November 20, 2023

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) gathered in November to cut the ribbon on their new space on 9 West Tower, adding four beds to the existing 12-bed unit on 12 West Tower. Created in 2012, the IRU provides comprehensive rehabilitation care with a family centered approach to improving functional independence and quality of life.

“The opening of these four additional beds is a milestone for us,” said Medical Director Dr. Christian Niedzwecki. “Each year, the rehabilitation needs of so many children go unserved, and today, Texas Children’s took a bold step forward in rectifying those gaps.”

Most IRU patients have acquired brain and spinal cord injuries, chronic disabilities or cerebral palsy. Thanks to a dedicated interdisciplinary team and access to a wide range of hospital services, we improve patients’ comfort and psychological well-being and provide strategies to navigate their return home.

“Expanding the IRU is a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing our capacity to provide comprehensive and high quality care, meet the growing demand for rehabilitation services and ensure patients receive the support they need for optimal recovery,” explained Assistant Clinical Director Anthony Bodnar.

“It’s truly inspiring to see our team interact with these patients, meeting them where they are and providing the level of compassion we’re known for at Texas Children’s.”

Click here to learn more about the IRU, and view the photo gallery above to see more from the ribbon-cutting event below.

October 24, 2023

Meet Michele Boettiger, Assistant Clinical Director, NICU, at Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin. When our newest campus opens in early 2024, Michele looks forward to collaborating with a multidisciplinary group of highly educated and talented care providers who will be the perfect partner for families that need extra-special care in the beginning.

Why did you choose Texas Children’s?
As a graduate nurse, I was honored to start my career at Texas Children’s. Magnet designation, developmental resources and research opportunities all aligned with my long-term career goals. But the real reason I wanted to be part of the TCH family is the mission and vision to provide compassionate, quality care to ALL patients and families.

What’s your leadership statement?
Lead with integrity to optimize outcomes with a focus on quality, safety and innovation. Nurture compassion, respect and inclusiveness as inspiration for all to strive for meaningful productivity and purpose.

Why are you excited about Texas Children’s growing presence in Austin?
Texas Children’s Hospital will bring amazing opportunities to the families in Austin and surrounding areas. My team has cared for patients from all over the world. Austin deserves world-class service and care. As Texas Children’s brings that unparalleled care to the Austin area, many lives will benefit.

What makes Austin a great place to live and work?
Austin is a friendly place to live and work with a pleasant vibe. The smiles are contagious! I also love the outdoor activities that are available in Austin. My family likes to take long walks with our dogs. Sunsets are gorgeous in the Hill Country.

What makes your team so special?
Fun fact: Our talented nursing team has an average of 11 years of experience across seven different states, including Hawaii. As the NICU team grows, the Texas Children’s legacy will strengthen. Together, we will provide the best care possible for tiny patients who are the future leaders of Texas!

Ranked #3 in Neonatology by U.S. News & World Report, Texas Children’s NICUs care for more than 1,800 infants each year, making us one of the largest and most experienced programs in the country. Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin will offer the community a Level IV NICU, designated as the most advanced level of care available for premature and critically-ill newborns. Only two other Austin area hospitals are Level IV-designated.

Right Care, Right Place, Right People. Now ranked #1 in Texas and #3 in the nation, we’re bringing the best to Austin. Click here for updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion SharePoint.

August 7, 2023

With the first phase of Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women’s $245 million expansion complete, outpatient OB/GYN practices recently moved to their new home across the street at Pavilion Tower II. The former Baylor Clinic building (located at 6620 Main Street) will transform into Texas Children’s newest medical tower upon completion – adding 190,000 square feet to the hospital’s footprint, improving patient access and creating space for more adult inpatient and neonatal intensive care beds within the Pavilion for Women.

“This investment in our Pavilion for Women will allow us to increase delivery volumes significantly, but additionally the added space will allow us to continue to grow these specialized clinics that cater to women at every stage of life,” said Michele Birsinger, assistant vice president of Women’s Services.

First to migrate was the Women’s Specialists of Houston (WSH) team on June 12, followed by Partners in OB/GYN Care (POGC) on July 18. Both groups halted clinic operations for moving day, gathering bright and early to ceremoniously turn the lights out in their old space and walk together to the new tower. Clinic leaders shared inspiring remarks upon arrival, and a workforce chaplain was present to facilitate a Blessing of the Hands and gratefulness prayer before lights were turned on with excitement and cheer.

