September 16, 2019

The Food Allergy Day at The Health Museum was a huge success recently. The event touched more than 1,100 members of the Houston community who played at the unique exhibits and were educated about food allergy. This event neared the most highly attended Thursday Family Days the Health Museum has experienced!

The Houston Health Museum partnered with the Texas Children’s Hospital Food Allergy Program to host the day, which kicked off with Texas Children’s Food Allergy Program exhibits throughout the museum. These exhibits were designed, staged and manned by Texas Children’s Food Allergy Program team and members of the Texas Children’s Food Allergy Program Teen Advisory Board led by Daisy Tran. This program was coordinated by LaTanya Miles from the Museum and Christina Nance, PhD, from Texas Children’s.

Special recognition goes to Dr. Christina Nance for leading the expert panel, Drs. Sara Anvari and Katherine Anagnostou for providing expert advice on the panel, and Lauren Kronisch for giving dietary tips. The Food Allergy Program is grateful to the Kelly Family (Mercedes, Adriana and Alexander) who shared patient perspectives on living with food allergy and participation in research trials. Christina Cowperthwait was outstanding in helping the museum plan the event.

Special thanks go to several members of the Immunology Allergy Rheumatology team who participated in handing out flyers and engaging with families and special guests, including Theresa Aldape, Chivon McMullen Jackson, Ashley Reiland, Kathy Pitts, Larraine Lyter-Reed, Joel Oyibo, America Lueso, and Dr. Ivan Chinn.

John Arcidiacono, President and CEO of The Health Museum gave an introduction at the event and members of the Board of Directors were in attendance. It was a great day in the community of education and increased awareness about food allergies.

September 4, 2018

Thanks to a generous donation on behalf of the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, Texas Children’s was able to host a Peanut Allergy Friendly Day at the July 14 Houston Astros game against the Detroit Tigers. Eight families with children who are allergic to peanuts got to watch the game from an area filled with peanut-free foods.

Many children with allergies are not able to attend sporting events such as baseball games due to fear and anxiety of being exposed to foods such as peanuts. At an event like the Peanut Allergy Friendly Day, children with allergies can sit back, relax and really feel the energy and excitement we all experience when we attend an Astros game.

To learn more about allergies in children, sign up for Texas Children’s 5th annual Food Allergy Symposium. The event is from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 29, at the United Way Community Resource Center at 55 Waugh Drive, and will focus on educating the community about emerging therapies and new research initiatives. Experts will discuss the new Stock Epinephrine Bill, as well as practical coping strategies for children with established food allergies. We will have youth sessions for children and teens, a photo booth, live cooking demos from our clinical dietician, and interactive breakout sessions for caregivers. Register for this event here: www.texaschildrens.org/allergysymposium.

August 7, 2018

Texas Children’s recently convened the region’s first autoimmune encephalitis (AE) family day. Headlined by former NFL player Amobie Okoye, an AE survivor himself, the event was held on July 28 at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. Seventy family members, 23 AE patients and their siblings, and 20 volunteers from Texas and beyond made the day a rousing success.

Dr. Eyal Muscal and the division of Immunology/Allergy, Rheumatology & Retrovirology hosted a nurse and family panel as well as educational sessions by members of the neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation and behavioral health teams. Families also were able to form new connections and strengthen previous relationships formed via social media.

The goal of the event, titled Day of Hope, was to raise awareness of this spectrum of immune-mediated brain disorders. Plans are already underway for next year’s event, which will include adolescent AE health, transition to adult care, and needs of adult AE survivors.

December 19, 2017

Dr. Carla Davis has been appointed the new head of the Section of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology and Chief of the Allergy/Immunology Service in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Jordan Orange, who currently holds this position, will be leaving Texas Children’s to become the new Chair of Columbia University’s Department of Pediatrics. Until his departure in the Spring 2018, Orange will work closely with Davis to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

Davis earned an M.D. degree from Duke University Medical School in 1997. She completed pediatric residency training at Baylor and Texas Children’s, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in Allergy and Immunology (2001-2003) and HIV/AIDS Clinical Research (2000-2001 and 2003-2004). She joined the Baylor faculty as an assistant professor in 2005 and was promoted to associate professor in 2015. Davis is certified by both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. She is an internationally recognized authority and investigator in the field of food allergies.

