June 21, 2016

3416ChristianSchaaf175Dr. Christian Schaaf, an assistant professor of Human and Molecular Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, recently received the Baylor College of Medicine Rising Star Clinician Award.

This annual award recognizes outstanding up and coming clinicians for their exemplary contributions to clinical excellence and expertise, consistent high level of patient care, commendable leadership skills and continuous exemplary service to the Baylor community.

Schaaf’s contributions have not gone unnoticed by his Texas Children’s and Baylor colleagues. “Besides Schaaf being an internationally recognized researcher and educator,” Dr. Robert Voigt says “his constant above and beyond dedication to his clinical work makes him a superstar.”

“In addition to expertise across all competencies of clinical care, Dr. Schaaf’s dedication to and advocacy for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, both within and outside the clinic, is unrivaled,” said Voigt, head of the Section of Developmental Pediatrics and director of the Autism Center and Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics at Texas Children’s.

As a Texas Children’s medical geneticist and NRI researcher, Schaaf devotes much of his time to solving complex genetic medical mysteries to help families obtain a diagnosis for their children’s previously unknown neurological conditions. Schaaf has made groundbreaking contributions in advancing the understanding of the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder and the discovery of several genes for neurodevelopmental disorders and rare genetic syndromes. Two of these rare syndromes now bear his name: Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy syndrome and Schaaf-Yang syndrome.

“It is impossible to fully convey how thankful we are for Dr. Schaaf,” said Amy Bell, whose child is a patient of Dr. Schaaf’s. “He is a true godsend to our family. His authentic, genuine care on such a human level is, without a doubt, the standard of excellence in medicine.”

In addition to receiving Baylor’s Rising Star Clinician Award, Schaaf has been the recipient of other prestigious awards including the Seldin-Smith Award for Pioneering Research and the Bowes Award in Medical Genetics for demonstrating a proven record of academic accomplishments, exemplary research and clinical excellence early in his career.

“I am humbled to receive the Rising Star Clinician Award,” Schaaf said. “Receiving this recognition is a tremendous honor, and I really owe it to the outstanding clinical and research environment and my instrumental mentors here at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.”

62216urgentcare640Texas Children’s Hospital is proud to announce the opening of its sixth Texas Children’s Urgent Care clinic. Located at 10420 Louetta Road, Suite 104, Texas Children’s Urgent Care The Vintage offers high-quality, efficient and affordable pediatric care at a convenient northwest Houston location.

“We are very excited to open our sixth location. This allows us to expand the care that has been provided after hours at the FM 1960 Cypresswood location to the entire northwest Houston community,” said Kay Tittle, president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics. “Our Urgent Care sites provide an immense resource for the communities we serve and I am looking forward to seeing the impact this location will have on the children and families of northwest Houston.”

Texas Children’s Urgent Care The Vintage is open Monday through Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. The clinic is staffed by board certified pediatricians who have privileges at Texas Children’s Hospital. Pediatricians diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments, illnesses and conditions, including: asthma, strep throat, fever, minor burns, influenza, ear infections, allergic reactions and more. Procedures provided include: antibiotic injections, breathing treatments, fracture care and splinting, IV (intravenous) fluids, lab services, laceration repair and X-rays onsite.

Oftentimes, families turn to an emergency center after hours, on weekends or perhaps even during the day, when a significant event occurs with their child. Though the emergency center is the right place for some incidents or ailments, the majority of the time minor illnesses can and should be treated at a pediatric urgent care facility.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care accepts major insurance plans and has self-pay rates, which are less than emergency center charges, and there are no hospital fees. A complete list of insurance plans is available on the website. Texas Children’s Urgent Care specializes in after-hours care, but does not replace the need for children to have a general pediatrician. Routine physical exams and vaccinations are services that should be obtained from a general pediatrician, and these services are not available at Texas Children’s Urgent Care.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care has five additional convenient locations:

