March 25, 2014

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March 21, 2013 was the day our relationship with Texas Children’s Hospital changed. My husband, Matt, and I are both employees at the hospital, so Texas Children’s is very near and dear to us. We have enjoyed our many years serving our patients and working with the wonderful employees of this organization. I have been a nurse here for 16 years and my husband has worked here for 13 years, currently in the Texas Children’s Heart Center. We’ve spent so many days throughout the years walking the halls of Texas Children’s doing what we love, but on March 21 we realized we were going to be experiencing the hospital as parents, not just as employees.

Luke, our unborn son had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect – coarctation of the aorta. The fetal cardiac imaging team at Texas Children’s detected this defect through a fetal echocardiogram. This enabled them to see the function of Luke’s tiny heart, at just 22 weeks gestation! Although in disbelief, we were thankful for this early detection as it was critical for many reasons. Not only did it help the medical teams plan for Luke’s delivery, but it also allowed Matt and me to ask questions and fully understand the defect and how it might impact him. Even though we work in health care, we had so many questions and were increasingly anxious about the health of our son. Between our wonderful OB, Dr. Kimberly Bobo, at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, and the Heart Center and Fetal Center teams, we felt less anxious and certainly very prepared for the possibilities. We were comforted by the countless support staff and multidisciplinary experts we worked with for the months leading up to Luke’s birth. We were never treated as if our questions and concerns were naive and always felt as if each person we encountered was giving us their full attention and compassion for our situation.

As Luke’s birthdate neared, our excitement, as well as our fears grew – the unknown factors were many, but we knew that his care teams were as prepared as possible to handle any situation. His delivery was uneventful (thank goodness!) and there was a NICU team on hand to start his care immediately. He spent a few days in the NICU being monitored closely. Luckily, he remained stable and after a reassuring echocardiogram, we were sent home. It wasn’t until our one month follow up appointment that we learned the narrowing in his aortic arch had worsened and it was time for surgery.

No parent should ever have to experience their child going through heart surgery and the related recovery. It can be a frightening experience and one that we hope to never have to go through again. That being said, the team of experts at Texas Children’s who cared for Luke is among the best in the country. We found comfort in knowing that this is a very typical day for the surgical and medical teams who cared for Luke as they encounter highly complex cardiac patients on a daily basis and perform high volumes of surgical procedures just like Luke’s frequently. We knew he was in the best hands possible for a positive outcome.

32514TimmonsB640After a very long day of waiting while Luke was in the operating room, we learned his surgery was extremely successful and spent the next several days recovering with him in the cardiovascular intensive care and cardiac acute care units. Luke had an uneventful recovery period so we were able to take him home just a few days after his surgery. Since that time, we have been followed by his cardiologist and Luke is currently a very happy, healthy 7 month old boy.

We are so thankful for the numerous individuals who looked after Luke during this phase of his life and who continue to ensure he remains healthy. One of the reasons Texas Children’s is so remarkable is the sheer number of clinical and technical experts who are involved in the care of just one child. From cardiology, congenital heart surgery, obstetrics, maternal fetal medicine, cardiac imaging, critical care, and acute care, Luke encountered truly inspiring individuals who are experts in the care of children with congenital heart disease. As a parent, it is almost hard to believe that so many experts are available to us to care for our child. As fellow employees, we are proud to be a part of the amazing team at Texas Children’s and know that we are providing this level of care and compassion to all patients and families.

You can learn more about Luke’s journey by watching this video.

March 18, 2014

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Texas Children’s Hospital has established a new, first-of-its-kind Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship program. The inaugural class of four physician assistants – Lesley Davies, Jackie Guarino, Caitlin Justus and Cassie Mueller – officially started their fellowship on January 20.

The fellowship is a 12-month didactic and clinical program designed to extensively train physician assistants to become leaders in all areas of pediatric surgery.

The fellows’ two-week orientation period has featured training sessions, discussions about patient satisfaction, quality outcomes, research and child abuse awareness and special meetings with Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO, Charles D. Fraser, surgeon-in-chief, and the surgical faculty, among others.

On February 3, the fellows started their month-long rotations through each of the full spectrum of pediatric surgical subspecialties including: cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, general surgery, urology, otolaryngology, plastic and craniofacial surgery, as well as trauma services. After completing nine rotations, the fellows will have the opportunity to select the one area they want to focus on and will receive two additional months of training in that field.

In addition, the fellows will complete one month of research and participate in multiple community outreach projects, including career fairs at schools, wellness fairs and community service programs, such as Habitat for Humanity.

Leading the program is Dr. Larry Hollier, chief of plastic surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital and medical director of the fellowship program, Ryan Krasnosky, program director, and Brenda J. Davis, fellowship coordinator.

