June 22, 2018

Cancer Center Director Dr. David Poplack was recognized as a Hometown Hero at the June 20 Houston Astros game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros Hometown Heroes Program recognizes people from the Houston area who have helped their community in extraordinary ways.

Poplack has served as the director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers since 1993. Since his arrival, the Texas Children’s Cancer Center has 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 over 180 faculty members, 1,000 employees, 100,000 square feet of lab space and $50 million in annual external grant funding.

Congratulations Dr. Poplack!

June 19, 2018

Dr. Zhandong Liu, assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and researcher at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s has received a distinguished service award from the International Association for Intelligent Biology and Medicine (IAIBM).

As a non-profit organization, the IAIBM’s mission is to promote bioinformatics, systems biology and intelligent computing among scientists of diverse backgrounds through discussion, network communication, collaborations and education.

The Liu laboratory has developed many new software tools (e.g. MARRVEL and CRISPRcloud) that have helped biomedical scientists analyze complex bioinformatics data faster and with ease. In addition, Liu’s collaborations with neuroscientists have led to many important biological discoveries that have far-reaching implications for various neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Mingshan Xue, assistant professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine and a researcher with the NRI at Texas Children’s has been awarded the prestigious 2018 McKnight Scholar Award.

The McKnight Scholar Awards are granted to young scientists who are in the early stages of establishing their own independent laboratories and research careers and who have demonstrated a commitment to neuroscience.

Out of 64 applicants, Xue was one of six awardees. The recipients were chosen for their creativity, technological, precise and rigorous new approaches to overcome barriers in answering long-standing neuroscience questions.

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience is an independent organization funded solely by the McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis, Minn., and led by a board of prominent neuroscientists from around the country. Each of the six McKnight Scholar Award recipients receives $75,000 per year for three years.

Dr. Hsiao-Tuan Chao, a child neurologist and postdoctoral researcher at the NRI, has been awarded the highly-competitive 2018 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists.

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities. The main goals of this fund are to help early-stage scientists develop into independent scientists and to advance undervalued areas of basic biomedical research. To fulfill that mission, the Career Award for Medical Scientists provides $700,000 of research funding spread over five years to physician-scientists who are currently receiving advanced postdoctoral/fellowship training. This award is intended to help physician-scientists embark on independent academic careers.

Chao, who is also an instructor in the department of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, associate program director of the child neurology residency program and clinical child neurologist, is one of the 13 physician-scientists from leading academic institutions in the US to receive this honor in 2018. This award will help Chao establish an independent research program to understand the mechanisms underlying transcriptional dysregulation of inhibitory signaling pathways in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.

Earlier this year the Houston Business Journal’s 2018 Landmark Awards selected it’s winners for the top commercial real estate projects in Houston. Our very own Texas Children’s Hospital, The Woodlands campus, won in the medical category.

On April 19, the winners were revealed at the highly anticipated awards ceremony. Finalists and winners of all categories were announced and awarded on stage in front of the top individuals in the commercial real estate community. According to The Houston Business Journal, entries were judged on impact to Houston, such as job creation, innovation, best use of land, site plan, and development of surrounding neighborhoods, visual plan, amenities and being environmentally friendly. Attendees of the event received copies of the Landmark Awards section, as well as the April 20th paper, and winners received crystal trophies engraved with the organization’s name and category.

“Receiving this year’s Landmark Award for the medical category was the perfect way to celebrate our one-year anniversary,” said Trent Johnson, Assistant Vice President of The Woodlands campus. “It is truly the perfect ending to our first year which has been an incredible story of success with Texas Children’s offering world-class care, close to home for patients and families in our community.”

Nominations were open to all real estate projects completed in the greater Houston area from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. In all, there were 54 projects in 16 categories in the running for this year’s awards. Our medical competitors were Legacy Community Health Fifth Ward Clinic and University of Houston Health 2 Building.

“The honor of having Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands campus win in the medical category told me two things – we’ve created a significant landmark and we’ve made an impact to the Houston area landscape, not only physically, but functionally,” said Jill Pearsall, Vice President of Facilities Planning and Development. “The success of the campus gives me a sense of pride and humility.”

June 12, 2018

As Texas Children’s continues to expand its physical footprint as a leader in pediatric care, Texas Children’s Neurology Program is growing by leaps and bounds. As one of the largest pediatric neurology service providers in the nation, more than 30,000 patient encounters occur each year at Texas Children’s Neuroscience Center.

