April 5, 2016

4616GirijaBabu175Girija Babu of Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women’s Mother/Baby Unit is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star employee. “Leadership in my definition is not just someone who leads a group but someone who works along with their group and helps them through their problems like their own family member,” Babu said. Read more of Babu’s interview and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Q&A: Girija Babu, November 2015

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Girija Babu, Registered Nurse in Pavilion for Women Mother/Baby Unit. I have been working at Texas Children’s Hospital for the past six years.

What month are you Super Star for?
November 2015.

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
Through an amazing surprise party arranged by my nursing leadership and my coworkers.

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do? How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
I feel honored to know my work has made an impact on the lives of others, allowing them to choose me as their super star. It is a very pleasant news to me. This organization has allowed me to achieve the goal in my career through the support and guidance of my leadership, the team work of my colleagues, and the trust and encouragement of doctors. It is very fortunate to work with them. Without the support of them I wouldn’t have received this award.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I think we all are super stars in one way or another. Those who are hardworking, passionate towards the work, and enjoy what they do has to be appreciated.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
My motivation is my family and my coworkers. Those who I believe have believed in me, more than I do at times. They have allowed me to be a better person at my work and even in my personal life.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
I cannot just choose one thing I believe is the best about Texas Children’s. Everything the hospital offers me is the best I have ever had. The wonderful people whom I work with everyday are the reason behind my smile at work.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
The friendly faculty at Texas Children’s all have great qualities of a leader. Each one of them has done a tremendous amount of great deeds to be considered as a great leader. Leadership in my definition is not just someone who leads a group but someone who works along with their group and helps them through their problems like their own family member.

Anything else you want to share?
I want to thank Texas Children’s for always being a second family for me and recognizing me with the Super Star award. I would like to thank the wonderful people I work with every day, who helped me achieve this award. Special thanks to the Neo team for their trust in me, the continuous support, and encouragement. Being the Super Star motivates me to do more and work harder. Thank you.

4616friedman175An instructional video from pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Ellen Friedman was recently showcased in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) online feature on Videos in Clinical Medicine.

In the 15-minute video, Friedman outlines the best approaches and techniques for “Removal of Foreign Bodies from the Ear and Nose.” Subscribers to the journal can view the video on NEJM.org.

“The readership of the NEJM is very broad, and their section on Videos in Clinical Medicine is very popular,” Friedman said. “Since the removal of foreign bodies of the ear and nose takes place around the world in emergency rooms and clinics – usually by primary care physicians – I hope that this instructional video will be helpful.”

Chief of Otolaryngology Dr. Ellis Arjmand said Friedman is one of the best known pediatric otolaryngologists in the country and is a true leader in the field. Through the video on NEJM.org, Arjmand said many physicians will have the opportunity to benefit from Friedman’s knowledge and experience.

In addition to her duties at Texas Children’s, Friedman is director of the Center for Professionalism in Medicine and a professor of Otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine.

4616miloh175Texas Children’s Hospital is proud to announce Dr. Tamir Miloh as director of pediatric hepatology and liver transplant medicine.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Miloh to our team,” said Dr. John Goss, medical director of transplant services and professor of surgery and chief of the division of abdominal transplantation at Baylor College of Medicine. “His diverse background and specialized training will prove to be an invaluable asset to our transplant patients and their families.”

Miloh’s research interests include the investigation of liver transplantation and various pediatric liver diseases such as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson’s disease, metabolic diseases, biliary atresia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and acute liver failure. In addition to his clinical role, he is invested in education in the field of pediatric hepatology and has established an ACGME accredited advanced transplant hepatology program at Texas Children’s.

Miloh, who also serves as an associate professor of pediatrics-gastroenterology at Baylor, earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. He did his residency training at Wolfson Hospital in Holon, Israel as well as St. Christopher Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Miloh completed a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and a one-year fellowship in pediatric hepatology and transplant at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and has earned Certificate of Added Qualification in pediatric liver transplanation.

Miloh is a member of the American Association of Gastroenterology, American Association of the Study of Liver Disease, North American Society of Gastroenterology and Nutrition Hepatology Committee and International Pediatric Transplant Association, among others.

Each year, more than 20,000 children visit the Gastroenterology, and Nutrition service at Texas Children’s. Specialists provide treatment for these patients with a broad spectrum of intestinal, liver and nutritional disorders. The first liver was transplanted at Texas Children’s in 1988 and in 2015, the expert team performed 30 liver transplants.

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In honor of Doctor’s Day, Texas Children’s recognized its physicians at a March 30 luncheon at the Pavilion for Women and Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

The purpose of the luncheon was to thank our talented physicians for all they do for our organization and the health of the children who come to Texas Children’s each year.

Thank you!

When a patient comes to Texas Children’s looking for an answer to their medical woes, lab work plays a big part in the diagnosis and treatment of that patient and their family.

A recent report by the Institute of Medicine has highlighted the need for improved diagnosis in healthcare. We at Texas Children’s want to continue to lead in that effort and build on our wide range of consultative services on clinical tests that are vital in guiding the diagnosis and therapy of patients.

That’s why we have partnered with Quest Diagnostics to provide outpatient reference lab services to our patients receiving care at our locations or any Quest Diagnostics Patient Service Center in the greater Houston area. Hospital patients will continue to utilize the Texas Children’s Pathology department for lab services.

“Many providers have been frustrated with the idea of dealing with 60-plus reference labs and trying to figure out how to provide the best possible care and quality to our patients,” Executive Vice President John Nickens said. “We took this as an opportunity to look at the market as one entity, as one Texas Children’s experience.”

As a result of our partnership with Quest Diagnostics, a pediatric trained phlebotomist will be available at most Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Health Centers, and The Centers across the Houston area. The partnership will allow Texas Children’s to take advantage of the company’s technical expertise and pair it with our medical knowledge to improve the quality of testing for our patients.

“As we look ahead in the 21st century, we know we’re going to need to be even more accurate and more refined in terms of diagnosis so we can deliver the very specific treatment each patient needs and deserves,” Pathologist-in-Chief Dr. James Versalovic said. “This partnership will allow us to do that and to foster innovation in a way we weren’t able to do before.”

If you would like more information or have questions about the partnership between Quest Diagnostics and Texas Children’s, please contact Cindy Beckley, project manager, at chbeckl2@texaschildrens.org or Ext. 4-5115.

View a testimonial from Patient Admissions Director Enrique Gonzalez about why Texas Children’s is such a special place.