We want to emphasize the importance of the people, read the moving day pamphlet. The Pavilion Tower II is a state-of-the-art facility, but without the people, processes and programs in place, it’s just a facility…the dedicated, intelligent and passionate faces that light up our clinics will remain the same for our patients and families.

To mark the special occasion, team members participated in a scavenger hunt to get familiar with their new floors and were treated to gift bags and mini Zen gardens for their desks. Workforce Well-being was also on hand to provide resources and gather insights on how to best equip and decorate respite rooms.

Before the OB/GYN clinics relocated, our Women’s Physical Therapy team were some of the first occupants of the new medical tower.

“Although we’ve offered physical therapy services since 2012, this is the first time we’ve had our own designated space,” said Sarah Ammons, specialty therapy coordinator. “We now have eight treatment rooms and a gym area, including cardiovascular and strength training equipment…care will improve greatly now that we have the space and resources to treat our patients more completely and return them to their prior level of function.”

These clinics are now open for patient activity – you can find WSH on Level 13 and POGC on Level 11 of the new medical tower, just follow the signs on the sky bridge on Level 3 of the Pavilion for Women. Baylor OB/GYN will relocate by the end of 2023, and the full Pavilion for Women expansion will complete in 2024.

Click here to read more on this exciting development.

January 17, 2023

Almost every year since 1976, the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery at Karolinska University Hospital honors an international neurosurgeon for their contributions to brain or spinal cord surgery and/or research.

This year, Dr. Daniel J. Curry was awarded the 23rd Herbert Olivecrona Award, also known as the “Nobel Prize of Neurosurgery,” for his work on Stereotactic Laser Ablation and the Advance of Minimally Invasive Epilepsy Surgery in Children. Dr. Curry is the John S. Dunn Foundation Endowed Chair for Minimally Invasive Epilepsy Surgery and the director of Functional Neurosurgery and Epilepsy Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital. He is also a professor of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

Curry gave the 2022 Olivecrona Keynote Lecture “Stereotactic Laser Ablation and the Advance of Minimally Invasive Epilepsy Surgery in Children” and received the Olivecrona Award medallion at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 2, 2022. By receiving this honor, Dr. Curry joins an illustrious group of neurosurgeons whose contributions have defined the current practice of neurosurgery.

“The work Dr. Curry has contributed to the field of functional and minimally invasive pediatric neurosurgery can’t be overstated,” said Dr. Howard Weiner, chief of Neurosurgery at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“Over the last 15 years, he has fundamentally changed how epilepsy is treated surgically in children and has improved the lives of countless families,” said Dr. Weiner. “It is my true privilege and honor to work side by side with him as my colleague here at Texas Children’s at, arguably, the premier pediatric epilepsy surgery program in the world.”

The Olivecrona Award is named in honor of professor Herbert Olivecrona (1891-1980), an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and professor of Neurosurgery at Karolinska Institutet from 1935 to 1960, who was credited as being the father of modern neurosurgery in Sweden. To learn more, click here.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Curry on this incredible honor!

July 13, 2022

Texas Children’s Department of Surgery recently acquired the Anatomage Table, a revolutionary technology that makes it possible to virtually visualize, interact with, and dissect human anatomy in 3D.

About the size of an operating table, this advanced anatomy and physiology educational tool will provide Texas Children’s team members with an in-depth look into human anatomical structures in much the same way a physical human body would. The cadavers featured in the Anatomage Table were modeled after the Visible Human Project (VHP) and the Visible Korean Human Project (VKH), a program dedicated to capturing and cataloguing detailed photographs of whole and sectioned parts of young, well-preserved human bodies for use in virtual teaching applications.

What allows the Anatomage Table to truly stand out from other imaging and virtual application systems currently on the market is its innovative radiology software and clinical content. Currently the Anatomage Table is the world’s only “fully segmented real human 3D anatomy system…allowing for exploration and learning of human anatomy beyond what any cadaver could offer.” This virtual tool diminishes the need for traditional cadavers and all that comes with them such as chemicals, unpleasant smells, facility costs and regulations.

