May 19, 2025

Texas Children’s has been a proud partner of the Houston Texans for the past 10 years. As we celebrate this milestone, the Houston Texans mascot, TORO, has been nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame. He is being recognized for his outstanding performance and dedication to the Texans and our community. This is the highest honor for a mascot, and you can cast your vote to help him win. 

  • Visit www.mascothalloffame.com to vote once per day
  • Voting is open through May 24

  • Inductees will be announced in June.

About TORO:

  • TORO is best known for his high-flying stunts and prank videos. He was named NFL Mascot of the Year in 2021 and has been selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times.
     
  • Over the last three years, TORO has brought home five awards at the annual NFL Mascot Summit, including Social Media Presence of the Year, Skit of the Year, Video of the Year and Stunt of the Year.
     
  • There are 28 nominees this year representing 11 major league teams, five minor league team, 12 collegiate teams.
May 16, 2025

Hospital Week began in 1921 as a time to reflect on the role that hospitals and healthcare workers play in our world. “From our clinicians to our support staff and administrative professionals, every single one of you makes a difference,” said President and CEO Dr. Debra F. Sukin in a recent email.

We’re celebrating you—the incredible team delivering world-class care in our hospitals! To add a little cheer to your day, hospital-based employees are invited to pick up a bottle of soda or a small cup of drip coffee from the cafeterias and coffee bars on the following dates: 

  • Friday, May 16 | Noon – 9pm
  • Saturday, May 17 | 4 – 8pm 

Employees need only show their badge to redeem their drink at coffee bistros or cafeterias. Only one drink will be allowed per badge.

Hospital Week Photo Challenge

We will also host a photo challenge during Hospital Week! We encourage team members to take pictures by the balloon columns and step-and-repeat backdrops at the following locations: 

  • Medical Center: Bistro near the yogurt machine in PFW
  • The Woodlands: Main lobby in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window
  • West Campus: Main lobby near the windows by the chairs and tables
  • Austin: Second floor atrium

The categories will be Most TCH Spirit, Best Team Photo and Most Creative. Three winning submissions will receive fun prizes, like a team pizza party or Texas Children’s branded softshell jacket.

Send your photos to the Texas Children’s Communications (tcc@texaschildrens.org) inbox by end of day Saturday, May 17. Winners will be notified via email the following week.

Thank you to each and every one of you working hard to make our hospitals a safe, welcome and healing place for our patients and their families.

The Kinder Foundation is donating $150 million to Texas Children’s Hospital and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to support a joint pediatric oncology program that will eventually move into a new building in the Texas Medical Center.

The joint pediatric oncology program, announced in February, unites a pair of Houston health care titans who have long been leaders in their respective specialties. It will allow the hospitals to collaborate and share resources, including access to treatments and clinical trials.

“We are the top children’s hospital in the country, and when you have an opportunity to work with the top cancer hospital in the country for this bold mission, I can see nothing more exciting,” Texas Children’s president and CEO Debra Sukin said of the partnership.

Click here to read the Houston Chronicle article.

Texas Children’s Hospital and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced in a May 14 news release that a $150 million donation from the Kinder Foundation will officially kickstart efforts to build a new comprehensive cancer center focused exclusively on children.

Located on the 6700 block of Main Street in the Texas Medical Center, the new Kinder Children’s Cancer Center will include inpatient beds, ambulatory care and research labs.

The center will also focus on generating more cures for cancer by accelerating drug development and clinical trial programs to address unmet needs for children. According to the release, the collaboration is anticipated to offer more trials for children with cancer than any other institution, helping speed the pace of progress.

“Our state-of-the-art facility will expand access for children in need of the most advanced care, accelerate clinical research, education and training, and ultimately create a comprehensive program equipped to lead the global fight against childhood cancer,” Debra Sukin, president and CEO of Texas Children’s, said in the release. “At Texas Children’s, our team is committed to solving the unsolvable every day, and thanks to Kinder Foundation and our collaboration with MD Anderson, we have the support to do so for many generations to come.”

Click here to read the full story. 

Houston-based Texas Children’s Hospital and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have received a $150 million gift from Kinder Foundation. 

“This historic gift is a testament to the vision and future impact of our groundbreaking collaboration with UT MD Anderson and our shared mission of eradicating pediatric cancer,” Texas Children’s President and CEO Debra Sukin, PhD, said in a May 14 news release. “Our state-of-the-art facility will expand access for children in need of the most advanced care, accelerate clinical research, education and training and ultimately create a comprehensive program equipped to lead the global fight against childhood cancer.”

Click here to read the article.

May 14, 2025

Tonight, with UT MD Anderson, we unveiled a transformational donation from Kinder Foundation. Their $150 million gift, the largest philanthropic gift in Texas Children’s history and one of the largest nationally for a pediatric hospital, will enable the creation of our newly named Kinder Children’s Cancer Center.

We plan to launch the combined program in early 2026 and soon will break ground on a world-class facility on Main Street that will be connected via Sky Bridge to our Texas Children’s campus.

Watch this video to learn more about the exciting developments.
 

There will be many milestones to celebrate along the way as we work to achieve our single mission: to end childhood cancer.

May 12, 2025

Hospital Week began in 1921 as a time to reflect on the role that hospitals and healthcare workers play in our world. “From our clinicians to our support staff and administrative professionals, every single one of you makes a difference,” said President and CEO Dr. Debra F. Sukin in a recent email.

We’re celebrating you—the incredible team delivering world-class care in our hospitals! To add a little cheer to your day, hospital-based employees are invited to pick up a bottle of soda or a small cup of drip coffee from the cafeterias and coffee bars on the following dates: 

  • Friday, May 16 | Noon – 9pm
  • Saturday, May 17 | 4 – 8pm 

Employees need only show their badge to redeem their drink at coffee bistros or cafeterias. Only one drink will be allowed per badge.

Hospital Week Photo Challenge

We will also host a photo challenge during Hospital Week! We encourage team members to take pictures by the balloon columns and step-and-repeat backdrops at the following locations: 

  • Medical Center: Bistro near the yogurt machine in PFW
  • The Woodlands: Main lobby in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window
  • West Campus: Main lobby near the windows by the chairs and tables
  • Austin: Second floor atrium

The categories will be Most TCH Spirit, Best Team Photo and Most Creative. Three winning submissions will receive fun prizes, like a team pizza party or Texas Children’s branded softshell jacket.

Send your photos to the Texas Children’s Communications (tcc@texaschildrens.org) inbox by end of day Saturday, May 17. Winners will be notified via email the following week.

Thank you to each and every one of you working hard to make our hospitals a safe, welcome and healing place for our patients and their families.