July 3, 2018

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers is pleased to announce Dr. Susan Blaney has stepped into the role of director, effective July 1, while Dr. David Poplack transitions to serve as associate director of the Cancer and Hematology Centers and director of Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence), an outreach program aimed at improving pediatric cancer treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Blaney has extensive experience in clinical and translational research with a focus on the development of new treatment strategies for children with brain tumors and other refractory cancers and is a former member of Poplack’s team at the National Institutes of Health.

Blaney joined Texas Children’s in 1995 and has held the role of deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers and executive vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine for 10 years. She is vice chair of the Children’s Oncology Group, an international clinical trial cooperative group of more than 200 children’s cancer programs across North America that is supported by the National Cancer Institute. Blaney is also a co-editor of the next edition of the leading textbook in the field of pediatric oncology and a co-editor of one of the leading textbooks for pediatrics.

“I am extremely excited about this new role and opportunity. I can’t think of a better program or place to be than Texas Children’s, and am looking forward to the incredible future of our Centers,” Blaney said. “The Cancer and Hematology Centers provide outstanding, state-of-the-art family-centered care. The Centers’ faculty are nationally and internationally recognized leaders and experts in the field. They are performing cutting edge laboratory-based and clinical research to continue to improve the outcomes for children with cancer or hematologic disorders.”

Poplack said he is thrilled his friend and colleague of more than three decades will succeed him as the next Director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers and that he is confident the Centers will continue to grow and prosper under her leadership.

“Susan has served as the deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers for 10 years and has been closely involved in every aspect of oversight of our Centers,” he said. “I can think of no one in the country more qualified and capable of succeeding me and continuing our relentless pursuit of finding a cure for all children with cancer and blood disorders.”

Under Poplack and Blaney’s leadership, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers have grown exponentially – from seven faculty members, 42 employees, 4,000 square feet of laboratory space and less than $1 million in annual external grant funding in 1993 to nearly 200 faculty members, 1,000 employees, 100,000 square feet of laboratory space and $50 million in annual external grant funding.

As the largest pediatric cancer and hematology program in the nation, the Centers are a global powerhouse in pediatric cancer and hematology treatment, research, and professional education. Texas Children’s has internationally-recognized programs in immunotherapy, cell therapy, personalized medicine, developmental therapeutics, rare cancers, neuro-oncology, long-term survivorship, and sickle cell disease. There are also premier programs in musculoskeletal tumors, neuroblastoma, liver tumors, blood and clotting disorders, and many others.

Blaney said that under her leadership the operation of the Cancer and Hematology Centers will continue to focus on its primary mission, which is to provide personalized, high-quality, family-centered care to children, adolescents and young adults with cancer and blood disorders; to discover and implement innovative laboratory research and treatment advances aimed at curing and preventing childhood cancer and blood disorders; and to provide world-class training and education for current and future leaders in the field.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, click here.

Two congenital heart surgeons will be joining the Texas Children’s Heart Center® team this fall. Dr. Christopher Caldarone will serve as the chief of congenital heart surgery and Dr. E. Dean McKenzie will serve as a congenital heart surgeon.

“Drs. Caldarone and McKenzie bring a remarkable commitment to innovation, collaborative patient-centered care and dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, surgeon-in-chief. “I know our patients and their families will benefit tremendously from their vast knowledge and background in this field.”

Caldarone is an internationally-recognized leader in congenital heart surgery and most recently served as surgeon-in-chief at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He will join Texas Children’s in September as the chief of congenital heart surgery and professor of congenital heart surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

“I have always admired Texas Children’s Hospital and it is a great honor to serve as the congenital heart surgery chief,” said Caldarone. “My role is to find ways to make a great program even greater and we are off to a terrific start with Dr. McKenzie joining the team. Together, I know we will be able to contribute to the team and drive innovation in ways to better serve our patients.”

Caldarone received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from Columbia University. He completed his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery residencies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. He also completed a fellowship in congenital heart surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children. Caldarone is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society.

McKenzie, who will officially join Texas Children’s in October, is a world-renowned leader in congenital heart surgery. He was previously a member of Texas Children’s Heart Center team for more than 15 years. Most recently, he served as chief of pediatric congenital cardiothoracic surgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and professor and chair of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University School of Medicine.

“I’m looking forward to returning to the institution where my career as a congenital heart surgeon truly began,” said McKenzie, who will also serve as professor of congenital heart surgery at Baylor. “As I rejoin the incredible team I know so well, I am excited to be a part of all we will accomplish under Dr. Caldarone’s leadership.”

