May 28, 2019

The latest in cutting-edge research from across Texas Children’s Department of Surgery was recently on display at the 10th annual Edmond T. Gonzales, Jr. Surgical Research Day. The event is an important forum for surgical faculty, post-graduate trainees, nursing personnel and operating room staff to showcase their academic efforts in an encouraging environment.

More than 120 abstracts covering a broad spectrum of research topics, from basic science to clinical and outcomes research, were submitted for consideration. Of those, 14 were chosen for oral presentation.

The day kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Adil Haider, Dean of Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan and formerly of Johns Hopkins University and the Boston-based Center for Surgery and Public Health, a joint initiative between Harvard University and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is regarded as one of the foremost experts on healthcare inequities in the United States, with projects focused on describing and mitigating unequal outcomes based on gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic status. Dr. Haider spoke to the audience about his groundbreaking work in trauma disparities research, a field that he has helped establish by uncovering racial disparities after traumatic injury.

2019 Awards

Dr. Emily Steen was awarded the 2019 Samuel Stal Research Award. Over the past two years, Dr. Steen has been conducting basic science research in the Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair under Dr. Sundeep Keswani, surgical director of basic science research at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Steen’s work has focused on pediatric and fetal surgery, wound healing and fibrosis.

Texas Children’s Chief of Plastic Surgery Dr. Edward Buchanan received the 2019 Research Mentor Award. He was nominated by Dr. Kelly Schultz, a recent Baylor College of Medicine graduate.

“In addition to showing unparalleled commitment to his patients, Dr. Buchanan has been a strong mentor, sponsor and role model in clinical research throughout the entirety of my and many other students’ and residents’ medical careers,” said Schultz. “I’m grateful for the many hours Dr. Buchanan spent discussing research projects and imparting knowledge that would eventually pay off in the research I accomplished during medical school.”

Additionally, Dr. Yangyang Yu from Pediatric Surgery received the award for Best Poster, titled “Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Surgical Management of Infants Under 1 Year of Age with Feeding Difficulties.” And Dr. Candace Style won the award for Best Oral Presentation, titled “Citrulline Effectively Reduces the Rate and Severity of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Compared to Hydrogen Sulfide in the Premature Piglet Model.”

The event’s grand finale was the announcement of the 2019 Clayton Awards. This grant program, funded by the Department of Surgery, allows surgery researchers to generate the preliminary data necessary for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications and other extramural funding. The recipients were:

Dr. Yi-Chun Liu, Otolaryngology
Evaluation of the benefit of bone conduction hearing device in children with unilateral congenital aural atresia

Michelle Roy, PA-C, Plastic Surgery
Cleft care instructional videos and their efficacy in postoperative outcomes

Dr. Guillermo Aldave, Neurosurgery
Pilot study of oncolytic adenovirus DNX-2401 for recurrent pediatric high grade tumors

Dr. Sarah Woodfield, Surgery
Profiling and modeling extracranial malignant rhabdoid tumors

For the first time ever, Texas Children’s has been named by the Houston Business Journal as one of Houston’s Healthiest Employers of 2019 in recognition of our ongoing commitment to support a healthy and strong workforce.

HBJ ranked Texas Children’s among the city’s healthiest companies with at least 5,000 employees. The journal’s survey rigorously assessed organizational culture, leadership commitment, programming and intervention efforts, and communication and marketing to determine how strongly Texas Children’s promotes and supports a healthy work environment.

Texas Children’s was recognized for the many innovative, engaging, convenient and cost-effective well-being programs and opportunities that positively impact the lives of our employees. The high volume and efficiency of the Employee Medical Clinic, 24/7 access to EAP Plus, success stories from health coaching and the many well-being initiatives were all featured in the survey responses.

“A healthy and strong workforce is essential to delivering quality and compassionate care to our patients and their families, which our employees provide every day,” said Jermaine Monroe, Vice President, Human Resources. “We are honored to be recognized as one of Houston’s Healthiest Employers and will continually advance initiatives to empower and support our employee’s physical, mental and financial well-being journeys at Texas Children’s.”

The Houston Business Journal revealed the final rankings for the 2019 Healthiest Employers list on May 23. Click here to read more about the finalists and the awards.

The National Institute of Health awarded a team of Texas Children’s scientists a $2.2 million grant in 2018 to study and develop computer and tissue-engineered models to predict the recurrence of congenital heart diseases. The study aims to change the way heart diseases are managed to improve the quality of life of children. Learn more by visiting our 2018 virtual Annual Report.

The Woodlands Recognition and Rewards Committee has announced the third quarter Woodlands Shining Star winners. Beth Pali (left), and Dr. Rachel Marek (right) were honored for their hard work and dedication.

