June 26, 2018

Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace is committed to meeting every employee at Texas Children’s, and one way he does that is during the New Employee Pep Rally. More than 500 new employees were invited to attend the most recent Pep Rally on June 4 and from the moment team members arrived, they shared their excitement to be with Texas Children’s.

New employees, leaders, and assigned “buddies” mixed, mingled, and snapped selfies. To close the event, team captain – Wallace – celebrated what our team had accomplished and what’s ahead as our One Amazing Team keeps growing.

June 19, 2018

It’s time for the annual Periwinkle Kickball Classic, an event that raises money for an organization that provides healing programs and camps to children, young adults and families who are challenged by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

The one-day tournament will be held Saturday, November 3, at the Houston Sportsplex and ANYONE age 14 or older is eligible to play.

Each team is made up of at least 10 players, five of whom must be female. To enter, each team must raise at least $500.

This year, there will be two divisions:

  • “Just for Fun” – where your team will play in three round robin games in the morning but not compete in the playoffs.
  • “In It to Win It” – where your team will play in a multi-game tournament (each team is guaranteed three games). There will be champions in the Gold, Silver & Bronze brackets.

Upon registering, you will select which division your team will compete in.

If you sign up a team by Wednesday, August 1, you will receive a free coffee from the Periwinkle Foundation! Click the link to sign up your team today: http://bit.ly/kickball2018.

June 12, 2018

A little more than one year after opening the doors of the hospital to its first patient, hundreds of new and recent hires at The Woodlands attended their first Mark A. Wallace New Employee Pep Rally – waving red pompoms and foam fingers, nodding along to classic dance music, noshing on refreshments and enjoying the opportunity to meet, greet and even snap photos with Mr. Wallace himself.

Modeled after the Texas Children’s Hi new employee orientation, the energetic pep rally format has replaced the more traditional reception that Mr. Wallace has hosted for decades. The rally gives new employees the chance to become better acquainted with Texas Children’s and connect with executives and leaders in an informal and festive atmosphere.

“Mr. Wallace is really personable and everyone is so down to earth,” said Nicole Bolden, an ambulatory service representative II in Developmental Therapy who attended the rally with her colleague, Adina Clay. “You can see why Texas Children’s has such a good culture and reputation in the community.”

With nearly 450 new employees to be celebrated at The Woodlands and his own goal to personally introduce himself to each of them, Mr. Wallace hosted two rallies back to back.

“It means a lot to have our first pep rallies here and give our employees a warm welcome,” said Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown, who also serves as President of The Woodlands. “Our first year has been phenomenal, and it’s our people and our staff who have made The Woodlands so successful for the patients and families we see every day.”

In congratulating the team for the “grand slam” success of The Woodlands thus far and describing Texas Children’s ongoing efforts to expand access and care to even more children and families at the Legacy Tower and in Austin and Central Texas, Mr. Wallace thanked the new employees for supporting each other and working so hard to meet the needs of those we serve.

He also encouraged each new employee to give serious thought to their own personal definition of leadership, reminding them of his top two maxims: that leadership always influences and determines outcomes, and that leadership applies to everyone. Leadership is the reason that Texas Children’s has grown and achieved so much in just the 29 short years since he joined the organization, he said.

“Everyone has to lead; that’s part of our culture here,” Mr. Wallace said. “You’re all leaders, not just the people with a certain title or rank. We want to create a culture of empowerment. We want to listen to you. We want your ideas. We want you to lead. This unfolding story at Texas Children’s keeps happening and we all get to be part of it.”

For Brittnie Wright, a senior administrative assistant who was part of the team that helped bring the vision for The Woodlands to life, the fun and warmth of the pep rally and meeting Mr. Wallace underscored why she enjoys being part of the Texas Children’s family.

“I genuinely love it here. I love my leaders and I love my co-workers,” Wright said. “There’s a certain pride when people see you with that Texas Children’s badge because it stands for something. It makes me feel good to know that we are here for a purpose and we are fulfilling this purpose. We are really helping people in this community.”

May 29, 2018

It is only right for the newest employees to formally greet the people who had a hand in bringing them on the team. That was the case when Pinto, Texas Children’s newest therapy dog, had his official meet-and-greet with The Auxiliary board members.

On May 17, Pinto arrived in the lobby of Feigin Tower, and immediately received hugs, cuddles and lots of love from The Auxiliary. The group took a photo and then headed into their recurrent meeting.

