December 7, 2015

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Bench and Bedside is a digest of the previous month’s stories about the clinical and academic activities of our physicians and scientists. We welcome your submissions and feedback.

November 3

West Campus gastroenterology team grows

Three pediatric gastroenterologists recently joined the pediatric gastroenterology team at the West Campus. The additional physicians brings the team to a total of four full-time gastroenterologists at the West Houston hospital. More

November 3

Two neurologists, pharmacist receive AES Young Investigator Award

Texas Children’s neurologists Drs. Sunita Misra and Dana Marafie and Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Dr. Mindl Messinger will be presented with the 2015 Young Investigator Award at the upcoming American Epilepsy Society’s Annual Meeting. More

November 10

Texas Children’s participates in largest study on teen weight-loss surgery

The results of research Texas Children’s Hospital participated in were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and show teen weight-loss surgery demonstrates the reversal of type 2 diabetes and significant weight loss. More

November 10

Watcher program improves safety across organization

12815watcherprogram300A new program has significantly decreased codes in acute care areas by heightening the awareness of patients in need of extra attention and improving communication amongst caregivers about those who may quickly decompensate. More

 

 

 

November 17

Preidis receives 2-year NASPGHAN research grant for microbiome nutrition study

Dr. Geoffrey Preidis, a pediatric gastroenterology fellow at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, received the 2016 Young Investigator Development Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Foundation and Nestlé Nutrition Institute. More

November 17

Lam recognized with Baylor Rising Star Award

Dr. Sandi Lam, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Craniofacial Surgery Program, was recognized at a recent Baylor College of Medicine Neurosurgery Grand Rounds with the inaugural Rising Star in Resident Education award. The award is given to a neurosurgery junior faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching. More

November 17

Dr. Huynh-Tran joins Department of Surgery

The Department of Surgery is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Amy Huynh-Tran to the Division of Dental Surgery. Huynh-Tran also has been appointed as an assistant professor in the Dental Department at Baylor College of Medicine. Huynh-Tran will see patients in the Dental Clinic at the main campus of Texas Children’s. More

November 17

Drs. Chandy, Musso awarded Master Teacher Certificates

Otolaryngologists Drs. Binoy Chandy and MaryFrances Musso recently received the Baylor College of Medicine Master Teacher Certificate and presented at the Baylor College of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Educators. The Master Teacher Certificate is awarded by the Master Teachers Fellowship Program at Baylor. More

November 17

Pediatric Anesthesiology promotes two high-level faculty, creates new division

The Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology recently made some significant organizational changes, promoting two faculty members to Associate Anesthesiologist-in-Chief and creating a new division dedicated to non-operating room anesthesia. More

November 17

Passionate confrontations subject of annual McNamara Grand Rounds

12815mcnamara300Speaking to a packed auditorium, visiting physician Dr. Chris Feudtner shared his insight on speaking to parents of critically ill children with compassion during the annual McNamara Grand Rounds. More

 

 

 

 

November 24

Stein elected president of the American Academy of Pediatrics

12815Stein300Dr. Fernando Stein, medical director of the Progressive Care Unit, has been elected President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). This is the first time in the AAP’s 85-year history that a Texas pediatrician has been elected to the post. As AAP president, Stein will represent all pediatricians and subspecialists across the U.S. and serve as Texas Children’s voice on national issues impacting the health and safety of the millions of patients and families we serve. More

November 24

Ribbon cutting held for special isolation unit at West Campus

12815SIU300More than 70 people from across the organization, city and state attended the Special Isolation Unit ribbon cutting and open house last week at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. Attendees got a close-up look of the state-of-the-art facility, which allows Texas Children’s to care for children with highly contagious infectious diseases. More

 

 

December 2, 2015

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Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Tuesday was a day to give back and you helped us reach 400 online gifts on Giving Tuesday.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday – a global day dedicated to giving back. Now in its fourth year, this day was founded with a simple purpose: to celebrate generosity and give. More than 30,000 organizations in 68 countries have engaged in the movement since it was started, and Texas Children’s was happy to make this a new tradition of giving back to our patients.

Texas Children’s celebrated this day of generosity with an online fundraising drive in honor of our patients. Our goal was 500 online gifts in honor of each of the patients staying with us each day – one child, one gift.