McKenzie received his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and his medical degree from Baylor. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Louisville and his residency in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at The University of Florida College of Medicine. McKenzie is a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Texas Children’s Heart Center is ranked No. 1 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. The integrated, multidisciplinary team at the Heart Center has combined cutting-edge technology with a compassionate and family-centered approach to care for more than half a century. Annually, nearly 1,000 surgeries are performed and more than 28,000 patient encounters occur in the outpatient clinic.

“At Texas Children’s Heart Center, we are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Daniel Penny, chief of pediatric cardiology at Texas Children’s. “Drs. Caldarone and McKenzie will help us continue to grow and develop our exceptional heart program in order to provide the most advanced clinical care and surgical treatments to our patients.”

The Heart Center is led by Penny and Caldarone, as well as Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, chief of critical care at Texas Children’s, and Dr. Emad Mossad, chief of cardiovascular anesthesia at Texas Children’s.

“We are so excited for Drs. Caldarone and McKenzie to join our outstanding congenital heart surgery team as we strive to provide the best possible care to infants, children and young adults with heart disease,” said Shekerdemian.

To learn more about Texas Children’s Heart Center, click here.

Texas Children’s Neuroscience team recently held a special retirement celebration for long-time neurologist and Blue Bird Circle Clinic Medical Director Dr. Robert Zeller.

More than 100 guests attended the celebration including Texas Children’s Chief of Neurology Dr. Gary Clark, Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Howard Weiner, Dr. Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, and many of Zeller’s colleagues, friends, and volunteers from the Blue Bird Circle.

For more than 30 years, Zeller devoted much of his life to delivering care to patients in the Blue Bird Circle at Texas Children’s. But as his colleagues will tell you, his compassion goes beyond the clinical setting. In 1993, he established Camp for All, a barrier-free recreational facility that helps children – regardless of their medical condition or physical disability – experience the thrill of camping and nature just like other children. Aside from this notable achievement, Zeller started Camp Spike N’ Wave for patients with epilepsy which has grown in attendance year after year. This camp wouldn’t have been possible without Zeller’s instrumental efforts.

“I had a patient with epilepsy who couldn’t go to camp because camps wouldn’t accept children with this condition,” Zeller said. “This prompted me to develop a camp for children with special needs where they can discover life without barriers. Now, my kids and everybody else’s kids can go to Camp for All. It’s my way of giving back to my patients.”

While at Texas Children’s, Zeller received the 2015 Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award from the Child Neurology Society. Click here to watch this tribute video that recognizes Zeller’s humanistic approach to patient care.

Congratulations Dr. Zeller for your contributions to Texas Children’s as you begin your retirement.

June 19, 2018

On June 18, Texas Children’s Pediatrics opened its first primary care site in Austin, marking another milestone in Texas Children’s path toward creating a network of quality pediatric care for children and families living in the state’s capital city.

Located at 5625 Eiger Road, Suite 225, in southwest Austin, Austin Pediatrics is managed by Dr. Casey Mulcihy, who has more than 30 years of experience in caring for children. Mulcihy offers a full array of services for children of all ages including well child care or checkups, immunizations, same-day sick appointments, management of asthmas, ADD and/ADHD, and many other common pediatric conditions. He also provides courtesy pre-natal and introductory physician consultations.

Austin Pediatrics is unique because it is a solo pediatric practice, which means patients get one-on-one care with the same doctor at every visit. The office is able to provide 24/7 coverage for after-hours emergencies, through a network of other solo pediatricians in Austin.

“We are very excited about reaching this milestone,” said Kay Tittle, president of Texas Children’s Pediatrics. “It signifies the first step of many more to come in providing quality primary pediatric care to children and their families in Austin and the surrounding area.”

Executive Vice President Michelle Riley-Brown said opening Austin Pediatrics shows Texas Children’s commitment to caring for patients and their families in the Austin area.

“Primary care is extremely important to a child’s overall health and Texas Children’s Pediatrics provides the finest pediatricians dedicated to meeting the health care needs of infants to teenagers,” Riley-Brown said. “We are proud to be offering our expertise to children and families in Austin and are looking forward to being a vital part of their lives.”

Texas Children’s marked its beginnings in Austin on March 6 with the opening of our first Texas Children’s Urgent Care location. Located at 4477 South Lamar Blvd., the office provides high-quality, efficient and affordable pediatric-focused care after hours and on weekends.

Over the next five years, we hope to open more Urgent Care locations as well as continue to build our Texas Children’s Pediatrics network. Additional plans for 2018 include the opening of another Texas Children’s Pediatrics practice in July and the opening of Texas Children’s Specialty Care in Austin.

Scheduled to open in October, Texas Children’s Specialty Care brings subspecialty pediatric care and services into the community where it’s easy for children and families to access it. Our center will be staffed by Texas Children’s board-certified physicians, surgeons, therapists and clinical staff.

