February 21, 2017

More than 600 employees and staff with 12,480 combined years of Texas Children’s service and expertise were honored last week at the organization’s 29th Annual Employee Recognition Celebration.

Held on February 14 at the Bayou Event Center, Valentine’s Day provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the heart of Texas Children’s past, present and future and recognize our long-time honorees and award recipients for their continued passion and commitment to the mission of Texas Children’s.

“There is a lot of love and dedication in this room today,” said Human Resources Senior Vice President Linda Aldred. “There is more history here today than we can probably imagine when we think about the stories and the milestones we have accomplished together.”

Inside a large ballroom decked out in lavish decor, students from Houston’s Parker Elementary Chorus serenaded the crowd before the awards presentation got underway.

After lunch, each honoree was led down a red carpet and onto a stage where President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline and Texas Children’s Board of Trustee member Michael Linn shook their hands and thanked them for their 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 and 45 years of service at Texas Children’s.

In addition to long-time honorees, the ceremony recognized recipients of the Best of the West, Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership, Smiles and Super Star awards.

“All of you have been such a powerful part of Texas Children’s growth and development,” Wallace said. “Because of your infinite passion for the mission of Texas Children’s, we are able to reach more children and women beyond the Texas Medical Center and even beyond the great state of Texas.”

Christina Atiba, a nurse in the Pulmonary Adolescent Endocrine Unit, has worked at Texas Children’s for 25 years and loves her job. While she enjoys taking care of children, she admires the organization’s commitment to advancing the educational and professional development opportunities for employees.

“The hospital has a developmental plan for every employee, and the sky is the limit at Texas Children’s,” Atiba said. “You can be whatever you want to be and they support you every way they can.”

The annual event was a day to celebrate accomplishments and honor those who have done so much to carry out the values and the mission of Texas Children’s to ensure we meet the health care needs of our patients and their families.

“We will always be grateful for your commitment and hard work, and we will always recognize you,” Aldred said. “We will always celebrate you in everything we have achieved together.”

Congratulations to all of our honorees!

Click here for a copy of the event’s program, including a complete list of honorees. Click here to watch the photo gallery.

Dr. Michael Paldino’s paper entitled “Brain Network Architecture and Global Intelligence in Children with Focal Epilepsy” was recently selected as the 2016 Lucien Levy Best Research Article Award Winner in the American Journal of Neuroradiology (AJNR).

This award is named for the late AJNR senior editor who championed its establishment and recognizes the best original research paper accepted in 2016. The winning paper, submitted by Paldino and fellow Texas Children’s radiologists Drs. Farahnaz Golriz, Wei Zhang and Zili Chu, was published electronically on October 13, 2016 and appeared in the February print issue of the journal.

The paper was selected by a vote of the journal’s editor-in-chief and senior editors.

The Clinical Research Center/Research Resources Office will present the Clinical Research Award for First Quarter 2017 to Dr. Beth Carter, Department of Pediatrics-Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine.

The award was established by the Clinical Research Center in collaboration with the Research Resources Office to recognize and honor individual contributions to protecting the best interest of the research subjects and compliance with applicable rules and regulations.

Dr. Carter’s research activities in the CRC focus on pediatric short bowel syndrome, intestinal failure, and the clinical treatment of these conditions. Dr. Carter is a leader in the development of new approaches to the treatment of pediatric short bowel and has been a significant contributor to the recent pediatric clinical trials of teduglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 2 analogue that is under investigation for the use in moderate to severe short bowel syndrome patients that are failing to progress in regards to enteral advances and/or TPN (total parenteral nutrition) weaning.

Texas Children Radiologist Dr. Nadia Mahmood was recently named Secretary of the Pediatric Ultrasound Community of the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM). Mahmood will become chair of the committee in 2021.

This is a major responsibility for Mahmood, especially at the association’s annual convention in March, involving selection of topics, speakers and moderators for sessions. AIUM is a multidisciplinary medical association of more than 9,000 physicians, sonographers, scientists, students and other health care providers. Established more than 50 years ago, the AIUM is dedicated to advancing the safe and effective use of ultrasound in medicine through professional and public education, research, development of guidelines, and accreditation.

Mahmood is a board certified radiologist by the American Board of Radiology. Her clinical and research interests include lymphoma, neuroblastoma and oncology-related imaging. She also serves as one of four radiologists in the division of nuclear imaging with a focus on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging. Mahmood completed her subspecialty in Pediatric Imaging at Texas Children’s Hospital. Apart from her clinical and research responsibilities, Mahmood also serves as associate director of the Radiology Education Program as well as interim section chief of Ultrasound Imaging. She has published in numerous peer reviewed journals, with her most recent project pertaining to urinary tract infections in neonates. In addition, Mahmood is involved in multiple regional and national committees, including the one she was recently appointed to with the AIUM.

For more information about Mahmood click here.

