Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers recently honored six team members with the Bravo Award for going above and beyond to ensure our patients and families receive the best possible care.
The award is handed out quarterly and recognizes nurses and other professional staff in the Cancer and Hematology Center for outstanding performance. Anyone within the Texas Children’s system may nominate a member of the cancer and hematology teams for this award. The team’s clinic leadership selects the winners.
Our winners this quarter are:
Mackenzie Frederick, RD, LD, Main Campus. Mackenzie performs a critical service for our patients and families in helping them maximize their nutritional status during difficult treatments. In doing so she goes to great lengths, even helping with insurance obstacles. She proactively collaborates with not only our staff on patient needs but other sections such as Endocrinology, always in a pleasant way. She forms therapeutic alliances with patients and families and engages them to take an active role in managing their nutritional state. Patients adore her – one in particular refers to Mackenzie as his best friend and seeing her is his favorite part of coming to clinic. One nominator wrote “since Mackenzie started to work in the outpatient clinic I have wondered how we ever managed to work without her – she’s indispensable!”
Kelly Miranda, RN, Main Campus. Kelly is a wonderful asset to the Hemostasis and Thrombosis team. She is hard working, reliable, professional, collaborative, and patient/family centered. During the COVID pandemic she has gone above and beyond by stepping up to take on extra duties when her team was short staffed. Despite all she has on her plate Kelly always approaches each interaction with patience and a great positive attitude.
Rhoda Phillips, RN, Main Campus. Rhoda leads tirelessly in a complex clinic with ever-changing needs. Despite being in a leadership role she is always willing to jump in where needed – rooming patients, drawing labs, giving injections, or any number of other patient care needs. With her longevity in our clinic she is the go-to person for orienting new leadership to ensure continuity of the organization. She is well respected by her subordinates for her professionalism and fairness. Rhoda is described as “one of the best assets this center has.”
Regina Salas, MA, Main Campus. Regina is an exceptional coordinator of the multiple complex patient care needs of the Histiocytosis and Lymphoma teams. These patients require many outpatient scans and other studies as part of their treatment. Many nominators praised Regina’s efficiency and mastery of the system to make the process as easy as possible for patients and families, including facilitating last minute requests. In all of this she has an outstanding positive attitude which shows in her dealings with staff and her courteous manner with patients. When families have more detailed questions about a diagnostic study she goes above and beyond to call the team performing the study to get answers for parents so they don’t have to. Regina has built very strong relationships with staff in other departments throughout the hospital to be able to facilitate what she does.
Lisa Sowers, RN, Main Campus. Lisa “consistently demonstrates exemplary clinical acumen, excellent judgement, compassion, empathy and tireless dedication to our patients and families.” She expertly manages patient and family needs such that they are always confident they’ll receive timely answers to their questions. She is patient and maintains an even-keeled demeanor despite any challenges. One nominator said Lisa is “without question a shining and inspirational model for what each member of our cancer center should strive for.” He additionally said “I would trust Lisa to take care of my loved ones.”
Shelly Wilke, RN, The Woodlands. On a daily basis, Shelly helps facilitate all hospital admissions, procedures, outpatient labs, and blood product transfusions for her clinic. She is called the “miracle worker” for her abilities to troubleshoot schedules in order to ensure every patient’s needs are met. She is always actively learning about new disease processes and sharing that knowledge with junior nursing personnel. The rest of the hospital at The Woodlands knows her as the go-to person for helping to coordinate any multidisciplinary care for our patients. Shelly is an amazing advocate for patients and families – always looking to simplify their schedules for them and ensure they can maintain some sense of normalcy in their lives despite their complex treatment plans.