November 11, 2021

Dr Ananth Annapragada, vice chief of Research in the Edward B Singleton Department of Radiology, professor of Radiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology and program director of Basic Science Research at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, has been named as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Annapragada is one of 175 notable academic inventors to receive this honor. His election was announced at the end of 2020 and he was recently honored during the 10th Annual NAI Meeting in Tampa, Florida.

Among his many accolades, Annapragada is also a member of the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers and a standing member of the NIH Nanotechnology (NANO) Study Section. His research primarily focuses on the development of novel technologies to address driving biological and medical questions. The innovative technologies he and his team develop include imaging for various cancers and Alzheimer’s disease, 3D Bioprinting and computational biology such as artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

Annapragada holds several patents, including 15 in the United States and nearly 100 worldwide with the majority of them in next generation imaging technologies, CT vascular imaging and MR molecular imaging.

The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Election to NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, we want to recognize all the brave individuals in our Texas Children’s family for their service.

This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he takes a moment to honor and thank all veterans for their continued service to our country and to our organization. Read more

November 10, 2021

Take an in depth look at the coverage as national reporters went live at Texas Children’s on vaccination day. These stories are a must watch! Read more

November 9, 2021

Vaccination day at Texas Children’s saw thousands of children ages 5-11 lined up to receive their Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Check out the news coverage from around the globe! Read more

Thanks to the generosity of more than 300 philanthropy-minded golfers cheered on by our NICU nurses and volunteers and clad in the funkiest pants they could find, Texas Children’s now has an additional $400,000 to support the premature and critically ill babies in our care.

The money was raised at the 23rd annual RBC Bad Pants Open, a golf tournament that has generated more than $7 million in charitable donations since 1996 to enhance innovation and excellence in research, treatment and care of infants in Texas Children’s Newborn Center. The funds from this year’s event will also be used to hire an additional social worker to serve our patients and their families.

Adeline Stephen, a NICU nurse based at the Medical Center campus, was honored with the RBC Bad Pants Nurse of the Year Award for exceptional dedication and delivery of care.

“The great support we receive annually from the RBC Bad Pants Open is extremely inspiring to the entire Texas Children’s NICU team who work tirelessly to ensure brighter futures for our youngest patients,” said Dr. Kristina M. Reber, Chief of Neonatology. “The golfers and donors who support this remarkable tournament help us provide resources that are used to support our NICU families during a very stressful time, and we are truly grateful.”

Texas Children’s NICU is one of the largest of its kind in the country, and the first in the state to earn the Level IV designation that signals our ability to provide the highest level of care available. More than 1,900 babies are admitted to Texas Children’s each year, and more than 900 newborns receive care in the NICU.

For the Fuselier family, whose story was highlighted as part of the tournament, the journey through the Newborn Center started even before their son David as born. Diagnosed with a rare defect that caused a disconnection between his esophagus and stomach, David spent seven months at Texas Children’s – during which he had multiple surgeries and received state-of-the-art medical treatment from our highly specialized physicians.

“The NICU is a very sobering experience,” said Stacey Fuselier, David’s mom. “My nurses became my family and my saving grace. I can’t say enough good things about them. Our journey was a difficult one, but I never doubted we’d found the right care team. Even on the tough days, I was thankful that our baby could get better in a place as exceptional as Texas Children’s Newborn Center.”

For more from the tournament – including remarks from longtime NICU advocate and committee member Les Fox, whose now-adult twin daughters had an extended stay after being born 12 weeks early – click here.

This is the last week for 2022 Annual Enrollment. Please take a moment to explore our 2022 benefits offerings and make your elections conveniently online at www.texaschildrensbenefits.org by midnight, Friday, November 12.

To learn more about Annual Enrollment for this year, click here to watch the virtual benefits presentation held on Oct. 29. For additional enrollment assistance, you can also schedule in-person and Microsoft TEAMS online appointments with a member of our Benefits team.

Thank you for participating in Annual Enrollment.