Anesthesiologist-in-Chief Dr. Dean B. Andropoulos recently authored an article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) about the December 14 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug safety communication about prolonged or repeated anesthetics in young children and pregnant women in their third trimester.

The FDA’s communication states:

  • A single, short exposure to anesthesia appears to be safe.
  • There is some evidence that longer (>3 hours) or repeated exposures could have negative effects on behavior or learning.
  • Much more research is needed.

As a result of the communication and after deliberating with leaders in his department as well as the Department of Surgery and risk management, Andropoulos said in the NEJM article that Texas Children’s Hospital has changed its anesthesia practice and will discuss the warning before surgery with the parents of all children 3 years of age and younger.

In addition, Andropoulos said in the article, Texas Children’s Hospital has adopted the warning’s recommendation that a discussion occur among parents, surgeons, other physicians and anesthesiologists about the duration of anesthesia, any plan for multiple general anesthetics for multiple procedures, and the possibility that the procedure could be delayed until after 3 years of age. Parent-education materials that cover these topics also will be made available to our patients and their families.

“Even though anesthesia is much safer today than ever before, every anesthesia exposure and surgery has an element of risk and we must remain vigilant about communicating such risks to our patients and their families,” Andropoulos said. “In addition, the benefits of anesthesia must always be weighed against the risks of anesthesia itself.”

For more information, please contact the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at ext. 4-5800. To read a blog by Andropoulos titled “Anesthesia and Your Child,” click here.

February 14, 2017

21517WalterSowells640Walter Sowells, Human Resources Technician, Human Resources, died February 10 at the age of 39.

Walter began his career at Texas Children’s in December of 1999. He was a member of the Organizational Development team in Human Resources and managed the conference center in the Meyer Building. Walter was a gentle, patient man, known for his sense of humor and ability to get along with everyone. He will be greatly missed by his team and fellow employees.

Walter is survived by two children, Isaiah and Nathan and his wife, Earlisha.

Services:

Saturday, February 18

Trinity Gardens Church of Christ

7725 Sandra Street

Houston, TX  77016

Viewing:

10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Funeral:

11 a.m.

Friends of Walter’s from Texas Children’s Hospital are welcome to attend.

21517BestoftheWestinside640Two Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus staff members recently received the Best of the West award, which recognizes employees who have exceled at demonstrating Texas Children’s values – leading tirelessly, living compassionately, amplifying unity and embracing freedom.

Dr. Deborah Shardy, medical director of the West Campus Cancer, Hematology and Infusion Center, received the award for her unwavering dedication to serving her patients, their families and her clinical team.

Some of her colleagues and patient families have said the following about Shardy:

  • Dr. Shardy is not only an incredible physician in a very difficult field, she has a true passion for our patients and would go above and beyond for each one of them. She demonstrates our core values on a daily basis. She lives for the cause and not the applause, I am honored and blessed to work with her.
  • She lives selflessly always putting others needs above her own. Working long days and nights, performing procedures in clinic and in the operating room, covering call for the inpatient units, and many countless consults. She lives compassionately while keeping a positive outlook each day and encourages others to focus on the patient, ensuring their safety and comfort despite their sometime very difficult circumstances.
  • Dr. Shardy is always willing to help in any situation. Even when she is very busy, there is never a problem that is too big for her to solve. Her persistence in all situations helps our families feel safe and well cared for. If my child were being treated at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, I would want Dr. Shardy to be my child’s doctor.

The second recipient of the Best of the West award this quarter is Maura Dugan, a senior speech pathologist who helped launch upWORDS, a program aimed at closing the opportunity gap by giving parents the knowledge of how to improve the quantity and quality of language spoken with their child and educate them on the long-term impact language can have on their child’s success in life.

Some of her colleagues and patient families have said the following about Dugan:

  • Maura’s dedication and perseverance have resulted in a very impressive upWORDS program that provides resources that may result in life-long change for children and families in our community. Parent feedback has been impressive and families achieved 100 percent attendance during the first session of classes, demonstrating the impact this program has for them and their children. Maura has gone well above and beyond to establish and maintain a high-quality, impactful program in addition to her other responsibilities.
  • Maura’s dedication and compassion for the children and families she works with is obvious in everything she does. She has worked not only to initiate the upWORDS program at Texas Children’s but also continues to work with a multi-disciplinary team to significantly improve speech therapy services for children with hearing impairment and cochlear implants.
  • She does all that she does with little fanfare, as most not directly involved with these programs would know little about her constant drive to provide the most innovative, effective care for her patients and children in the community. Maura not only exemplifies the “Best of the West,” but what all therapists should strive to emulate.

If you would like to nominate someone for the Best of the West award, please click here and fill out the nomination form. You also can pick up a form at West Campus and return it to any of the black mailboxes in the following areas: DOTS Kitchen, the Coffee Spot, in the Human Resources office, the Emergency Center hallway or on the wall near the third-floor elevator.