March 22, 2016

32316RudolphAwards640Melissa Carbajal (center), program director, congratulates Dr. John Hoover (left) and Dr. Tiffany Stafford (right), the 21st annual Arnold J. Rudolph Memorial Grand Rounds award recipients. The award recognizes third-year fellows in neonatal-perinatal medicine for outstanding teaching, patient care, scientific inquiry and professional integrity.

March 15, 2016

31616KristinaWilson175Kristina Wilson, a senior speech-language pathologist and clinical researcher on the Cleft Palate Team at Texas Children’s Hospital, was recently elected to the Executive Council of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA), an international non-profit medical society of health care professionals who treat and/or perform research on oral cleft and craniofacial conditions.

In her role on the council, Wilson will help guide the 2,500-member organization in its efforts to foster communication and cooperation among professionals from all specialties involved in the treatment of children and adults with cleft lip, cleft palate, and craniofacial anomalies.

For more than 65 years, their goal has been to provide optimal care for this group of patients and their families. Because of the diverse needs of these patients, and the required services of many different specialists, interdisciplinary cooperation and team care is essential to the patients served.

Wilson has been providing such care for the past decade with the Cleft Palate Team at Texas Children’s Hospital. In addition to her role with the hospital, she holds a faculty appointment at Baylor College of Medicine in the Division of Plastic Surgery. She also is the assistant coordinator of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Special Interest Group 5 – Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders.

March 8, 2016

3416ChristianSchaaf175Dr. Christian Schaaf, assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s, has been named the inaugural recipient of the Seldin-Smith Award for Pioneering Research.

The Seldin-Smith Award was established by the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) to recognize the most promising young physician-scientists in the country. One recipient will be chosen annually for this honor. Founded in 1908, ASCI is one of the oldest and most highly-respected medical honor societies for physician-scientists in the U.S.

“I am humbled to receive this prestigious award named after Drs. Donald W. Seldin and Lloyd H. ‘Holly’ Smith, heroes of academic medicine,” Schaaf said. “For the past 50 years, they’ve provided exemplary leadership in science, medicine and education. This award recognizes contributions to all three areas. For me, diligently pursuing patient care, science, and medical education has made my work profoundly meaningful.”

Schaaf, a medical geneticist who solves complex and challenging medical mysteries, combines astute clinical observations with meticulous basic research. His studies have led to important contributions in understanding the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder and to the discovery of several genes for neurodevelopmental disorders and rare genetic syndromes. Two of these rare syndromes now bear his name: Bosch-Boonstra-Schaaf Optic Atrophy syndrome and Schaaf-Yang syndrome. Providing patients with an accurate diagnosis can be empowering. It ensures improved guidance, appropriate genetic counseling, and the ability to connect with similarly-affected families worldwide. These are important steps toward a better quality of life.

For the inaugural Seldin-Smith Award, ASCI sought nominations from outstanding physician-scientists who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and accomplishments in biomedical research. The selection committee comprised top luminaries in academic medicine, including four Nobel Laureates. Schaaf was chosen unanimously after a stringent two-step review of numerous nominations of exceptional early-stage physician-scientists from the U.S. and abroad.

Schaaf will be formally recognized at the ASCI dinner in Chicago on Friday, April 15. Drs. Seldin and Smith, as well as Schaaf’s mentor, NRI Director Dr. Huda Zoghbi, will be among the distinguished guests present at the ceremony.

In addition, Schaaf will receive an unrestricted grant of $30,000 to advance academic efforts, an invitation to deliver a research talk at the 2017 ASCI/AAP Joint Meeting and mentoring by the members of the Seldin-Smith Award Selection Committee and Advisory Committee.

March 1, 2016

3216SENTAC640The Division of Otolaryngology was well represented at the meeting of the Society for ENT Advances in Children (SENTAC). Otolaryngologist Dr. Karina Canadas and fellow Dr. Kate Dunsky won second place for “A Case of Anaphylactic Shock after Induction Anesthesia and Suspension Laryngoscopy Due to Latex Allergy.”

Eleven faculty members either had podium presentations or posters. These included Drs. Karina Canadas, Binoy Chandy, Carla Giannoni, John K. Jones, Carol Liu, MaryFrances Musso, Julina Ongkasuwan, Tiffany Raynor, Matthew Sitton, Robert Williamson and division chief Ellis Arjmand.

Five advanced practice providers, one fellow, three Baylor residents and two Baylor medical students were authors or co-authors of podium presentations or posters. Chandy moderated a scientific session and participated in a symposium on quality improvement that Arjmand organized and moderated.

“It was great to see so many participants from Texas Children’s and Baylor at all levels, and our program was definitely noticed by the other attendees,” Arjmand said.

