April 11, 2023

Each day, Texas Children’s social workers help break down barriers that prevent our patients and families from getting the support they need in the face of illness and hospitalization.

The Medical Center’s Social Work department recently gathered for a Luau-themed bash to celebrate Social Work Month and a very exciting milestone – reaching 100 team members! From longest-tenured to newly-hired, our One Amazing Team of social workers connected over food and drinks and were treated to custom t-shirts, flower leis and special words of acknowledgment from their leaders.

“We’re so excited to be here celebrating this team that has grown to 100 employees,” said Michelle Lawson, director of clinical support services. “There are so many aspects to patient care, and it’s critical to help families deal with life as it impacts their health journey. I love that I get to support and work our social workers – we figure it out together, and get our patients what they need.”

Like many teams, social work staff numbers took a hit during the pandemic – just when it felt like their services were needed most.

“Having more social workers on staff means we don’t have to pick and choose which families get a consult, and we don’t have to rush to see as many people as we can,” said Maggie Lampe, assistant director of social work. “We want to spend all the time we need with each individual, and now that we have more social workers we can do just that.”

Social worker Porschea Wilson (The Woodlands) was recently recognized for going that extra mile when she set aside more time out of her schedule to color a picture with an acute care patient.

“The patient’s mother stated Porschea was very patient with the child and spent as much time as she could with her until she had another call to go to,” reads Porschea’s Caught You Caring submission. “Thank you for making such a BIG impact for this patient’s first hospitalization and setting her up for a positive experience!”

Texas Children’s social workers are professionals who have earned a master’s degree and are licensed by the state of Texas. They are vital components of the multidisciplinary care team – helping families locate community resources, assisting in crisis interventions, providing counseling, educating families on a child’s diagnosis, and so much more.

Click here to learn more about Social Work at Texas Children’s. A social worker can be contacted 24/7 by calling the hospital page operator at 832-824-2099.

The third annual list spotlights 50 top leaders who are leveraging technology to transform their companies and the role of CIO. Read more

April 5, 2023

Guiding patients through the admissions process is hard work and is sometimes taken for granted, but it is a vital component of patient care. For patients and their families, a member of the patient access team is typically the first person they interact with either when they pre-register for their service or when they walk through our doors. Those interactions can get our patients and their families off on the right foot as they seek care from our clinicians.

Contact Center Supervisor Lupyta Chapa knows how important her team’s role is in the overall journey and relishes the opportunity to provide solutions and a positive experience for patients and their families.

“Every day, our team tirelessly works to secure benefits and authorizations for services rendered, and usually without any issues. When we do encounter a bump in the road or setback, that’s when the real magic happens and our team members kick into gear,” said Chapa. “The team comes together to find solutions with one goal in mind, giving our patients the care they deserve. This team is amazing and I’m so proud to be part of it. This is why I have dedicated over 16 years of my career at Texas Children’s to the Pre-Service department.”

The Pre-Service department manages all outpatient scheduled events for the Medical Center Campus, Pavilion for Women, The Woodlands Campus, West Campus, Health Centers and the Austin-Mopac clinic.

There are many dedicated team members responsible for pre-service, admissions and scheduling. Through Caught You Caring, they are recognized every day for their efforts. Here are a few highlights:

Judith (Judi) Unrau, Patient Access Representative
We were here a week ago and she introduced herself to my son as we were leaving, and made him smile. Today, she got him laughing and giggling when he was in major pain and scared because he needed blood work. After my son was in procedure, my husband and I were both hungry and she found us a place to stash our bags so we didn’t have to carry everything we had with us to go eat. She laughed and joked and made us feel more comfortable as we waited. She calmed some of my fears. When the waiting room was empty, she volunteered to change the TV station for us. I can’t thank her enough for everything she’s done for us today.

Margarita Briseno, Patient Access Representative
The customer service was very good, helpful and professional. Margarita has a big smile, a helping hand, and is very good with the kids. I will vote for her for best customer service support at the hospital. Keep up the good work and thank you.

Caroline Jones, Contact Center Representative
I received a call today from an upset mom who was so upset and worried her son’s dental appointment for surgery would need to be cancelled. I talked with mom telling her I would look into it and noted the referral shell. Caroline was working the appointment and took it upon herself to reach out to me to see what was going on. And then went above and beyond to see how we could make sure the surgery was approved and not cancelled for this Tricare patient. Caroline escalated the request to Tricare and went way above and beyond even escalating to them. I’m super thankful that Caroline was on this referral shell and thought outside the box to help out. I really appreciate her and her amazingness!!! So glad she’s a part of our Pre-Service Team.

Cristina Aguilar, Patient Access Coordinator
When I got on the phone with Cristina I had already been on the phone for almost two hours trying to make an appointment to see a doctor. I was becoming a little frustrated and struggling to remain calm, and Cristina laid out all of my options clearly, answered my questions with kindness and care, and when I related to her some of the issues that impacted me personally she asked me to hold briefly. It was actually a brief hold, and during that time she went around the office and was able to find me an appointment from a cancellation so I could see a physician I was comfortable with and so I could receive care at a time that was convenient for me. On top of that, she was just so dang nice! Cristina is professional, kind, caring, a good listener, smart, and expedient. I could hear Cristina’s smile through the phone as I was explaining what I needed, and she took my concerns seriously. She is exactly the sort of human you want as the face of your practice, and Baylor OB/GYN is lucky to have her. Thank you, Cristina, for turning what had been a bit of a nightmare into a total win, and for your kindness.