Ranked No. 4 nationally in neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report, patients are treated for a number of neurological conditions in our 13 specialty clinics including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Rett syndrome, Batten disease and movement disorders. Many patient families are referred to Texas Children’s for our integrated expertise and multidisciplinary team approach in diagnosing and treating childhood neurological disorders. Recently, the Neurology division expanded its services with the opening of the Angleman Syndrome Clinic to treat children with this very rare, neurogenetic disorder.

“Over the last decade, our neuroscience programs have experienced phenomenal growth,” said Chief of Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience Dr. Gary Clark. “In 2004, the division had 5,000 patient encounters per year. Since then, we have more than quadrupled our patient encounters to 31,500 in 2017. More than half of these patients are seen in the community, allowing for greater access to care.”

In 2017, the neurology service received 1,300 new patient referrals each month which is a 30 percent increase from last year. To meet the increased demand for these services and to accommodate the growing patient population, the pediatric neurology division faculty expanded from 9 to 52 neurologists.

While enhancing access to patient care remains a top priority for Texas Children’s, one way the Neurology service is helping to achieve this collaborative milestone is through the implementation of telemedicine, an interactive telecommunications system that uses real-time video technology to link patients with their primary care and specialty providers. Instead of making the trek to the Texas Medical Center, patients can now “see” their neurologist without ever leaving their primary care clinic.

“Through an HRSA grant, we have seen children with epilepsy in one of our medical homes via this new technology and completed more visits than any other grant recipient,” said Brian Cordasco, practice administrator for Neurology. “This successful experiment will serve as a blueprint for future growth of telemedicine at Texas Children’s. Six faculty offices are now equipped with telemedicine capabilities.”

To balance outpatient services with the increasing demand for inpatient care, the Neurology Service has also developed an inpatient service rotation for physicians at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. Just like Texas Children’s Medical Center Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, neurologists and epileptologists take turns working out of clinic to take neurology consults at the hospital.

Partnerships advance clinical research in neurology

The neurology division’s partnership with the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s under the leadership of Dr. Huda Zoghbi also has helped to advance clinical and basic science research leading to the development of new treatments for neuro and developmental disabilities.

Nearly $185 million has been raised to build and partially endow the NRI, and the hospital’s long-time philanthropic partner, The Blue Bird Circle, has raised funds (initial gift $1M for four years) to form and partially endow the Blue Bird Circle Clinical Research Center in which NRI discoveries are realized through clinical trials.

The Blue Bird Circle has been the catalyst for so much of what has happened in pediatric neurology in the past 20 years at Texas Children’s. Clinical research protocols have grown from 9 to 63 over the 8-year existence of the Blue Bird Circle CRC. The Blue Bird Circle has raised in excess of $1.2 million annually to directly fund clinical treatment, training and research in pediatric neurology at Texas Children’s.

Through these collaborative research partnerships, the neurology team has made significant progress:

  • Texas Children’s is one of the few sites in the country that provides therapy to patients with an enzyme deficiency in the form of Batten disease by surgically injecting the synthesized enzyme directly into the brain thereby halting this degenerative form of Batten disease.
  • Texas Children’s treats patients with spinal muscular atrophy, a disease where the spinal cord degenerates due to a defective SMN1 gene. This treatment involves injecting a DNA molecule into the spinal fluid that turns a latent gene into an effective one that makes the deficient protein.

“We are contemplating similar treatments for Angelman and Rhett syndromes,” Clark said. “We are so grateful to Texas Children’s Blue Bird Circle Research Center in collaboration with the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s for helping us make these research breakthroughs possible, and I am excited about what the future will hold for pediatric neurology.”

A little more than one year after opening the doors of the hospital to its first patient, hundreds of new and recent hires at The Woodlands attended their first Mark A. Wallace New Employee Pep Rally – waving red pompoms and foam fingers, nodding along to classic dance music, noshing on refreshments and enjoying the opportunity to meet, greet and even snap photos with Mr. Wallace himself.

Modeled after the Texas Children’s Hi new employee orientation, the energetic pep rally format has replaced the more traditional reception that Mr. Wallace has hosted for decades. The rally gives new employees the chance to become better acquainted with Texas Children’s and connect with executives and leaders in an informal and festive atmosphere.

“Mr. Wallace is really personable and everyone is so down to earth,” said Nicole Bolden, an ambulatory service representative II in Developmental Therapy who attended the rally with her colleague, Adina Clay. “You can see why Texas Children’s has such a good culture and reputation in the community.”

With nearly 450 new employees to be celebrated at The Woodlands and his own goal to personally introduce himself to each of them, Mr. Wallace hosted two rallies back to back.

“It means a lot to have our first pep rallies here and give our employees a warm welcome,” said Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown, who also serves as President of The Woodlands. “Our first year has been phenomenal, and it’s our people and our staff who have made The Woodlands so successful for the patients and families we see every day.”

