On his blog this week, Mark Wallace shares why the Oscars is such a clear reminder of why we still have work to do to advance diversity and inclusion. Read more
February 11, 2020
Dr. David Poplack, director of Global Hematology Oncology Pediatric Excellence (HOPE) at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, was recently honored with the first-ever Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) Childhood Cancer Lifetime Achievement Award.
The ALSF is a non-profit pediatric cancer charitable organization that funds research to bring better treatments and cures to children with cancer, and provides emotional, financial and logistical support to childhood cancer families that makes their challenges more manageable.
“I am very honored to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award,” Poplack said. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has raised funds to advance innovative research, leading toward cures and improved quality of life for children with cancer.”
Since joining Texas Children’s in 1993, Poplack served as the Director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers for 25 years, growing the program from seven faculty members to nearly 200. As a world recognized leader and mentor in the field, Poplack has made a profound impact on the education of pediatric oncologists. He is Co-Editor of a textbook, The Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology, currently in its 7th edition, which has graced the desks of nearly every pediatric oncologist ever trained, and is the leading textbook in the field of pediatric oncology.
In July 2018, Poplack transitioned his role to serve as the Director of Global HOPE at Texas Children’s. The program is a comprehensive capacity-building program that works to improve pediatric cancer treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that has a nearly 90 percent mortality rate for the over 100,000 children who develop cancer each year. Global HOPE has a presence in seven African countries, has trained more than 1,800 local health care professionals and has treated over 8,000 patients since its inception.
In addition to his leadership roles at Texas Children’s, Poplack has been a guiding force for the ALSF research grant program, having served as a longtime member of ALSF’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Click here for more information about Texas Children’s Global HOPE program.
Norma Terrazas shares her experiences since the Abercrombie move to 15 West Tower three months ago, and has a special message for her colleagues in Abercrombie who will move to their new unit on 7 West Tower next month. Read more
February 10, 2020
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, two employees share how their love story unfolded at Texas Children’s. If you have a love story to share, submit your video by midnight on February 14.
Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Evelyn Paysse and Baylor College of Medicine refractive surgery specialist Dr. Mitchell Weikert have spent nearly two decades giving children with certain eye conditions hope of better vision.
The work they are doing focuses on children with amblyopia, a condition that if left untreated can lead to permanent vision loss.
“Amblyopia is a condition where the vision, in either one eye or both eyes, does not develop normally,” Weikert said. “If one eye has a lot more need for glasses, the brain may ignore that eye, and focus on the eye that’s creating a clearer image. If that happens, and it’s not discovered, or isn’t treated optimally, a child may never develop the vision they could have had in that eye and might end up with what we call a lazy eye, or amblyopia.”
The solution Paysse and Weikert are offering to patients who have not had success with traditional therapies such as wearing glasses or contacts, and patching the better-seeing eye, is a procedure called photorefractive keratectomy or PRK.
“Photo refractive keratectomy is a surface ablation of the cornea using an excimer laser,” Paysse said. “The laser shaves away, or somewhat sculpts, the cornea, taking away a certain amount of it to reduce the refractive error.”
The desired outcome of PRK is that the child’s refractive disorder will be improved or corrected and that their brain will then be able to better develop the vision in the weaker eye. Thus far, the majority of the more than 180 patients Paysse and Weikert have operated on have had excellent results.
“We find that the patients respond better if they are treated at a younger age,” Paysse said. “The reason is that amblyopia is a time-sensitive problem that you really must treat before the patient is visually mature in the brain.”
One patient who had success with PRK is 8-year-old Lila McLaughlin. Lila was born three months early with a myriad of vision problems that eventually led her and her mother, Laura, to Paysse, who performed PRK surgery on Lila just before her second birthday. The surgery, and a subsequent procedure, changed Lila’s life.
“She went into surgery and came back with what I say was a new set of eyes,” said Lila’s mother, Laura McLaughlin said.
Prior to PRK surgery, Lila’s vision was deteriorating quickly causing the toddler to become legally blind in one of her eyes. After undergoing PRK, Lila could see almost perfectly.
“This surgery has given her a healthy outcome,” Laura McLaughlin said. “Lila has blossomed into a phenomenal, fun-loving, feisty firecracker of a third grader.”