Aaron Wilson, Patient Access Representative was recognized three times in one day! Here’s one of the comments.
Mr. Aaron Wilson, the one that took my ID at the nurse check in desk. He was so very kind and went above and beyond. I was so sick with COVID and still am. He came up to us in the waiting room and handed us two bottles of water and a Gatorade and said, “you will need to stay hydrated.” He did not have to do this but it was SO APPRECIATED!!! It’s those special little deeds that mean so much to patients and their families. You are so blessed to have such a compassionate employee that genuinely cares about others wellbeing.

To read more recognitions or submit a Caught You Caring for a co-worker, click here. Our dedicated patient access team members will celebrate Patient Access Week from April 2-8.

March 30, 2023

This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he invites Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, Texas Children’s Pediatrician-In-Chief and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at BCM, to help celebrate Doctors’ Day and share how her physician colleagues inspire her every day. Read more

March 7, 2023

Drs. Zoghbi and Bottazzi were recently honored for their contributions to the advancement of women and improving the quality of life for future generations of Texas women. Read More

January 26, 2023

Music Therapy at Texas Children’s started in 2013 with a single music therapist in the NICU and inpatient rehabilitation unit – marking the beginnings of a nationally-accredited program that celebrates a decade of changing lives through music in 2023.

Fast-forward 10 years and you’ll find a Music Therapy program at its largest and most impressive, serving more patients and families than ever before with compassionate, evidence-based practice. Texas Children’s now has three board-certified music therapists on staff at the Medical Center campus covering inpatient Acute Care, Critical Care, and Neonatal ICU, and one board-certified music therapist serving the Intensive Outpatient Program.

Harnessing the healing power of music

There are countless forms of music therapy that can facilitate therapeutic outcomes and motivate children to heal their bodies, brains, and hearts. For example, interventions like contingent singing can decrease overstimulation and positively affect weight gain and growth in critically-ill infants. This is how our Music Therapy team is leading research in the field, having recently submitted for publication the first-ever study exploring co-treatment of music therapy and occupational therapy in the NICU.

There’s no doubt that a hospital stay can be taxing both physically and mentally. Given the extended length of an average ICU admission, many patients become desensitized to normal sounds and lights due to dysregulated sleep patterns. “With structured multi-sensory stimulation, I’m able to re-introduce appropriate auditory stimulation to my patients in a calming way so that they can develop regulation,” said music therapist Hillary Gómez. “It’s also a great intervention to use with patients who are sedated or on paralytics.”

Celebrating legacy

In 2018, our music therapists joined forces with art therapy and media services to create the Child Life Department’s Creative & Therapeutic Arts Program – setting out to enrich the lives of our children and families through innovative therapies and projects like Be Like Molly Mae, an annual hospital-wide creative arts camp inspired by a former patient.

“Some of my favorite memories are from Be Like Molly Mae camp, which is filled with music, art, and media activities for all our patients to participate in,” said music therapist Maribeth Brinkley. “This past year we had a secret agent theme, culminating in a special musical performance centered around hope and the holiday season.”

The music doesn’t stop there! Our beloved staff Ukulele Choir was born out of the Music Therapy program and practices weekly to prepare for performances and annual “care-o-ling“ around the hospital, lifting the spirits of patients and visitors.

Program milestones

According to music therapist Marial Biard, the Music Therapy team is working toward being adequately staffed with the American Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) recommended minimum ratio of one music therapist to every 100 patient beds.

When asked where she sees the program in 10 more years, Biard said “we will also be pillars of care in our West Campus and Woodlands hospitals, leading significant research efforts that recognize the efficacy of music therapy co-treatment, pain mitigation, and patient experience.”

Join us in celebrating A Decade of Song all year long with program highlights, patient stories, and blog posts from our music therapists – as well as reflections on milestones from the past 10 years that include:

  • 2013 – Music Therapy program formed for NICU and inpatient rehab patients
  • 2014 – Music Therapy receives NICU research grant from AMTA
  • 2015 – Clinical internship created, expanding services
  • 2015 – Staff Ukulele Choir formed
  • 2016 – Heartbeat recordings garner significant media coverage
  • 2018 – Creative & Therapeutic Arts Program formed
  • 2018 – $75,000 donation from Robinson Foundation to increase access to music programming
  • 2021 – Elise’s Legacy Library published, becoming award-winning pediatric tool for mindfulness and mental wellness
  • 2021 – First “Be Like Molly Mae” camp
  • 2022 – Behavioral Health music therapist hired

To learn more about the Ukulele Choir or Good Grief Group, our music therapy support group for staff who experience grief in their roles, please email musictherapy@texaschildrens.org.

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!