“When we say we’re coming to Austin, it means we’re bringing our unique brand of care to your community,” said Melissa Fischer, Texas Children’s Pediatrics director of community business development. “At every Texas Children’s location, children are seen and treated by experts trained to care for them.”

For more information about the new Austin Pediatrics location, click here. For more information about our long-term plans in Austin, click here.

June 12, 2018

As Texas Children’s continues to expand its physical footprint as a leader in pediatric care, Texas Children’s Neurology Program is growing by leaps and bounds. As one of the largest pediatric neurology service providers in the nation, more than 30,000 patient encounters occur each year at Texas Children’s Neuroscience Center.

Ranked No. 4 nationally in neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report, patients are treated for a number of neurological conditions in our 13 specialty clinics including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Rett syndrome, Batten disease and movement disorders. Many patient families are referred to Texas Children’s for our integrated expertise and multidisciplinary team approach in diagnosing and treating childhood neurological disorders. Recently, the Neurology division expanded its services with the opening of the Angleman Syndrome Clinic to treat children with this very rare, neurogenetic disorder.

“Over the last decade, our neuroscience programs have experienced phenomenal growth,” said Chief of Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience Dr. Gary Clark. “In 2004, the division had 5,000 patient encounters per year. Since then, we have more than quadrupled our patient encounters to 31,500 in 2017. More than half of these patients are seen in the community, allowing for greater access to care.”

In 2017, the neurology service received 1,300 new patient referrals each month which is a 30 percent increase from last year. To meet the increased demand for these services and to accommodate the growing patient population, the pediatric neurology division faculty expanded from 9 to 52 neurologists.

While enhancing access to patient care remains a top priority for Texas Children’s, one way the Neurology service is helping to achieve this collaborative milestone is through the implementation of telemedicine, an interactive telecommunications system that uses real-time video technology to link patients with their primary care and specialty providers. Instead of making the trek to the Texas Medical Center, patients can now “see” their neurologist without ever leaving their primary care clinic.

“Through an HRSA grant, we have seen children with epilepsy in one of our medical homes via this new technology and completed more visits than any other grant recipient,” said Brian Cordasco, practice administrator for Neurology. “This successful experiment will serve as a blueprint for future growth of telemedicine at Texas Children’s. Six faculty offices are now equipped with telemedicine capabilities.”

To balance outpatient services with the increasing demand for inpatient care, the Neurology Service has also developed an inpatient service rotation for physicians at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. Just like Texas Children’s Medical Center Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, neurologists and epileptologists take turns working out of clinic to take neurology consults at the hospital.

Partnerships advance clinical research in neurology

The neurology division’s partnership with the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s under the leadership of Dr. Huda Zoghbi also has helped to advance clinical and basic science research leading to the development of new treatments for neuro and developmental disabilities.

Nearly $185 million has been raised to build and partially endow the NRI, and the hospital’s long-time philanthropic partner, The Blue Bird Circle, has raised funds (initial gift $1M for four years) to form and partially endow the Blue Bird Circle Clinical Research Center in which NRI discoveries are realized through clinical trials.

The Blue Bird Circle has been the catalyst for so much of what has happened in pediatric neurology in the past 20 years at Texas Children’s. Clinical research protocols have grown from 9 to 63 over the 8-year existence of the Blue Bird Circle CRC. The Blue Bird Circle has raised in excess of $1.2 million annually to directly fund clinical treatment, training and research in pediatric neurology at Texas Children’s.

Through these collaborative research partnerships, the neurology team has made significant progress:

  • Texas Children’s is one of the few sites in the country that provides therapy to patients with an enzyme deficiency in the form of Batten disease by surgically injecting the synthesized enzyme directly into the brain thereby halting this degenerative form of Batten disease.
  • Texas Children’s treats patients with spinal muscular atrophy, a disease where the spinal cord degenerates due to a defective SMN1 gene. This treatment involves injecting a DNA molecule into the spinal fluid that turns a latent gene into an effective one that makes the deficient protein.

“We are contemplating similar treatments for Angelman and Rhett syndromes,” Clark said. “We are so grateful to Texas Children’s Blue Bird Circle Research Center in collaboration with the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s for helping us make these research breakthroughs possible, and I am excited about what the future will hold for pediatric neurology.”

June 5, 2018

In an effort to better serve patients seeking care at one of 10 Texas Children’s Urgent Care sites, wait times for each location have been posted on the Urgent Care website.