Lila herself is extremely thankful for the care she received from Paysse and others at Texas Children’s who have participated in her care.
“She’s a really great doctor,” Lila said. “She successfully helped me see way better than I used to.”
Currently, PRK surgery is not approved by the Federal Drug Administration in children. All the patients Paysse and Weikert have treated are part of a study led by the Institutional Review Board of Baylor College of Medicine, a consortium of committees that checks doctors’ protocols making sure they are designed safely.
As we approach Patient Experience Month 2020, the staff engagement committee has implemented a virtual film festival to excite and engage Texas Children’s employees.
Every hospital, clinic, team, unit, or department has ways that they demonstrate teamwork and care coordination each and every day. These exemplary methods are the reasons why we consistently stand out in pediatric health care, and we want you to share that with our ‘One Amazing Team.’
Whether it is a daily huddle/greeting, milestone celebrations, assisting the unit or project when it is short staffed, or ensuring care transitions are smooth and communication flows clearly, we want to know about it!
Film festival details
As a team effort, enter the Patient Experience Month 2020 Film Festival, and make a creative two minute video that demonstrates how our organization amplifies unity. The video should be fun, engaging, and overall reflects what it takes to be ‘One Amazing Team.’
Click here to view the film festival evaluation criteria. Prizes will be awarded in the categories of creativity, education, performance, and MORE!
The entry deadline is Monday, March 23. Click here to access the online submission form. For questions or concerns email patientexperience@texaschildrens.org.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo takes over NRG Park from Tuesday, March 3 through Sunday, March 22. As we do every year, Texas Children’s will be giving employees an opportunity to conveniently purchase tickets for the different rodeo events, including those must-see musical performances.
Texas Children’s annual Rodeo Concert Ticket Drawing will take place from February 6 to February 13, during which employees will have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets for this year’s most popular performances, including Dierks Bentley, Gwen Stefani, Willie Nelson, and more.
All tickets distributed through the Rodeo Concert Ticket Drawing are sold at a discounted rate. The cost is $30 for Sections 102, 120, 123, 130 and 140, and $35 for Section 325 (club seats). We are unable to accept requests for a specific concert ticket price – winners of the drawing will be awarded seat locations at random.
To participate in this year’s drawing, please follow these steps:
Step 1 – Before submitting your entry, make sure you:
Enroll in the Voluntary Purchase Program through MOLI. If you win the drawing, your tickets will immediately be purchased through payroll deduction. If you are not enrolled, please follow these instructions to sign up.
Create an account at Flash Seats to receive your concert tickets (should you win). For added convenience, all concert tickets will be issued electronically via Flash Seats. To register, visit flashseats.com.
Step 2 – Complete the online Rodeo Concert Ticket Drawing Request by Thursday, February 13.
Be sure to use the same email address associated with your Flash Seats account. This ensures proper electronic transfer of your concert tickets.
Select your preferred performer(s) and the number of tickets you agree to purchase if notified that you are a winner. Ticket maximum per employee is four (4). One drawing entry per employee.
Due to high volume, Human Resources is unable to confirm receipt of your drawing entry, accept changes or cancel your online form once received.
Human Resources will email the winners of the drawing by 3 p.m., Friday, February 21. If you are a winner, we will process the payroll deduction and transfer your tickets immediately.
It is important that you make sure you are enrolled in the Voluntary Purchase program AND use the same e-mail address as your Flash Seats account. Otherwise, your tickets will be forfeited to the next employee in line. No exceptions will be made. All concert ticket purchases are final.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR RODEO FESTIVITIES
For added convenience, employees may also purchase tickets for several RODEOHOUSTON events, including NRG Park Admission, the World Championship Bar-B-Que Contest and Carnival Packs. Tickets are now available at multiple Texas Children’s campus locations until 4 p.m., Friday, February 28. For more information on pricing and sale locations, please click here.
QUESTIONS?
If at any time you have questions about The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, please contact our Benefits team at totalrewards@texaschildrens.org or call Total Rewards at 832-824-2421 (select option 1 and then press 2) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Let’s rodeo, Texas Children’s!