Pinto was generously funded through a gift from The Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital. They are a volunteer led organization that has been providing compassion to patients and their families for over 60 years.

A year ago, the first therapy dog and her handler attended an Auxiliary board meeting, to enlighten the members about the Pawsitive Play program and its tremendous impact that it has on patient care and experience. The members of the board were so moved that one of them spoke up and asked how the Auxiliary could support the expansion of the program.

“The Auxiliary to Texas Children’s Hospital is thrilled to welcome Pinto to the hospital family,” said Nancy Baycroft, President of the Auxiliary. “His presence throughout the halls of the hospital brings a smile to all of our members, and more importantly to our patients and families.”

Pinto is a two-and-a-half-year-old male golden retriever, and the hospital’s third therapy dog. His job is to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients by reducing their anxiety, perception of pain and fear of hospitalization.

After the meeting was called to order, he and his handler Shelby Bonnet took the floor to introduce themselves. Bonnet spoke about her experience and role as a child life specialist, who collaborates with medical teams and physical and occupational therapists to visit with five to ten patients each day who are having a particularly difficult time during their hospitalization.

She elaborated on the process of becoming a therapy dog handler, as well as what it took to get Pinto to Texas Children’s. Following a few questions from the board members about Pinto’s connection with patients, Bonnet briefly described an incident when Pinto was able to comfort a 12-year-old who was struggling tremendously.

“The moment he got into her bed she had a breakdown,” said Bonnet. “And within 30 minutes she began to become calmer and open up about her fears of being at the hospital.”

The board members reacted with admiration and smiles from ear-to-ear. At that point they knew that Pinto would have the impact on patients that they expected.

“The Auxiliary board feels immense pride when they see the faces of our patients and families light up! Child Life has already shared stories of the impact Pinto has made,” said Baycroft. “Pinto is one of the most meaningful gifts the Auxiliary has given to the hospital.”

Pinto will be working in Acute Care, including units like Inpatient Rehab, the Emergency Center, and others around the hospital, providing distraction and motivation to patients undergoing certain medical procedures, along with his trusted handler.

May 22, 2018

Here at Texas Children’s, we are a community devoted to caring for our patients and families. In fact, we are often so focused on caring for others that we overlook the importance of caring for ourselves – but taking care of yourself is paramount to living a happy and healthy life. That is why, this summer, we are challenging you to make self-care a priority in your life both at work and home.

To support you on your journey to self-care, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and health coaches will be hosting workshops and activities at no cost for all Texas Children’s badge holders during the summer months. The series will focus on three areas – Eat, Sleep and Play – all thoughtfully created using evidence-based research tools and techniques to promote overall happiness and well-being.

Below are the classes and activities by area:

EAT
Classes:
Become a Mindful Eater
Become a Lunch Prep Expert
Curbing Sugar Cravings

Activities:
Smoothie Demo
Intuitive Eating Demo

SLEEP
Classes:
The Biology of Sleep
Sleep Hygiene
Healthy Benefits of Meditation for Sleep

Activity:
DIY Lavender Pillow Spray

PLAY
Classes:
The Basics and Benefits of Pilates
Laughter Yoga
The Importance of Play
Soul Collage

Activities:
Pet Therapy
Self-Care Bingo
Fitness Walking
Wellness Wednesdays

For a detailed overview of the classes and activities, click here.

“We are so excited to offer the Summer Self-Care Series as participants will learn behavioral strategies and self-care practices to boost well-being in their daily lives,” said Allison Bell, Sr. EAP specialist. “Considering the total number of hours we spend weekly at work, it is just as important for our relationships and our well-being to practice self-care here at work.”

Register Today!
To register for a class, visit HealthStream on Connect and search the class catalog for EAP Self-Care.

Registration is not needed for activities. Classes and activities will be held at Main Campus, West Campus, The Woodlands and Health Plan.

Additional self-care resources such as book suggestions, online resources and podcasts can be found on the EAP page on Connect.

If you have any questions, contact the EAP Team at EAP@texaschildrens.org.

The Department of Surgery hosted the ninth annual Edmond T. Gonzales Jr. Surgical Research Day May 18 at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women providing a forum for researchers across the department to showcase their work.

This year 110 abstracts were submitted for review, 11 of which were chosen for oral presentations and 99 were accepted for poster presentations. This year eight students vied for the Best Presentation award and three faculty members were chosen to present their research.