We are happy to see the community give back to our organization helping us set a record-breaking day for online donations, but the holidays are still upon us and we hope the generous donations will continue to pour in as we think of the families still in the hospital this holiday season.

You can still make a donation toward this effort to help the patients at Texas Children’s. Give today.

December 1, 2015

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Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans had an exciting week wrapping up all of their Play 60 activities. Play 60 is an NFL initiative that encourages children to get off the sidelines and on their feet for at least 60 minutes of active play a day.

As part of the initiative, Texas Children’s, in partnership with the Texans, sponsored the Play 60 Challenge, a six-week program at Houston-area middle schools aimed at getting students excited about developing a healthy lifestyle.

Westchester Academy for International Studies in Spring Branch School District was one of those schools and was visited on November 24 by TORO, two cheerleaders and players Jonathan Joseph and Kevin Johnson. Texas Children’s dietician, Lin Lin Shao, also spoke about the importance and value of eating right to fuel your mind and body. As part of the celebration, the students played a Family Feud-style game about exercise and nutrition. Click here to view the Texans TV coverage of this event.

Also part of the PLAY 60 umbrella is the Play 60 Grant, which is $40,000 in grants given to help local schools get the equipment they need to help improve youth activity across the Houston area. The recipients of the grants were presented checks at the Texans Homecoming game vs. the New Orleans Saints on November 29 at NRG Stadium.

Four days before the big game, two Houston Texans Ambassadors, J.J. Moses and Eric Brown visited with about 20 patients at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. In addition to being encouraged to watch the Homecoming game, some of the patients got to try on Eric Brown’s Super Bowl ring while others were given the opportunity to sign our Houston Texans homecoming mum. Click here to view the Texans TV coverage of this event.

On game day, the Texans defeated the New Orleans Saints 24-6 in front of 71,778 fans at NRG Stadium. Texas Children’s was the presenting sponsor of the game, allowing President and CEO Mark A. Wallace and Executive Vice President John Nickens to kick off the event and serve as coin toss captains. The organization had more than 75 attendees at the game, including Catalyst award winners, who got to watch the event from a suite, and One Amazing Team event ticket winners.

Texas Children’s teamed up with the Houston Texans a year ago to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives by engaging them through camps, programs and events while giving them the tools necessary to make healthy choices throughout their lives. Click here to learn more about Texas Children’s partnership with The Texans.

On November 14, hundreds of families from around the country traveled to Houston to attend Texas Children’s Fetal Center family reunion. Since its inaugural event in 2007, the reunion provided an opportunity for physicians and staff to reunite with patient families who received life-saving medical and surgical care at our fetal center.

Nearly 420 families attended the event at the Houston Zoo – some traveling from Iowa, Louisiana, parts of Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico. Guests enjoyed face painting, dancing, sunglass craft, an animal experience where they got a chance to pet furry creatures, and in true Texas fashion, rodeo clowns.

The reunion has become a cherished experience for Fetal Center staff and patient families. Since many of these families spend extended periods of time with staff from Texas Children’s Fetal Center and Newborn Center, a special bond is formed between these patient families and the team members who treated them.

“The nurses and staff of the Fetal Center are the first point of contact for these families as they seek answers at a very difficult time in their lives,” said Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye, co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center. “The nurturing and compassionate care offered by the fetal team helps get many of these families through the rough patches. The bonds formed in the midst of challenges and adversity are those that are the tightest, strongest and most enduring.”

In collaboration with our Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists, the Fetal Center specializes in cutting edge medical and surgical care for the sickest of fetuses and neonates. Despite the challenging work involved, seeing these children thrive and the gratitude expressed by their parents and families, is what matters the most.

“We are always eager to catch up with our patients,” said Dr. Darrell Cass, co-director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center. “To see how these children are developing and enjoying their childhood is incredibly gratifying, especially when I consider that these thriving kids were once very sick.”

Highlights from the Fetal Center reunion included speeches from Drs. Olutoye, Cass and OB/Gyn Chief Dr. Michael A. Belfort. Other Fetal Center team members in attendance included Drs. Rodrigo Ruano, Wesley Lee and Nancy Ayres.

November 17, 2015

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Dr. Geoffrey Preidis, a pediatric gastroenterology fellow at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, received the 2016 Young Investigator Development Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Foundation and Nestlé Nutrition Institute.

