February 18, 2014
Name Department
Chaddick, Adrienne West Campus – Orthopedics/Sports Medicine
Collins, Kenita Texas Children’s Cancer Center
Cowart, Tomika West Campus – Inpatient Floor 3
De La Torre, Genesis Residents’ Primary Care Group, General Medicine, Retrovirology Clinics
Harkrider, William The Center – Greenspoint
Hudspeth, David Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
King, Steve Facilities Operations
Lane, Vicki Texas Children’s Heart Center
LeBlanc, Andrew Nursing
Nguyen, Tammy Human Resources
Rhodes, Amanda West Campus – Emergency Center
Slaughter, Kenny Progressive Care Unit
Tekie, Mihret Facilities Operations
Wiesenburger, Ashley Food and Nutrition Services
Wooland, Jennifer West Campus – Orthopedics/Sports Medicine
Young, Yolan West Campus – Pathology
February 11, 2014

 

21214arnoldcollage640As director of Texas Children’s Simulation Center and a neonatologist at Texas Children’s Newborn Center, Dr. Jennifer Arnold is a respected health care professional. But she’s no stranger to the patient side of health care, having dealt with complications from dwarfism throughout her life.

Last year, Arnold became pregnant, and the pregnancy turned into a rare but aggressive type of cancer of the uterus. In September, Arnold was diagnosed with stage 3 choriocarcinoma. The diagnosis suddenly sent her back into the world of receiving care, rather than giving it.

“I have a unique perspective in that I’ve been a patient so many times before,” Arnold said. “But having cancer leads to a little more trepidation and uncertainty. I was in that rare position of being vulnerable and knowing all the things that can go wrong.”

Due to her short stature, Arnold’s case made it somewhat challenging for doctors to determine the correct chemotherapy dosage. Her small airway meant further complications, all of which may have been tough for an adult hospital to manage. Because of her special circumstances, Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline decided that although Arnold is an adult, Texas Children’s should take her case.

Dr. Diaz-Arrastia of Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women and Dr. Chintagumpala from Texas Children’s Cancer Center teamed up to develop a plan that included chemotherapy and removing the primary tumor. They researched intensely to find the proper dosage and ensured there was always someone on-call who could manage Arnold’s airway. Texas Children’s Drs. Nancy Glass, Jodi Muscal, David Poplack and Kim-Phuong Thi Nguyen also played key roles in her care.

“I felt so much better than I would have at an adult hospital, because I’m a different circumstance,” Arnold said. “If I wasn’t at Texas Children’s I would have been 10 times more scared. But I know the doctors and nurses here, and I know how much they care. They were so on top of things, and I’m very appreciative of how everyone came together to help.”

The perk of being surrounded not only by family and friends, but by her work family, too, delighted Arnold. Colleagues came to visit her during treatment, dropping by to show support, and even had meetings during Arnold’s hospitalization to keep her updated on projects in the Simulation and Newborn Centers.

“I’m so blessed to have a lot of friends and colleagues at the hospital,” Arnold said. “It made me feel more connected to my life.”

Arnold also notes that it was the support of her husband, Bill, two adopted children, Will, and Zoey, and her parents, who helped keep her smiling and energized during her treatment. With six rounds of chemotherapy and the surgery behind her, Arnold is rejoicing in the news that her cancer has gone into remission. She is beginning to regain her stamina and looking forward to coming back to work in early March.

“Taking care of babies is the most physically exhausting part of my job, and I can’t wait until I’m ready for that again in a few weeks,” she said. “There are so many exciting projects that we were in the middle of when I got the diagnosis, and I’m really eager to pick up where I left off. Overall though, I’m just definitely looking forward to getting back to normal life.”

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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What’s better than having passion for the mission and knowing your spouse is in the same boat? It’s like a real life reality show for many couples at Texas Children’s who get to see their loved ones not just after hours but sometimes even run into them serendipitously around the organization.

Dr. George Mallory and his wife Debbie, Dr. Larry Hollier and his wife Dr. Lisa Hollier along with Tony Sanders and his wife Regina Barnett-Sanders tell us what it’s like to see your spouse around the halls or even ride to work together. Plus an update from last year’s engaged couples, newlyweds Tarra Kerr and Dan Christopher along with Sarah and Aaron Solis talk about their weddings and the moments they shared with their coworkers that made their special days memorable.

If you and your loved one work together and want to make sure you’re featured next year, send an email to connect news.

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.”

Jillian Young shares what it meant to have her child be on the receiving end of donor milk and why she hopes you will consider donating:

When you find yourself and your baby in the NICU like I did, it can be a very scary time. As a parent, you often feel helpless and aren’t really able to do much to help your child except love on him and feed him. When my body did not cooperate with producing enough milk to feed Henry every three hours, I felt so guilty. The one thing I was supposed to be able to do, I could not. Fortunately Henry was in the NICU at Texas Children’s and became a recipient of donor milk from the Texas Children’s Milk Bank. This service was offered to us once our nurse became aware that I was not able to produce enough milk to feed him every 3 hours. I jumped at the chance to have a donor supplement what I was unable to provide. With him being so tiny and every feeding really counting, I felt a great sense of relief once he was receiving donor milk for most of his feedings. I was so thankful to the lady for taking time so that Henry was able to receive such great nutrients. We live in a society right now that promotes breast milk as being the best source for babies. Given Henry’s situation I wanted to take every measure possible to make sure he got all the nutrients he needed to gain weight and strength.

After months of pumping every 3 hours since Henry would only take milk from bottles, I had a new respect for milk donors. Not only are they most likely feeding their own children, a grueling task in itself, but they are taking the time and effort to pump extra milk for complete strangers! I think it is such a selfless act that impacts parents like me who feel helpless when they can’t feed their child.

With baby #2 on the way, I am praying that breastfeeding goes smoothly and she will not end up in the NICU like her big brother. However, if that is the case, I am happy to know she will be able to receive donor milk in order to help her in the beginning stages of her life. I also have every intention to donate milk myself if I am able. If I can ease a mother’s mind and take away any guilt she may be feeling, I feel it is worth the extra time and effort. After hearing Henry was a recipient of donor milk, my friend became a milk donor to Texas Children’s milk bank since she produced too much! I LOVE that she was able to do that and I hope to follow in her footsteps. If you are thinking about donating you should! Being on the receiving side of milk donation, it really is immeasurable how much it helps a family and most importantly how much it helps these tiny babies!

To find out how you can become a donor, visit: texaschildrens.org/milk