The 2018 keynote speaker was Chandan Sen, who holds various roles at the Ohio State University Wexler Medical Center, including the John H. and Mildred C. Lumley Chair in Medicine, professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Surgery, associate dean of Translational Research, director of the College of Medicine, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies and executive director of the Ohio State Comprehensive Wound Center. Sen spoke about the regenerative medicine frontier and the reprogramming of tissue function in vivo.

Awards presented at the event were the Samuel Stal Research Award for outstanding research by a resident or fellow, the Research Mentor Award, and Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster Presentation.

  • The Samuel Stal Research Award was presented to Dr. Rodrigo Zea-Vera in Congenital Heart Surgery. The award is named after Dr. Samuel Stal, former chief of Plastic Surgery at Texas Children’s.
  • Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Sundeep Keswani was honored with the Research Mentor Award. The award is given on an annual basis to honor a Department of Surgery faculty member who serves as a research mentor through career development, professional guidance or cultivation of research interests.
  • Best Oral Presentation award was given to Urology Fellow Dr. Jeffrey White. He presented his work on the mining of CNV databases discovering a role for RBFOX-2 in penile development.
  • Best Poster award was given to researcher Jennifer Brown from otolaryngology for a poster on the implementation of a tracheostomy educational program for outpatient otolaryngology nurses.

Recipients of the 2018 Clayton Awards, former known as Surgical Seed Grant Awards, were announced as the grand finale of Texas Children’s Hospital Surgical Research Day. 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. 2018 Clayton Awards recipients are as follows:

Dr. Arvind Chandrakantan, Anesthesiology
Obstructive sleep apnea in vitro: A novel approach for cellular and molecular discovery

Dr. Erin Gottlieb, Anesthesiology
Antithrombin Levels in Neonates and Young Infants Undergoing Congenital Heart Surgery

Dr. Julie Hakim, Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
Understanding the Role of Estrogen in Vaginal Scar Tissue Formation

Dr. Brian Kelley, Neurosurgery
Molecular and Structural Mechanisms of Diffuse Axonal Injury

Scott Manson, Ph.D., Urology
Myofibroblast-Targeted Therapies for Renal Fibrosis in Obstructive Uropathy

Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, Pediatric Surgery
Promoting Safe Firearm Storage in Households with Children

Dr. Irene Tung, Ophthalmology
The Effect of Oral Omega-3 Supplementation in Children with Meibomian Gland Disease and Chalazia

Xinyi Wang, Ph.D. Pediatric Surgery
The Role of Hyaluronan in Renal Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis

May 8, 2018

Texas Children’s Pediatrics Cypresswood recently opened its doors for the first time since torrential rains from Hurricane Harvey flooded the practice’s first floor with six feet of water.

Wearing “Cypresswood Strong” T-shirts and pinned with mums, Cypresswood staff celebrated the reopening as a homecoming. After the storm while the practice located at 8111 Cypresswood Drive in Spring was being rebuilt, staff saw their patients and families at various other Texas Children’s locations throughout the area, including Texas Children’s Urgent Care The Vintage, Texas Children’s Pediatrics FM 2920 and Texas Children’s Pediatrics Rayford.

“We are so happy to be home in our beautiful new office,” said Dr. Carolina Placenia, the lead physician at Cypresswood. “There is no place like home.”

Julie Laake, Cypresswood’s clinical supervisor, agreed and said the past eight months provided an opportunity for everyone in the practice to learn, grow and develop an even greater appreciation for one another and the support they have organization wide.

“I am greatly appreciative of all of our fellow Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care offices that welcomed us in and housed our physicians and employees during this time,” Laake said.” This allowed our Cypresswood practice to continue providing care for our patients, which could not have been done without this amazing teamwork.”

Hannah Conley, Cypresswood’s non-clinical supervisor, said everyone at Cypresswood has grown closer because of what happened during Hurricane Harvey.

“I have a new-found respect for all Texas Children’s employees and how wonderful they were during this,” Conley said. “Everyone has really done an amazing job at keeping us all afloat.”

A handful of other Texas Children’s Pediatrics were damaged during the storm but none as badly as Cypresswood, which closed its doors for the longest of any Texas Children’s Pediatrics due to Hurricane Harvey.

“We are extremely thankful no one else received substantial damage, and that we were able to continue caring for our Cypresswood patients and families while the practice was being repaired,” said Kay Tittle, Texas Children’s Pediatrics president. “It is a testament to our dedication to our patients, families, colleagues and Texas Children’s mission as a whole.”