His award-winning study titled, “Glycan metabolism shapes the undernourished intestinal microbiome and influences weight gain,” explores the mechanisms by which undernutrition alters the bacterial balance in the gut microbiome and how this imbalance may impact weight gain potential in children with poor nutritional status.

Dysbiosis refers to disturbances in the bacterial composition of the gut microbiome. Intestinal bacteria transform glycans, non-digestible complex sugars, into short chain fatty acids that provide energy to epithelial cells lining the digestive tract. There are two types of glycans in the intestine – N-glycans derived from diet and O-glycans produced by the host that comprise intestinal mucus.

Since most bacteria metabolize only a small subset of glycans, the limited availability of key glycans could induce dysbiosis, which may impair weight gain by causing microbes to compete with the host for nutrients, transform fewer luminal contents into bioavailable energy or induce epithelial cell gene expression changes that decrease nutrient uptake.

To explore these possibilities, Preidis and his research team established a model of protein-energy undernutrition in neonatal mice. The undernourished microbiome in mice contained fewer N-glycans and fewer bacteria that metabolize N-glycans compared to the control group. The undernourished microbiome also was enriched with a plethora of Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacterium that lives and feeds on O-glycans in the intestinal mucus lining and is found in smaller quantities in obese humans and obese mice.

Preidis and his team hypothesize that loss of dietary N-glycan energy sources in the calorie-restricted diet causes a bloom of microbes including A. muciniphila that feed on mucus layer O-glycans. The resulting dysbiosis in the undernourished intestinal microbiome thins the mucus, decreases expression of epithelial cell genes that drive nutrient uptake and impairs weight gain.

“Uncovering the mechanisms by which dysbiosis contributes to poor nutrition – and can possibly be corrected – has enormous potential to improve global child health,” Preidis said. “Our long-term objective is to improve our understanding of how the microbiome contributes to metabolism and which microbes are potentially harmful or beneficial to weight gain and growth. This knowledge will enable us to develop therapies that target the microbiome to promote rapid recovery following periods of undernutrition and weight loss.”

November 10, 2015

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It’s been almost a year since Texas Children’s announced we were teaming up with the Houston Texans to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives. Since the kick-off of our partnership, the two organizations have already reached thousands of Houston-area children through camps, school programs, special hospital appearances and other events that combine fun with education.

“The goal of our partnership with the Texans is to help children and families in our community grow stronger and healthier. We’re working together to provide fun, meaningful experiences that emphasize the importance of nutrition, physical activity and other healthy choices,” said Amber Tabora, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations.

In the past few months, our two teams have hosted the Houston Texans Kids’ Triathlon, one of the nation’s largest triathlons for children; a Texans Jr. Cheer event that included a presentation for parents on the young female athlete given by Drs. Jennifer Dietrich and Megan May; Running of the Bulls: TORO Kids 1K run/walk; youth football camps; the Heads Up football program teaching football safety to kids in the community; and Get Fit with TORO, an elementary school-based nutrition and fitness program. Texas Children’s and the Houston Texans also kicked off several NFL Play 60 contests among schools in the community, all aimed at encouraging children to exercise or actively play for at least 60 minutes every day. On November 29, Texas Children’s will be recognized at the game as the Houston Texans’ Play 60 partner and help award the schools who won the challenge.

“Our relationship with the Texans first and foremost is about outreach to the community. At the same time, it’s also an opportunity to promote the Texas Children’s brand in uniquely compelling ways to new audiences,” said Lisa Yelenick, director of Brand and Service Line Marketing. “Because it’s so externally focused, the partnership includes very few internal benefits like game tickets or other hospitality elements. And with the few benefits we do receive, executive leadership and Human Resources are finding ways to distribute them to team members at all levels throughout the organization.”

The primary benefits include 50 game tickets and one hospitality suite for the November 29 Play 60 game. The suite will be used to host the Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leader winners and their guests and leaders. And winners of the additional 50 tickets this year were chosen from comment cards that employees submitted throughout the “One Amazing Team” events and tour. Please see below the 25 winners.