“Our goal is to be completely transparent to our families as to how long it takes for them to be seen,” said Melissa Fischer, director of community and business development for Urgent Care and Texas Children’s Pediatrics. “For families that live in between two locations, we believe that posting wait times will help our families choose which site to visit.”

The information also will help manage expectations around wait times, which average about 17 minutes from check-in to being taken to a patient room. Patients spend about 60 minutes from check-in to check-out.

The wait time feature on the Urgent Care website is automatically updated every five minutes based on the number of providers who are seeing patients and the number of patients who have checked in.

The feature was piloted at Texas Children’s Urgent Care Pearland and was then implemented in Austin. As of May, online wait times are available for all Urgent Care locations.

Save My Spot is also available to patients and families visiting one of our Urgent Care locations, allowing them to reserve a time slot from the comfort of their own home. All the patient family member has to do is pre-register online and the check-in process is expedited. Their personal information is also pre-populated which makes the process easier for existing patients.

“Patients and their families now look for ease and convenience in every aspect of their lives,” said Roula Smith, director of Urgent Care business operations. “You are able to save a spot at places like the DMV and restaurants, why not at Urgent Care?”

Smith added that, Save My Spot allows Urgent Cares to stay competitive as well as evenly distribute patients throughout the day to be more efficient overall.

Save My Spot also was piloted at the Pearland location, and is now available at all Urgent Care locations. More than 600 patients have used the feature to date.

Welcome, an electronic check-in process, is another feature that has been created to expedite the registration process. Check-in is done on an electronic tablet, making the experience paperless. This feature is expected to be rolled out to all Urgent Care locations soon.

Texas Children’s Urgent Care was launched in 2014 and currently has 10 locations, all of which are staffed by board certified pediatricians who diagnose and treat a wide variety of ailments, illnesses and conditions, including: asthma, strep throat, fever, minor burns, influenza, ear infections, allergic reactions and more. Procedures provided include: antibiotic injections, breathing treatments, fracture care and splinting, IV (intravenous) fluids, lab services, laceration repair and X-rays onsite.

For more information about Texas Children’s Urgent Care and its locations, click here.

May 29, 2018

On May 23, a day after the opening of phase one of Legacy Tower, another significant milestone was reached in Texas Children’s Hospital’s storied history. At 7:15 a.m., a 9-month-old boy was taken back to a new, state-of-the-art operating room for the first surgery in Legacy Tower, Texas Children’s new home for heart, intensive care and surgery.

Watch this video highlighting the clinical features of Legacy Tower, including the facility’s new operating and transitional ICU rooms.

Dr. Larry Hollier, surgeon-in-chief, Dr. Edward Buchanan, chief of plastic surgery, Dr. Howard Weiner, chief of neurosurgery, and Dr. Robert Dauser, neurosurgeon, along with a team of anesthesiologists, nurses, physician assistants and operating room staff, performed the successful craniofacial procedure. Following the surgery, the patient was taken to the hospital’s new neurological ICU, a first-of-its-kind unit dedicated to pediatric patients who require specialized neurological care.

“As the largest and busiest department of surgery in the country, we are called upon every day to perform some of the most complex surgeries on the sickest of children,” said Hollier. “Legacy Tower is an answer to those calls, and this is the first of many positive outcomes in our new home.”

Weiner agreed and said the new tower is a game changer that will allow various teams at Texas Children’s to offer better family-centric care.

“This is a huge day at Texas Children’s Hospital,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be here and to be part of something so transformational.”

Phase one of Legacy Tower, Texas Children’s 640,000-square-foot expansion, officially opened on May 22 with six technologically-advanced operating rooms for neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastic surgery, transplant and pediatric surgery – one with intraoperative MRI – and 84 ICU beds, including dedicated surgical, neurological and transitional ICU rooms. This milestone will help Texas Children’s continue to provide the highest-quality care possible to patients and families, particularly those children who are critically-ill.

Beginning at 7 a.m. on May 22, seven specially-trained clinical teams safely transported 45 critically-ill patients to their new, spacious, state-of-the-art critical care rooms. More than 150 Texas Children’s staff members were involved in the move, and the careful transfer of the patients took seven hours.

Click here to view a video and photo gallery of the patient move to Legacy Tower.

Dauser said the Legacy Tower, specifically the operating rooms and their location to other specialties and services, are fantastic.

“Having the ability to conduct an intraoperative MRI in a room adjacent to one of the ORs has tremendous advantages,” he said. “Having an ICU dedicated to neuro patients also is a plus.”

Buchanan said such features provide the perfect environment for him and his colleagues to treat some of the sickest and most complex patients in the country.

“We all are very excited,” he said.

The second phase of Legacy Tower will open in September and house Texas Children’s Heart Center®, ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for cardiology and heart surgery.