Amber and Cameron Goff were surprised to learn they were pregnant with identical triplet boys. The boys shared a placenta and were in two amniotic sacs and would need to undergo a complex procedure to save their lives.
Dr. Ahmed Nassr at the Pavilion for Women performed the rare, ‘complex’ fetal surgery. At 27 weeks, they were born 1 -2 lbs. each. They stayed in the NICU for more than 100 days but are now happy and thriving one-year-olds.
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Dr. Pablo Castañeda joined the Cráneo podcast to share surprising and easy-to-understand facts about the world of muscles. He discussed what muscles are and how they work so you can jump, run, and even make funny faces.
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Formed in 2022, the Radiating Positivity Committee (RPT) is comprised of Radiology staff across the department and from all campuses. They meet monthly to find fun, and often delicious, ways to recognize their hardworking staff for their exceptional patient care.
While the committee includes members from all campuses, each campus team typically customizes their events to suit their respective staff and location.
The Medical Center team created the Summer of Gratitude events for their team. They’ve already hosted an ice cream social and a make your own trail mix event. Coming soon, the team will serve up some yummy nachos.
“Recognizing summer is typically the busiest season for all Radiology teams, the committee works together to plan a series of fun and engaging activities, along with refreshing snacks. We want to give the staff a break to recharge while we express our appreciation for their dedication and hard work,” said Jose Jaimes, Radiology manager and member of the RPT.
To ensure no one is left out from the activities, the RPT offers the same treats/snacks for all shifts – day, evening, overnight and weekend.
The Woodlands team has held several events, including celebrations for Nurses Week, Administrative Professionals Day, two baby showers and a potluck to celebrate Dr. Chau and Dr. Kan.
Texas Children’s is happy to announce David B. Allison, Ph.D., as the new Chief of Nutrition and Director of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center. Dr. Allison comes to us from Indiana University–Bloomington School of Public Health where he was Dean for eight years.
Dr, Allison has had an illustrious career, with continuous NIH funding as a PI for over 25 years and authoring or co-authoring more than 700 scientific publications.
In 2023, he was elected and inducted into the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research, the first global non-profit group focused on accelerating breakthroughs in the expansion of the human health span.
Last year, Dr. Allison was chosen to be Sigma Xi’s incoming president elect (2025-28). Selected for the National Academy of Medicine in 2012, he also serves as co-chair of the National Academy of Sciences’ Strategic Council on Research Excellence, Integrity and Trust. Dr. Allison is a staunch advocate for rigor in research methods and the uncompromisingly truthful communication of research findings.
He has received many awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, which was established by the White House to identify outstanding mentoring efforts to enhance participation of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering. This is the nation’s highest award for mentoring, given to no more than 10 individuals each year.
“I am absolutely delighted to officially welcome Dr. David Allison to our Department of Pediatrics leadership team as the new Director of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC),” shared Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, Pediatrician-in-Chief and Chair, Department of Pediatrics. ”David brings with him an extraordinary track record of scientific excellence with more than 700 peer-reviewed publications, continuous federal funding for more than 30 years, and numerous national honors and awards. We are incredibly fortunate to have a visionary leader of his caliber joining us.”
Congratulations, Dr. Allison. Welcome to Texas Children’s!
President and CEO Dr. Debra F. Sukin spoke to Modern Healthcare about how Texas Children’s kickstarted its financial turnaround plan.
Texas Children’s operations are back in the black and the system is seeking new growth opportunities, President and CEO Debra Sukin said.
Houston-based Texas Children’s has seen a more than $500 million financial turnaround from its last fiscal year. It has battled steep financial challenges in recent years, struggling with lower patient volumes and the delayed opening of its new Austin campus. It was forced to cut 5% of staff in 2024 and decreased its executive team by 10% by not filling vacant positions.
Sukin, who took over as president in January 2024 and CEO in October, has led the push for a revamped operating structure and clinical network model. The system also launched a more centralized research institute in the past year.
When asked, how did you make a turnaround happen, Sukin replied, “We set out to best address the redesign of our organizational structure and realign the leadership team. We began to chart a course, entity by entity, department by department, in terms of how we were going to achieve our strategic goals. I’m a very data-driven leader. Organizing the way that we look at data, share data and use data to make decisions became absolutely paramount. We could easily see all our respective entities and where there were opportunities for improvements, and most importantly, identify how we were going to look beyond just expense management. It was also about growth. It was about homing in on those opportunities and treating additional patients who needed our care.”
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Houston Texans Quarterback C.J. Stroud and his mom recently visited the Heart Center. They reached out to express their interest in the visit, but little did they know, one of the patients would welcome them wearing number 7’s jersey. C.J. played a game of catch with this special fan and signed his jersey. They extended their visit to ensure they spent quality time with patients and staff.
Texas Children’s is the Houston Texans official pediatric partner.
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Michael “Big Mike” Johnson was a medic on the Kangaroo Crew who courageously and tragically lost his battle with cancer last year. His “mob” decided to start an awards program dedicated to his memory.
“Mike was the perfect employee, friend and team member,” said Jennifer Rinaldo, transport nurse on the Kangaroo Crew. “This year, we started a tradition of honoring a current employee that embodies Mike’s values, and we will continue that tradition annually at this awards event. We also numbered one of our trucks 888 in honor of Mike’s football number 88.”
Nate Perez, EMT, was the inaugural recipient of the Michael R. Johnson Award. This is the highest honor a Kangaroo can achieve and recognizes the team member’s willingness to always go the extra mile for patients, families and coworkers.
“My heartfelt congratulations go out to Nate, who is the perfect first recipient of this award as he truly embodies Mike’s values, teamwork and work ethic, said Diesa Samp, vice president, Transport, Transplant, Heart Center, Mission Control. “Everyone loved Mike, and this award is a fitting tribute to his legacy. The transport team is amazing and lives our HEART values every day. I’m incredibly proud of how they came together to honor Mike.”
At the event in early July, the leadership team awarded Years of Service to nurses, respiratory therapists, medics and transfer coordinators. The team celebrated a collective 260 years of service to Texas Children’s, including one employee with 35 years! Several received 25-year pins, as well as a few five-, 10- and 15-year pins and many one-year pins.
The following Crew members were also recognized for their recent achievements:
Melissa Campbell, RN, a Top 200 Nurse in Houston
Miguel Ramos, RRT, for PHI Safety Award
Nate Perez, EMT, First Responder of the Game
Ashly Swaty, RN, Transport Executive Leader Certification
Mike’s family was on hand for the Award and Dedication Ceremony, and Chaplain Aquanetta Hicks blessed the team and the entire fleet.