In congratulating the team for the “grand slam” success of The Woodlands thus far and describing Texas Children’s ongoing efforts to expand access and care to even more children and families at the Legacy Tower and in Austin and Central Texas, Mr. Wallace thanked the new employees for supporting each other and working so hard to meet the needs of those we serve.

He also encouraged each new employee to give serious thought to their own personal definition of leadership, reminding them of his top two maxims: that leadership always influences and determines outcomes, and that leadership applies to everyone. Leadership is the reason that Texas Children’s has grown and achieved so much in just the 29 short years since he joined the organization, he said.

“Everyone has to lead; that’s part of our culture here,” Mr. Wallace said. “You’re all leaders, not just the people with a certain title or rank. We want to create a culture of empowerment. We want to listen to you. We want your ideas. We want you to lead. This unfolding story at Texas Children’s keeps happening and we all get to be part of it.”

For Brittnie Wright, a senior administrative assistant who was part of the team that helped bring the vision for The Woodlands to life, the fun and warmth of the pep rally and meeting Mr. Wallace underscored why she enjoys being part of the Texas Children’s family.

“I genuinely love it here. I love my leaders and I love my co-workers,” Wright said. “There’s a certain pride when people see you with that Texas Children’s badge because it stands for something. It makes me feel good to know that we are here for a purpose and we are fulfilling this purpose. We are really helping people in this community.”

The famous quote “creativity takes courage” exemplifies the all-around essence of 20-year-old Jailyne España, a bone marrow transplant patient at Texas Children’s. She has used her artistic ability to soothe her physical pain during the treatment process, as well as uplift other patients.

“It was very therapeutic, I felt rotten during treatment,” said España. “To do something beautiful and see it come to life on paper, made this so much better.”

On June 1, España was approached by the unit’s child life specialist about allowing her work to be presented in the bone marrow transplant unit. Upon her agreement, over a dozen meticulous original pieces of her art were placed on the walls with a small description, to inspire other outpatients, their families and employees.

On a table just as you walk through the doors of the hall were color pencils and paper, available for patients to show their drawing skills; but most importantly, take their minds off any negativity or pain that they have or will encounter.

“I did this because I wanted them know that they are not alone, and so they can feel validated,” she said. “I want them to focus on positive energy. It doesn’t necessarily have to be art, they just should choose something they can focus on.”

España was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on April 20, 2016, and had a bone marrow transplant in July of the following year.

“I’ve relapsed twice,” said España. “But today I am very happy to say that I’m 100 percent cancer free.”

She started drawing at a young age, stopped when she became a teen, and then regained her love for art around the time she was diagnosed.

“Throughout my treatment I use art as an outlet for all the emotions that I can’t put into words,” she said. “I use art to turn something painful into something beautiful.”

Last year, she submitted one of her pieces to Making A Mark, and eventually her dreams came true when she was announced as the recipient of the purple ribbon recognition.

Making A Mark is an exhibition of art and creative writing by children touched by cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer and Hematology Centers. This widely cherished project is presented by The Periwinkle Foundation, an organization that develops and provides programs that positively change the lives of children, who are challenged by cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

The purple ribbon pieces are selected by a panel of judges from the art and business community. The judges are asked to select pieces that they feel carry a message of positive awareness of childhood cancer and blood disorders.

Diana Sanchez is a visiting artist who works with Texas Children’s patients to help them express their feelings in a creative method that is, at times, highly therapeutic. She met España a year ago and has been incredibly impressed with her talent.

“Quickly I realized that her creative intelligence was evident in her imagery and painting techniques,” said Sanchez. “She has been able to access from her soul to transform her feelings and words into forms, figures, and colors. Her honesty and humility shines through in her and in her art. She is a true artist.”

In the Fall España will be embarking on another pivotal journey as she starts her college matriculation at The University of Houston, as a music major and visual arts minor.

Chief of Plastic Surgery Dr. Edward Buchanan recently read “The Tale of Fenny Fox: The Mental Ninja Emerges” to patients in the library at Texas Children’s Hospital in the Medical Center. Buchanan and his brother Matthew Buchanan published the children’s book as the third installment in a series called the Mental Ninja Series.

The first two books of the series, “The Adventures of the Prickly Pear and the Happy Hoglet: Beginning the Journey of the Mental Ninja” and “Pit Bully: The Mental Ninja Awakens,” introduce readers to a world of characters focused on understanding themselves, their feeling and the control they have over their emotions.

In “The Tale of Fenny Fox: The Mental Ninja Emerges,” the journey continues, with the introduction to more characters and a message about the beauty of differences and the importance those differences play in people’s lives.

For more information about Buchanan’s book series, click here.