  • Cinco Ranch located at 9727 Spring Green Blvd., Suite 900 Katy, TX 77494
  • Memorial located at 12850 Memorial Drive, Suite 210 Houston, TX 77024
  • The Woodlands located at 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, Suite C300 The Woodlands, TX 77381
  • Main Campus located at 6621 Fannin, Suite 2240 Houston, TX 77030
  • Pearland located at 2701 Pearland Parkway, Suite 190, Pearland, TX 77581
June 14, 2016

102317Zoghbi175On May 31, The Shaw Prize Foundation in Hong Kong awarded the 2016 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine to pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Huda Y. Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and Ralph D. Feigin Professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

The award was presented jointly to Zoghbi and Dr. Adrian P. Bird, Buchanan professor of Genetics at the University of Edinburgh, for their groundbreaking discovery of the genes and the encoded proteins associated with Rett syndrome.

“I am humbled to be honored by the esteemed Shaw Prize Foundation,” Zoghbi said. “We will use this support to continue the research into how Rett syndrome affects the brain with the hope that our research will impact future treatment options.”

Rett syndrome is the leading cause of intellectual disabilities in girls, affecting one in 10,000, and is particularly devastating as girls affected by the syndrome develop normally for the first few months of life before a catastrophic decline in neurological capabilities.

The Shaw Prize is an international award established in 2002 designed to foster scientific research. Awarded annually, the Prize honors individuals who have achieved significant breakthroughs in academic and scientific research or applications, and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind.

Zoghbi will receive the award, along with Bird, at a ceremony later this year in Hong Kong. The $1.2 million prize will be shared by Bird and Zoghbi.

Zoghbi’s discovery that mutations in the MEPC2 gene cause this devastating neurological disorder paved the way for the development of a diagnostic genetic test for Rett syndrome.

June 7, 2016

6816ChronResearch640Each week, Texas Children’s publishes a newspaper ad and companion website featuring our milestones as part of the Houston Chronicle’s historic Houston Legends series.

Click here for this week’s feature.

6816StephenDavis175Stephen Davis, a pharmacy operations manager at Texas Children’s, was recently honored by the Auburn Alumni Association, Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, and the Office of Development as one of 14 recipients who received an Outstanding Alumni Achievement award.

This prestigious award recognizes recipients for outstanding achievements in their professional lives, personal integrity and stature, and service to the university.

“The Auburn Alumni Association is proud to be associated with these outstanding alumni, for both their achievements in their careers and their dedication to Auburn University,” said Jack Fite, president of the Auburn Alumni Association.”

Davis, who is also the program director for the PGY1/PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residency, has demonstrated leadership and vision in advancing the practice and profession of pharmacy and improving patient care. He received the 2015 Pharmacy Leadership Award from the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP). He has also been active in local, state, and national organizations. During his nearly six years of service at Texas Children’s, Davis has collaborated with colleagues to improve medication dose preparation safety, reduce medication waste, and enhance pharmacy productivity to ensure quality patient care.

Recipients were honored at a dinner and induction ceremony April 9 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

June 1, 2016

6116ChronicleEducationinside350Texas Children’s Hospital is proud to be a part of the Houston Chronicle’s 115th year celebration, which kicked off this week. To mark this occasion, the Houston Chronicle launched a six-month commemorative series that will tell the dramatic stories of Houston as “A City That Could.”

As part of this historic event, each daily publication of the Chronicle will feature an editorial section highlighting Houston’s iconic people, events, business, culture, medical and sciences, sports and major events.

Texas Children’s is the honored sponsor for every Tuesday’s “Houston Legends” series. For more than 20 weeks, we will showcase the legendary care Texas Children’s has provided since 1954, and focus on milestone moments in our unique history. Also, a complementary website offers a more detailed look at our past, our story and our breakthroughs.

On the right is the Texas Children’s ad that was featured in the Chronicle. Click the ad to visit our companion website at texaschildrens.org/legendarycare. The website will change weekly to complement the newspaper ad, which will be published in section A of the Chronicle on Tuesdays for the next 22 weeks. We also will spotlight this special feature weekly on Connect, so stay tuned to learn and share our rich history.

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.