The partnership also includes involvement from players, cheerleaders and TORO in the community and hospital events hosted by the Texans and Texas Children’s Hospital. Separate from these official events, players may decide to visit patients in our hospital on their own – like the recent appearance made by J.J. Watt. “In a case like this, the player’s intent is to spend time with the children and families in our care, and we sincerely appreciate all the help provided by Child Life and Security to ensure these visits go smoothly and cause the least disruption possible to patient care activity,” added Yelenick.

The two organizations hope to continue identifying ways to grow the partnership and extend its reach even further within the local and regional communities.

“The partnership allows us to link our brand with the Houston Texans, and that in turn helps us amplify the impact we can have on the community – kids are understandably more excited to learn about health and nutrition when it comes from TORO and their favorite Texans players,” Tabora said. “We are two great teams combining our efforts to impact our community in a powerful, positive way.”

For questions or more information about the Texans partnership, please contact Sarah Bardwell in Marketing and Public Relations at Ext. 4-2732 or at scbardwe@texaschildrens.org.

FAQs about Houston Texans appearances and tickets

Can I request a special appearance from the Houston Texans football players, TORO or the Texans cheerleaders?
Our partnership only covers the limited time spent by players, cheerleaders and TORO at official Texans-Texas Children’s events. Texans players and other representatives may choose to visit our patients on their own time, and we will facilitate each request as we can. All such visits will be coordinated through the Marketing and Public Relations department.

Can I visit the Texans’ players, cheerleaders and mascot when they visit the hospital?
When Texans representatives visit the hospital, their intent is to interact with our patients and their families. The only staff and employees invited to attend these special appearances are those currently providing care for the patients involved or those staff coordinating the events themselves. As well, we usually are asked to enforce strict guidelines regarding photography, videography and social media with those Texas Children’s team members working at the events.

Are ticket discounts available now that we are partnering with the Texans?
Texas Children’s partnership with the Texans does not include ticket discounts. The focus and intent of the partnership is on outreach to children and families here at the hospital and out in the community.

What if I’m not a Texans fan?
Regardless of your sports team loyalties or even what happened during last week’s football game, when players and other representatives from the Houston Texans visit Texas Children’s Hospital, they are here to help create memorable experiences for our patients and their families. Please be courteous as you would with any of the hospital’s partners, and remember that when it comes to our patients and children and families in the community, we’re all on the same team.

Winners of the tickets to the November 29 Play 360 game with the Texans
If you see your name on this list and have yet to be contacted about your tickets, please call Karen Jumonville with Human Resources at Ext. 4-6656.

Leslie Barker, Mother/Baby Unit at the Pavilion for Women Nathalee Jones, Information Services
Katresea Bouldin, The Center for Children and Women Sheila Lopez, Texas Children’s Health Plan
Irene Castro, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Vanessa Marquez, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus – Cardiology
Stephanie Colburn, Texas Children’s Health Centers – The Woodlands Nancy Ng, Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research
Kelly Dahlen, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Pavilion for Women Abhay Patel, Pharmacy Department
Maria Davis, Room Management Christy Rodriguez, Pharmacy Services
Kimberly Derouselle, Texas Children’s Pediatrics Pearland Amanda Schneider, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Esbeydi Duarte, Post Anesthesia Care Unit Reshma Suthar, Texas Children’s Gordon Emergency Center
Woodie Fry, Facilities Planning and Development Kristy Stanley, Texas Children’s Pediatrics Cy-Fair
Jewel Greer, Virology Department Maria Valero, Lactation Support
Samelle Hamilton, Facilities Operations Katherine Williams, Business Services
Susan Hardy-Croskey, Maternal Fetal Medicine Thomesa Wilson, Texas Children’s Pediatrics Corinthian Pointe
Daneeka Hamilton, REI-IVF

Clinic Photo Gallery:

October 20, 2015

102115HalloweenJJWatt640On October 13, Texas Children’s patients were treated to a surprise appearance by Batman at the eighth annual Spirit of Halloween party in The Zone. What patients, families and staff didn’t know was the man in the cape was none other than Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. After taking off his mask, Watt spent time at the party painting pumpkins, playing foosball, taking photos, signing autographs and bringing smiles to everyone he met.

The surprise and party was featured on the Today Show. Click here to watch the story.

Each year, Spirit Halloween brings the fun and fantasy of Halloween to children at the hospital who otherwise might not be able to enjoy it. Spirit Halloween also supports our Child Life team throughout the year.