Pali is a registered nurse in The Woodlands Outpatient Infectious Disease Clinic and was also instrumental in the opening of the Dermatology Clinic at The Woodlands. She was nominated by several of her co-workers, all of which say she constantly goes above and beyond on a daily basis to ensure patients and families receive the best possible care and attention.

“Beth is an extraordinary human being,” physician in the Department of Infectious Disease, Dr. Ankhi Dutta said. “She takes her job very seriously, and that is what I love most about her.”

Pali’s compassion and flexibility was magnified during a situation that included the transfer of a complicated patient from The Woodlands to the Medical Center Campus following their ultimately passing. During that time she personally traveled to The Medical Center Campus to help provide support for the family.

“Beth goes above and beyond to provide exceptional care to our patients, families, and staff,” Outpatient Staff Nurse, Elizabeth Dudgeon said. “She is such a positive influence who naturally promotes all the core values, in all that she does.”

Marek is the Medical Director of Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM), and was nominated for her compassion and drive for amplifying unity.

“She has been an integral part of building the hospital inpatient services,” Physician in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition Dr. Andrew Chu explained. “She exemplifies our system values as she continues to lead tirelessly.”

Marek is a natural leader who has helped implement and lead core initiatives such as faculty development workshops and lectures at The Woodlands, co-rounding in which subspecialists and PHM service round together on shared patients, and the multidisciplinary Palliative Care Committee at The Woodlands.

“Dr. Marek believes in teamwork, excellence and has demonstrated outstanding ability as a leader and a physician,” Dutta said. “She has implemented an environment of camaraderie and mutual support when it comes to patient care as well as employee satisfaction.”

Congratulations to both of this quarter’s Woodlands Shining Stars, and thank you for going above and beyond for our patients, families, and employees!

Texas Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention and its Safe Kids Greater Houston Partners were recently recognized as the 2019 “Team of the Year” by the National Child Passenger Safety Board at the 2019 Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Safe Kids Greater Houston Coalition, of which the Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention is the lead organization, was selected because of its unwavering commitment to child passenger safety. The coalition conducts seat check events at over 20 inspection site that span five counties, totaling nearly 2,000 miles.

“The people on this team are special,” said National Child Passenger Safety Board Chair Tammy Franks. “Their willingness to go that extra mile in an effort to educate parents and caregivers on car seat safety is extraordinary. Their work prevents unnecessary injuries and saves countless lives.”

More than 300 nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians serve on the Safe Kids Great Houston team, which is made up of health and safety experts, law enforcement, community advocates and other volunteers. Members check more than 5,000 car seats every year and distribute more than 1,000 seats to families in need. They also raise awareness among adults and children by providing lifesaving education and resources in the areas of Child Passenger Safety, Water Safety, Home Safety and Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety.

 

The Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recently hosted its Third Annual Mental Health Awareness Week Celebration. Events took place at each of our Texas Children’s Hospital campuses and were multidisciplinary collaborations between numerous Texas Children’s departments and programs, bringing together experts from:

  • Psychology
  • Trauma and Grief Center
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Autism Center
  • Social Work
  • Child Life
  • Employee Assistance Program

The theme of the day was “It’s Okay to Say …,” highlighting the importance for children to be able to acknowledge and be mindful of their feelings. Vibrant information booths were decorated to represent the different characters/emotions featured in Disney’s animated film, “Inside Out:” Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. Arts, crafts and activities were all designed to encourage children to identify and express an emotion. At the Disgust booth, for example, children could place their hands in a box, where they’d feel the squish of cold noodles or the wrinkled skin of a prune, and were then asked to describe how the sensation made them feel. At the Fear table, children were asked to draw a fearful face and decorate it while discussing different ways to cope with being afraid.

There was also an extensive parent resource table with materials from all the event’s participating programs and departments, as well as community partners outside the Texas Children’s system. These resources included information on:

  • Helping children grieve
  • Inpatient psychology
  • Depression/anxiety support
  • Finding mental health providers
  • Postpartum depression
  • Preparing children for adulthood
  • Suicide prevention
  • Support groups and other programs

At our Texas Medical Center campus celebration, the guest speaker was Marlon Lizama, poet, writer, artist, author, dancer and co-founder of Iconoclast Artists, a program that focuses on empowering youth in underserved schools and incarcerated youth through the arts. Lizama spoke to the audience about his personal journey with mental health and how through creative writing as a teenager he was first encouraged to recognize and explore his emotions. He also told the assembled workers and care givers that he had been the kind of child who they help every day and applauded the work they do to help children acknowledge and be mindful of their feelings, and to help parents recognize their children’s mental health needs.

May 21, 2019

Since joining Texas Children’s Float Team, Heidi Aghajani shares her experiences collaborating with nurses across different units and the invaluable lessons she has learned along the way that truly exemplifies what it means to be One Amazing Team. More