“Under Dr. Davis’ leadership, I have no doubt that our outstanding programs in Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology will continue to flourish,” said Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Mark W. Kline. “Please join me in thanking Dr. Davis for her willingness to take on this important leadership role.”

Dr. Jordan Orange, professor of pediatrics and chief of the section of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine, and the director of the Center for Human Immunobiology at Texas Children’s, is the recipient of the 2018 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).

Each year, the O’Donnell Awards recognize rising Texas researchers who are addressing the essential role that science and technology play in society, and whose work meets the highest standards of exemplary professional performance, creativity and resourcefulness.

As a trailblazing innovator in modern medicine, Orange was recognized for his accomplishments in defining a new class of diseases, natural killer cell deficiencies. These diseases take place when the body’s built-in defenses against infections, pathogens and cancer are defective and prevent the body from being able to adequately fight back. His work has uncovered immune deficiencies and identified secrets of these disorders to improve diagnosis and treatment for patients, particularly children.

“Learning more about how natural killer cells work could have an important role in the therapy of some of the most vexing medical conditions that we face,” said Dr. Mark W. Kline, chair of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and physician-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital. “The potential of his work is just now beginning to manifest.”

“The TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards showcase the best and brightest among Texas researchers,” says TAMEST President Gordon England. “Their work is helping to advance science and open new pathways to discovery. We’re proud to recognize Dr. Jordan Orange for his achievements.”

Orange will be presented with this award at a special dinner and reception at the TAMEST annual conference on Thursday, January 11, in League City.

December 13, 2017

Dr. Carla Davis has been appointed the new head of the Section of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology and Chief of the Allergy/Immunology Service in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Jordan Orange, who currently holds this position, will be leaving Texas Children’s to become the new Chair of Columbia University’s Department of Pediatrics. Until his departure in the Spring 2018, Orange will work closely with Davis to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

Davis earned an M.D. degree from Duke University Medical School in 1997. She completed pediatric residency training at Baylor and Texas Children’s, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in Allergy and Immunology (2001-2003) and HIV/AIDS Clinical Research (2000-2001 and 2003-2004). She joined the Baylor faculty as an assistant professor in 2005 and was promoted to associate professor in 2015. Davis is certified by both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. She is an internationally recognized authority and investigator in the field of food allergies.

“Under Dr. Davis’ leadership, I have no doubt that our outstanding programs in Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology will continue to flourish,” said Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Mark W. Kline. “Please join me in thanking Dr. Davis for her willingness to take on this important leadership role.”

April 11, 2017

The Friends of the Baylor Faculty Wives Quilting Group visited with Dr. William Shearer, Terry Raburn, and Theresa Aldape to present quilts for newborns with perinatal exposure to HIV. The group formerly known as The Baylor Faculty Wives Quilting Group and now the daughters and granddaughters of the founding group are quilting beautiful quilts for the newborns seen at Texas Children’s Hospital. This group of quilters has been handcrafting colorful quilts and presenting them to Dr. Shearer for more than 25 years. Several of the quilts presented this year are in memory of Eileen Colquhoun who introduced her daughters to the quilt program and lovingly sewed many quilts herself throughout the years. Each quilt has “With Love and Comfort to You” written on the back panel, and it is signed with the first name of the quilter.

The quilting project known as the “Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt” emerged from a national project started in the mid-1980s, and it was presented across the country. When a loved one passed away due to the complications of AIDS, the family and friends would sew and dedicate a special quilt in their memory. The quilt panels were sewn together to show the increasing number of people who lost their battle to AIDS. Today, the quilt is the largest piece of community folk art in the world. People around the world continue to quilt blankets for newborns with HIV exposure and for children, adolescents, and adults living with HIV/AIDS.

This year the Friends of the Baylor Faculty Wives Quilting Group brought an array of beautifully handcrafted quilts for the newborns being tested for HIV, and seen in the Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology Department at Texas Children’s. We welcome the quilters every year and provide the quilts for newborns seen in the clinic or Clinical Research Center in the Abercrombie Building. The parents of newborns cherish their quilts, and we often see them with their treasured quilt blanket when they return for their appointments at Texas Children’s.

To quilt for newborns and children affected by HIV, please contact Theresa Aldape or call ext. 4-1385.