March 31, 2015

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The Department of Pediatrics has been selected to edit the 23rd edition of the classic textbook Rudolph’s Pediatrics. First written in 1897 as Disease of Infancy and Childhood by L. Emmett Holt, M.D., the book is today one of two principal textbooks of pediatrics used around the world.

“This is a major milestone in the transition of editorial responsibilities for an iconic 119-year-old pediatric text- the first such editorial transition in more than 30 years, Said Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “It is also a potentially transformative event in the history of Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor Pediatrics.”

The most recent, 22nd edition published in 2011 by McGraw-Hill Professional includes 2,488 pages and a companion DVD featuring more than 1,700 figures, 1,100 tables and 30,000 references.

Abraham M. Rudolph, M.D., now professor of pediatrics emeritus at the University of California San Francisco, assumed the editorial reins in 1977 with the 16th edition of the book, then known simply as Pediatrics. In 1991, with the 19th edition, it was renamed Rudolph’s Pediatrics in his honor. Editor-in-chief for the 22nd edition was Abraham Rudolph’s son, Colin, Rudolph, M.D., Ph. D., vice chair of Clinical Affairs of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“It’s a huge honor to be selected for editorial responsibility for such a high profile textbook,” said Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “It takes a big, diverse department like this one to pull this off.”

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Margaret Young from the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star leader. “I believe a Texas Children’s Super Star goes above and beyond daily – not just when there’s a need or a call to assist,” Young said. “A Super Star leader is impactful, has influence and can make a difference.”

Read more of Young’s interview:

Q&A: Margaret Young, October – December 2014 Leader

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Margaret Young, MHA, RN, Bone Marrow Transplant. I have worked at Texas Children’s for 15 years and in Bone Marrow Transplant for three years.

What month are you Super Star for?
Super Star Leader for October-December 2014

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
I was going about my day as usual engrained in completing my various responsibilities, and I was notified by my assistant clinical director we had an impromptu budget meeting with our director. I was thrilled….!!! I gathered all my notes and reports and proceeded to the conference room. As I walked in the conference all the staff members, my fellow peers, ACD, and AVP were already in the room clapping and smiling. Indeed I must say I was surprised and thrilled and then asked “What’s this for?” I then looked at the banner which stated Super Star Leader. The decorations and food were great!

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do?
The Super Star recognition means to me that someone has really recognized how hard I truly work each day. I treat every day like a new day and know that tomorrow is not promised. So, I have to make the best of today.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I believe a Texas Children’s Super Star goes above and beyond daily – not just when there’s a need or a call to assist. A Super Star leader is impactful, has influence and can make a difference.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
My motivation for going above and beyond daily is seeing the potential and growth of our staff. I challenge the staff every chance I get to do more and become more. We’re great at what we do but there’s still so much more for us to conquer and accomplish and see the benefits of our hard work.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
The best thing about working at Texas Children’s is the people.

Anything else you want to share?
I’m extremely humbled and grateful for this recognition. This recognition motivates me to do more!

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Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program hosted the Fourth Annual Texas Mobile Health Clinics Regional Coalition Meeting March 20 at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

Forty mobile clinic professionals – the largest turnout in the conference’s four-year history – attended the half-day event designed so that attendees could share information about a service that brings quality medical care to those who can’t easily access it.

“The time we have at this conference is invaluable,” said Texas Children’s Pediatrics President Kay Tittle. “It’s the one time a year we can get together, talk shop and gain knowledge about how we can improve what we do.”

In addition to sharing knowledge, five conference participants, including Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program, brought their mobile clinics to West Campus for all to see.

“Having this hands-on learning tool was wonderful,” Tittle said. “It was nice to see how other hospitals do things.”

The Texas Children’s Mobile Clinic Program is composed of two clinics: The Superkids Mobile Clinic and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. The mission of the program is to provide underserved children in the Houston area with comprehensive health care and preventive education.

During the school year, the Super Kids Mobile Clinic travels primarily to Houston Independent School District schools, community centers and churches in the Southwest Gulfton area. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile travels primarily to HISD schools, community centers and churches in the Southeast Hobby area.

The clinic provides free vaccinations to those who qualify for the Texas Vaccines for Children program and also provides free well child visits, sick visits and hearing or vision screenings for uninsured children in the Houston area. In addition, both mobile clinics have pharmacies that are stocked with common medications.

The providers can perform common laboratory tests. Lastly, providers and staff members educate all patients coming through the clinic about the different insurance options available to them.

In the summer, the clinics travel throughout the Houston area and sometimes even further to provide free vaccines to children before the school year starts.

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Dr. Huda Zoghbi received the 2015 Mortimer D. Sackler, M.D. Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Developmental Psychobiology, awarded by Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Zoghbi is the director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, a professor of molecular and human genetics, pediatrics, neuroscience and neurology at Baylor College of Medicine, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

As a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Zoghbi has pioneered research on Rett syndrome and other rare brain disorders, and has advanced research of more common conditions including autism and adult neurodegenerative diseases.