The table has already been adopted by hundreds of the world’s leading medical schools and institutions, and we’re excited to bring this state-of-the-art technology to our One Amazing Team.

“This impressive table is truly an innovative and state-of-the-art piece of technology that I am so excited to be incorporating into our didactics and teaching here in the Department of Surgery,” said Surgeon in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier. “Not only will this allow for all providers to gain 24/7 access to anatomy and virtual dissection, the in-depth ability to visualize the anatomy in this way is like nothing we have ever had before.”

How to reserve the Anatomage Table and Terms of Agreement

Anyone at Texas Children’s is welcome to reserve the table for educational purposes after providing the proper information required regarding the educational session and attendants, as well as agreeing to the terms and conditions set for room usage.

For those interested in reserving Texas Children’s Anatomage Table room, go to Microsoft Outlook and select the option “Legacy Tower E.860.02.” After reserving the room in Outlook, you will receive an email with a mandatory form to complete and return. Upon completing the form, your request will then be accepted or denied. Please note: confirmation of your reservation is dependent on the completion and review of your form, and all requests to reserve the room remain tentative until further notice. If you have not received training on how to operate the Anatomage Table, we ask that you meet with a super user in advance of your requested educational session. If you have any additional questions related to reserving the room, please contact Maggie Gonzales at mcgonzal@texaschildrens.org.

To learn more about the table and its many features, we encourage you to watch the video detailing how the table works, and/or watch the TED Talk “On the virtual dissection table“ by Jack Choi, the founder and CEO of Anatomage.

March 23, 2022

With more than 250 patient days of using the Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine (CARPEDIEM), Texas Children’s is now proud to be the largest CARPEDIEM care center in the world. CARPEDIEM was launched at Texas Children’s in June 2021 to serve our most vulnerable patients in need of continuous kidney support therapy. Since that time it has helped to effectively support several babies with kidney injury.

At a special celebration on Tuesday, February 15 with cake, punch and cheers all around, Director of the Texas Children’s Critical Care Nephrology Program Dr. Ayse Arikan thanked the team for their leadership, care and compassion for our patients. “I am immensely proud to be part of this team,” said Arikan. “This could not have been possible without all of you. As always, when you were asked for your adaptation of a new therapy, everyone went above and beyond expectations.”

“Our labor of love has led Texas Children’s to be the largest CARPEDIEM care center in the world, with four machines on standby for infant kidney support therapy,” said Arikan.

The CARPEDIEM system was originally developed in Europe, and FDA authorization was granted in 2020. CARPEDIEM is designed for use in babies with severe acute kidney injury or fluid overload. It provides continuous renal replacement therapy to patients as small as 2.5 kilograms and up to 10 kilograms.

Texas Children’s is one of seven hospitals to have this technology, and one of five hospitals who have started using it with patients. Until now, children in need of continuous kidney support therapy were using devices designed for older children. CARPEDIEM serves as an appropriate size-based therapy for our most vulnerable babies.

Based on published studies, we know acute kidney injury can affect up to one in three premature infants in the newborn ICU, according to Renal Physician Lead for CARPEDIEM Dr. Catherine Joseph. This occurrence is even more common in babies who are born extremely premature. When kidney injury is more severe and the patient does not respond to medical treatment alone, a device like CARPEDIEM can help support the baby’s kidneys by removing waste products and fluids.

“I am passionate in the care of newborns with kidney disease and invested in ways to improve outcomes for babies affected by kidney problems,” said Joseph. “To have this platform available to help support infants with kidney injury is a dream come true.”

Children born prematurely or admitted to Texas Children’s with critical illness are in the care of our pediatric critical care or neonatology providers in our intensive care units (ICU). “We are only able to deliver this CARPEDIEM technology to the bedside with the collaborative partnerships with our colleagues in the newborn, pediatric and cardiovascular ICUs (NICU, PICU and CVICU),” said Inpatient Chronic Renal Dialysis Staff Nurse Marsha Filipp.

“I am proud to be a part of this team as we reach these important milestones,” added Filipp. “It’s a wonderful feeling knowing we are making a difference and helping give more newborns a chance at life.”