated about what’s going on,” Cooper said. “I feel like we can give our input into decision-making, which is a big deal.”

The Coopers moved from San Antonio to be close to family and friends and to receive treatment at Texas Children’s. Cooper’s husband, Ishmael, said their goal is to have their child with sickle cell disease live a normal life.

“Although it is really hard, we do it,” he said. “And it’s all because of Texas Children’s Hospital.”

The Sickle Cell Center also collaborates with organizations across the region to help educate people about sickle cell disease and advocate for a cure. Partners of the Sickle Cell Center that were present during the celebration were; The Periwinkle Foundation, Sickle Cell Association of Texas Marc Thomas Foundation, As One Foundation, Novartis Hematology, and Supporting Our Sicklers (SOS). Each organization provided educational information about sickle cell disease or trait. The Houston Health Department also was present to discuss the importance of newborn screening, improving access to care, and ultimately resolving the health disparity issue.

“We are really fortunate here at Texas Children’s to be able to provide such dedicated care,” said Dr. Amber Yates, co-director of Texas Children’s Sickle Cell Center. “We have a large team which focuses solely on children with sickle cell disease. Our hope is that this event will grow more each year.”

To end the celebration, attendees were able to view a portion of the Texas Children’s Ugandan World Sickle Cell Day Ceremony which featured a song and dance rendered by children. The song’s lyrics aptly captured the spirit of the day – “…let’s come together in the fight for sickle cell!”

Click here to read a blog by Jamilah Cummings, the mother of Joshua, a patient sickle cell disease at Texas Children’s Hospital.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Sickle Cell Center click here.

At Texas Children’s, we work hard each and every day to provide the best care for our patients and their families. Because we support you and your well-being, we are bringing back the 21-day H2O challenge, a fun and practical well-being challenge to help you consume more water every day.

One simple yet powerful way to enhance your overall health and wellness is to stay hydrated. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends adults take in at least 64 ounces of water per day.

Challenge details

  • The challenge begins on Tuesday, July 10. Click here to register!
  • Participants should consume at least 8 cups or 64 ounces of water every day for 21 days.
  • To kick off the challenge and keep up with their new healthy habit along the way, all Texas Children’s badge holders who register to participate will receive a tracking sheet and Texas Children’s water bottle after registration.
  • Check out this schedule to find out when water bottles will be distributed at your Texas Children’s location.

Challenges are usually more fun and successful with friends, so we encourage you to amplify unity by inviting your co-workers to participate with you! You can also help rock the ripple effect by sharing your water challenge photos on social media using the hashtags #TCHH2OChallenge and #TexasChildrensPeople.

For more information, visit the Well-Being site on Connect.

Texas Children’s Neuroscience team recently held a special retirement celebration for long-time neurologist and Blue Bird Circle Clinic Medical Director Dr. Robert Zeller.

More than 100 guests attended the celebration including Texas Children’s Chief of Neurology Dr. Gary Clark, Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Howard Weiner, Dr. Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, and many of Zeller’s colleagues, friends, and volunteers from the Blue Bird Circle.

For more than 30 years, Zeller devoted much of his life to delivering care to patients in the Blue Bird Circle at Texas Children’s. But as his colleagues will tell you, his compassion goes beyond the clinical setting. In 1993, he established Camp for All, a barrier-free recreational facility that helps children – regardless of their medical condition or physical disability – experience the thrill of camping and nature just like other children. Aside from this notable achievement, Zeller started Camp Spike N’ Wave for patients with epilepsy which has grown in attendance year after year. This camp wouldn’t have been possible without Zeller’s instrumental efforts.

“I had a patient with epilepsy who couldn’t go to camp because camps wouldn’t accept children with this condition,” Zeller said. “This prompted me to develop a camp for children with special needs where they can discover life without barriers. Now, my kids and everybody else’s kids can go to Camp for All. It’s my way of giving back to my patients.”

While at Texas Children’s, Zeller received the 2015 Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award from the Child Neurology Society. Click here to watch this tribute video that recognizes Zeller’s humanistic approach to patient care.

Congratulations Dr. Zeller for your contributions to Texas Children’s as you begin your retirement.

On June 30, more than 100 people gathered at Texas Children’s Hospital for the inaugural Celebration for VAD Superheroes. The event, which brought together patients of Texas Children’s VAD Program, allowed the patients and their families to connect with others who share similar experiences. They enjoyed games, visiting with Texas Children’s therapy dog, Bailey, reuniting with their care team, posing for pictures in a photo booth, and more.

“They say it takes a village to care for a child and we are honored to help care for yours,” said Dr. Jeff Dreyer, medical director of heart failure, cardiomyopathy and cardiac transplantation, at the event. “Pediatric VAD therapy is a team sport and I am proud to be a part of this team.”

Some patients awaiting a heart transplant may require mechanical circulatory support with a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Texas Children’s offers a variety of circulatory support devices as a bridge to transplantation. Since the inception of Texas Children’s VAD Program in 1985, we have become one of the largest, most comprehensive pediatric VAD programs in the world. Texas Children’s Hospital offers a comprehensive range of both short and long-term mechanical devices for children of all sizes. To learn more visit texaschildrens.org/heart.

Texas Children’s patient, Christiana, shared her experience with event attendees, offered encouragement and explained to other patients that it’s possible to live with a VAD in a safe manner.

“You can still dance and travel. I’ve graduated high school and will be going to college in the fall,” Christiana said. “We have all gone through a tough journey, but we’ve made it. I’m so thankful for the entire VAD team at Texas Children’s and decided at age 12 that I was going to be a heart surgeon. I can’t wait to achieve that dream!”

Dr. Iki Adachi, a congenital heart surgeon at Texas Children’s, said he always feels he can support complex patients like Christiana because he’s supported by an incredible team.

“We have learned so much from each of you and looking forward to other celebrations in the future,” he said.