In one of her most well-known achievements, Zoghbi provided a definitive genetic diagnosis for Rett syndrome and opened the door to a biological understanding and a search for treatment. Rett syndrome is a genetic neurological disease that usually affects young girls. Girls born with the disease develop normally for one or two years, but then begin to show progressive loss of motor skills, speech and other cognitive abilities.

Zoghbi has also found other genes, including Math1, an essential gene governing the development of cells critical for hearing, balance, and breathing, and the genes for spinocerebellar ataxia 1 and 6. Her work has led to a better understanding of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.

“We’re thrilled that Dr. Zoghbi is this year’s recipient,” said Dr. B.J. Casey, director of the Sackler Institute and the Sackler Professor of Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. “She’s dedicated herself to this field for decades and has made remarkable achievements. But we’re also recognizing her leadership in the field of neuroscience and her track record of mentoring young scientists as they embark on their own careers.”

The prize is named for the Dr. Mortimer D. Sackler, one of the most creative scientists in the field of developmental psychobiology. The Mortimer D. Sackler Foundation, Inc. endowed the prize in a gift in 2009.

“To have a prize bearing the name of someone who’s made such remarkable achievements in this field is a great honor,” Zoghbi said. “There are so many deserving scientists and physician-scientists out there who have done fantastic work. I feel truly honored to have been selected.”

Zoghbi plans to donate the $100,000 prize money to a mentorship fund that she established to help young female scientists get their work – specifically research on “bold, new ideas” – off the ground.

March 24, 2015

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Don’t miss out on the fun next month at the third annual Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run. Registration for the event ends at noon Monday, March 30, so hurry and sign up if you haven’t already.

Families with children of all abilities are invited to register and participate in the run at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 11 at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

The Family Fun Run will include both a 1K and 3K course. Registered participants – including those who need walkers and wheelchairs – are welcome. There will not be prizes given to top finishers as all participants will receive an award for taking part in an event designed to educate and encourage Houston-area families to adopt active, healthy lifestyles.

Following the run, families can enjoy the H-E-B sponsored Family Fun Zone. The zone will be packed with snacks, special guests and close to 40 attractions.

Join Texas Children’s leaders and thousands of others in the fun and register today for the Family Fun Run. Registration can be completed online at http://www.texaschildrens.org/funrun/ or https://secure.marathonguide.com/register/TexasChildrensRun. Remember, the deadline to register is noon Monday, March 30.

Additional information, including training guides, videos and pictures from last year’s event, can be found on the event’s website.

Spread the word and happy running!

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Click on the image for a larger view.

The Department of Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital represents a dedicated team of more than 80 pediatric-focused surgeons representing at least 9 different subspecialties. Another 600 employees help make up the department, which is dedicated to caring for and improving the health of children through patient care, education and research.

The surgical team treats children in and around the greater Houston area via our five Health Centers and two, soon to be three, hospitals. It also sees patients at other hospitals around the country and the globe. Annually, Texas Children’s surgeons perform 25,000 operative cases and 115,000 clinic visits, including 90 fetal procedures and about 20 neurological laser ablations.

“We have a tremendous team here,” said Surgeon-In-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr. “The scope and breadth of expertise, that gets fielded here every single day is amazing.”

Click on the picture to the right to see more fast facts about Surgery.

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Growing up can be tough, especially on girls, but there’s one way to make this journey through adolescence easier for moms and daughters – preparation.

“If you equip teens and preteens with the knowledge they need to navigate the changes and challenges that lie ahead, they’ll emerge stronger, healthier, more confident young women,” said Dr. Jennifer Dietrich, Texas Children’s chief of pediatric and adolescent gynecology.

Hosted by experts from Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Girls Elevated is an empowering, interactive one-day event that educates teens about their bodies and helps them cope with peer pressure and self-esteem issues that often occur during puberty.

Girls between the ages of 10 and 18, and their mothers or caregivers, are invited to attend separate, age-appropriate sessions to hear from physicians, law enforcement and other experts on topics girls want and need to know about, from physical development to personal safety to healthy relationships and more.

This year’s keynote speaker, Jamie Schanbaum, will deliver an inspirational talk about overcoming adversity, positive body image and self-esteem, after losing her legs and fingers to bacterial meningitis. Her mission is to prevent others from suffering from this vaccine preventable disease.

Since the event’s launch in 2014, 120 participants attended Girls Elevated. This year, organizers are expecting an even larger crowd of 240.

Girls Elevated will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at the United Way Community Resource Center at 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX, 77007.

Click here to register online for Girls Elevated 2015! The deadline to register is Friday, April 10.