Lesley Warriner Davies, MPAS, PA-C:
Lesley is excited to be team leader of the first class of Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship program. She received her B.F.A in Ballet Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma in 2006 and danced professionally in Dallas and Austin. She then obtained her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2013. Lesley is from the Houston area and currently lives in Dickinson with her husband where they enjoy cycling and spending time with family and friends. She is a member of the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants and the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Jackie Guarino, MPAS, PA-C:
Jackie is a fourth generation Houstonian and a 2009 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Houston. She completed her B.S. in Allied Health in three years and obtained her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in 2013. During her clinical years at BCM, Jackie rotated through Texas Children’s Hospital in General Surgery and GI/Liver service and is excited to be back as a member of the first class of the Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship program. Jackie currently resides in Houston and enjoys spending time with her large family and friends and her chocolate and yellow lab dogs, cooking, Crossfit and volunteering.

Caitlin Justus, MPAS, PA-C:
Caitlin graduated from Texas A&M University at College Station in 2011 with a B.S. in Allied Health, graduating cum laude. She received her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2013. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Texas Academy of Physician Assistants. Caitlin currently resides in West Houston with her husband and enjoys activities with her church, exercising, reading and serving others. She is a proud member of the first class of the Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship program and looks forward to an exciting year ahead.

Cassandra Mueller, MPAS, PA-C:
Cassie is originally from Andover, Minnesota, and received her B.A. in physiology from the University of Minnesota in 2010. Cassie graduated from the Interservice Physician Assistant Program of Fort Sam Houston in 2013 (the U.S. Military’s Physician Assistant Program). She continues to serve in the Minnesota National Guard as a physician assistant and enjoys running marathons. She is excited about the opportunity to be in the first Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship program and looks forward to becoming a Texan.

February 11, 2014

The Department of Surgery at Texas Children’s is excited to announce the 2014 Surgical Seed Grant Award recipients. These grants, of up to $50,000 per project, will allow surgery researchers to generate the preliminary data necessary for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications and other extramural funding. For more information please visit: texaschildrens.org/surgery.

Established in 2011, these awards were designed primarily to support researchers in the early stages of their data collection necessary to submit successful grant applications to the NIH. The Surgical Seed Grant Committee, chaired by Dr. Jed Nuchtern, chief of Pediatric Surgery, and Matt Girotto, assistant vice president in the Department of Surgery, encourages both junior and senior faculty to submit applications for new areas of research.

In total, more than $270,000 in grants will be awarded to eight researches representing various surgical subspecialties including: general surgery, otolaryngology, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, plastic surgery and urology. The recipients, along with the titles of their projects are:

  • Dr. Jennifer Dietrich: The Relationship Between Paratubal Cysts, Hyperandrogenism and Obesity
  • Dr. Nicolette Janzen: Minimizing VCUG Discomfort with Neuromodulation
  • Dr. David Khechoyan: Evaluation of Outcomes in Craniosynostosis Surgery
  • Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria: Utility of Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Dr. Julina Ongkasuwan: Evaluation of Pediatric Vocal Fold Nodules Using Ultrasound
  • Dr. Abhishek Seth: Identification of Urinary Inflammation-Specific DNA Methylation Markers to Aid in Early Prediction of Severe Hemorrhagic Cystitis
  • Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan: MDM4- A Potential Therapeutic Target for Hepatoblastoma
  • Dr. Ashley Wenaas: Utility of Accelerometers in Cochlear Implant Surgery

“This was a banner year for seed grant applicants as we not only had a record number of requests but we also saw a distinctive increase in outcomes related research desires,” says Nuchtern, who is also professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. “In recognition and support of the clinical outcomes related submissions, we are working closely with Texas Children’s Outcomes and Impact Service to develop a mechanism to provide support to those important and worthy submissions.”

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21214drmilewicz640Dr. Allen L. Milewicz has been appointed chief of community surgery at West Campus. Milewicz, whose appointment was effective January 6, will continue his role as assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM).

As a leader in the field of pediatric surgery for more than 20 years, Milewicz has distinguished himself in his academic, clinical and research roles. His primary research focus is on cardiac surgery, liver transplantation, and hepatobiliary disorders. Additionally, Milewicz has advanced training and extensive experience in skeletal malformations of the chest and in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

In his new role, Milewicz will be responsible for organizing Texas Children’s surgery within the community, focusing on Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Health Centers.

“Dr. Milewicz’s leadership will be vital to the expansion of the Department of Surgery and to meeting our mission of providing surgical care to children in need,” said Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr., surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor of surgery and pediatrics at BCM. “He will be a tremendous asset to our renowned surgical team.”

Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Milewicz received his undergraduate degree from City College of New York and earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completed his general surgery residency program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

“Throughout my tenure at Texas Children’s, I’ve always been honored to be part of a world renowned surgical team. I’m excited to have the opportunity to take on this new leadership role,” said Milewicz. “My focus is to grow Texas Children’s community enterprise while ensuring that each patient receives the experience, expertise, and clinical outcomes for which Texas Children’s is known.”