3216Fulbrightinside640Three faculty members in the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Surgery have been awarded a Fulbright & Jaworski LLP Faculty Excellence Award from Baylor College of Medicine. Drs. Timothy Lee, Monica Lopez and Scott Rosenfeld were recognized in the Teaching and Evaluation category.

To be considered for an award in Teaching and Evaluation, a member of the Baylor faculty must show evidence of quality of teaching, number of teaching hours and diversity in content of material and variety of teaching formats among medical students, residents and fellows.

“Congratulations to Dr. Lopez, Dr. Lee and Dr. Rosenfeld on their accomplishments. All three are very deserving of this award,” said Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr., surgeon-in-chief.

Lee, Lopez and Rosenfeld note in their submission portfolios that teaching benefits them as well as their students. All three surgeons find they are successful instructors because they adapt their material to students at their particular stage of training, whether that is medical school, residency or fellowship. They teach at the bedside, in the classroom and in the clinic. Reviewing course evaluation comments, attending educational workshops and experiencing peer review are ways they are able to improve as teachers.

“In my role as chair of Texas Children’s Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee, I encourage faculty to pursue a Fulbright & Jaworski award as they take steps to advance their careers,” said Dr. David Wesson, associate surgeon-in-chief.

The Fulbright & Jaworski LLP Faculty Excellence Award recognizes Baylor College of Medicine faculty who meet designated standards of quality, quantity and breadth for their sustained exemplary educational contributions to Baylor.

Surgeons interested in pursuing a Fulbright & Jaworski award are encouraged to contact Lisa Thomas, assistant director, Office of Faculty Affairs. Thomas will use her expertise to assist surgeons through the application process. She can be reached at Ext. 6-5768, by email or in her office located in the Department of Surgery Academic Office.

8515Drzoghbi175Dr. Huda Zoghbi, known for her groundbreaking research on Rett syndrome and other neurological disorders, is the inaugural recipient of the Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science at Northwestern University.

The Nemmers prize, which carries a $200,000 stipend, is awarded to a physician-scientist whose body of research exhibits outstanding achievement in their discipline as demonstrated by works of lasting significance. A jury of distinguished scientists from around the country made the final selection.

Zoghbi, a professor of pediatrics, molecular and human genetics, and neurology and neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, has devoted her career to uncovering the genetic roots of rare neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases that affect her patients.

“The Nemmers Prize in Medical Science recognizes an outstanding investigator whose discoveries have significantly contributed to improving human health beyond the individual patient,” said Dr. Eric Neilson, vice president for medical affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Huda is a superb physician-scientist who has transformed the way we think about the genetic determinants and mechanisms of diseases. We are privileged to honor her with this inaugural award and for her to share her work with us.”

In connection with this award, Zoghbi will deliver a public lecture and participate in other scholarly activities at Feinberg in the coming year.

“It is a tremendous honor to be the inaugural Nemmers Prize recipient in Medical Science, and to have the opportunity to share my research with the stellar community of Northwestern University. It is truly humbling to be rewarded for what I love to do,” Zoghbi said.

3216siu640Leaders with the Texas Children’s Special Isolation Unit recently hosted the first of what they plan to be regular educational conferences focusing on our advanced concepts of pediatric biocontainment.

Representatives from four children’s hospitals – the Ann & Robert H. Lurie’s Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Colorado and the University of Texas-Houston – attended the two-day conference held February 25-26 at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

Topics covered during the conference included staffing and clinical care of infectious patients, personal protective equipment (PPE) and procedures, and special isolation unit planning, development, policies and procedures. Conference attendees also participated in a PPE demonstration and discussion, and were given a tour of our newly opened Special Isolation Unit at West Campus.

“The conference was a wonderful opportunity for Texas Children’s to share our knowledge and experience with leaders from multiple organizations,” said Dr. Amy Arrington, medical director of the Special Isolation Unit. “We hope to continue this process for years to come in an effort to ensure all children affected by special pathogens are safely cared for in their time of need.”

Texas Children’s began working on its Special Isolation Unit more than a year ago, shortly after an unprecedented Ebola outbreak that resulted in the realization that we must be prepared to handle emerging infections as an institution. As a result, the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated Texas Children’s Hospital as one of several pediatric Ebola treatment centers countrywide.

Texas Children’s Special Isolation Unit is the only one of its kind in Texas and the southwest region, and is among the few in the United States designated just for children. Located on the fifth floor of West Campus, the eight-bed unit is fully equipped to care for any infant or child with a serious communicable disease and has all of the measures available to assure safety of the health care team, other patients and their families.

Children coming to the special isolation unit will receive top notch care from a team of highly-trained nurses and doctors, led by Arrington, associate medical directors Dr. Gordon Schutze and Dr. Judith Campbell, and nursing leader, Sondra Morris.