December 13, 2016

121416shirleycherian175Shirley Cherian, project manager, Radiology, died unexpectedly on November 29, 2016. She was 30 years old.

Shirley joined Texas Children’s Hospital in February 2011 as a CT technologist in the Radiology Department. A colleague who was loved by everyone she interacted with, Shirley earned her MBA going to school during the day and working as a technologist during the night shift at Texas Children’s. In 2013, Shirley was promoted to project manager for Safety, Regulatory & Education. Shirley was brilliant in this role and was considered a rising star in Radiology. Her encouraging smile, her willingness to help, her quick wit, her graciousness and, most important, her passionate dedication to the children and families we serve, are just some of the qualities that made Shirley special to her friends and colleagues.

Shirley is survived by her parents, Mr. Cherian M. Cherian and Mrs. Lizzi Cherian; sisters, Mrs. Sheba George and Mrs. Susan Thomas; brothers-in-law, Mr. Johnsly George and Mr. Ashley Thomas; and nephews, Aiden Thomas and Andrew Thomas. To her many extended family and friends, she will be greatly missed.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions in memory of Shirley may be directed to Texas Children’s Hospital, Radiology Education Fund, 1919 South Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214, Houston, TX, 77030, or online at http://waystogive.texaschildrens.org/shirleycherian.

Services were held in the Dallas area.

 

121416drluersson175Dr. Thomas Luerssen has been given the 2016 Franc D. Ingraham Award for Distinguished Service and Achievement by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Section of Pediatric Neurological Surgery. The award is the highest honor given by the organization and recognizes individuals whose achievements have advanced the field of pediatric neurosurgery. This is only the ninth time the award has been given since its inception in 1988.

Dr. Luerssen is chief quality officer for surgery and a neurosurgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital and a professor of neurosurgery at the Baylor College of Medicine. He is also the former chief of neurosurgery at Texas Children’s.

“It is a true honor for me to follow the great legacy of Dr. Tom Luerssen who has built an incredibly strong neurosurgery service at Texas Children’s,” said Dr. Howard Weiner, chief of Neurosurgery at Texas Children’s.

After graduating many outstanding pediatric neurosurgery fellows over the last decade, as well as recruiting a truly excellent core team of pediatric neurosurgeons here, Luerssen has been recognized for his many leadership roles in pediatric neurosurgery over the course of his career. Among those roles are chairman of the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery and president of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. He also spent 18 years on practicing at Indiana University and 11 years at Texas Children’s. These accomplishments are in addition to his many contributions to the fields of neurotrauma, quality improvement and patient safety in pediatric neurosurgery.

Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr., surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children’s said, “We are very proud of Dr. Luerssen’s accomplishments and are extremely fortunate to have him as part of the legacy of Texas Children’s Department of Surgery.”

December 6, 2016

12716tyrisehawkins175Tyrise Hawkins, November 2016 Employee

Tyrise Hawkins of Supply Chain, is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star employee. “My motivation is coming in every morning and seeing the kids I am here to help.” Read more of his interview below and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.
Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Tyrise Hawkins. Supply Chain Tech 3, Supply Chain. 22 years.

What month are you Super Star for?
November 2016

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
I thought I was at a department staff meeting until I saw all my coworkers, Leadership and a cake on the table that had Super Star Tyrise Hawkins on it.

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do? How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
It feels good! I still can’t believe I was picked for this award. I just love Texas Children’s Hospital and what I do. My reward is making my customers and families happy. What is needed for my customers when their patients arrive, it has already been delivered to the department. The organization has help me achieve my goals by receiving good coaching from my leadership. Also they always ask for my feedback on issues concerning the Clinical Care Center.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
Just be yourself and treat people the way you want to be treated. That is a super star.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
Coming in every morning and seeing the kids I am here to help. When you see some of the parents remember you: They might not know your name, but they never forget your face. Also when they tell you, ‘Every time I come here and see you, you are always happy.’ That motivates me even more.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
Everything about Texas Children’s is the best.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
You just answered it. Everybody here is a leader, and family. When you are down, there is a coworker, leadership, or someone who is going to say something to pick you up.

Anything else you want to share?
Thank you Texas Children’s for giving me 22 years of service. I will be here for 22 more.

112316lisahollier175Dr. Lisa Hollier has been named president elect of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for May 2017 to May 2018. Hollier will officially take office on May 9.

With 20 years of experience, Hollier is a board certified professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Division of Women’s Health Law and Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. She is the chief medical officer for Obstetrics and Gynecology for Texas Children’s Health Plan and the medical director of The Centers for Children and Women.

She received her doctorate in Medicine from Tulane University School of Medicine and master’s degree in Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Topical Medicine. Hollier completed her residency at Baylor University Medical Center and completed a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

As a national expert in obstetrics and gynecology, Hollier’s work has been published in prestigious national journals and she has served on several national boards.

113016drmingshanxuecure175Mingshan Xue, PhD, assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and investigator at the Texas Children’s Hospital’s Gordon and Mary Cain Pediatric Neurology Research Foundation Laboratories/Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, has been awarded the 2016 CURE Epilepsy Felix Henry Memorial Award.

Xue’s research is focused on the development of cortical circuits and how any malfunction of these circuits contributes to epileptic encephalopathies. This award is awarded in the honor of Felix Henry who started having seizures as a 3-month-old infant and tragically succumbed to epilepsy as a 7-month-old baby in March 2016. His parents, Jen Scott and Pierre-Gilles Henry, instituted a $250,000 grant to support transformational scientific research programs.

Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) is a leading non-governmental agency fully committed to leading and supporting research in epilepsy. It was founded by a group of parents in 1998, and since its inception, has raised more than $40 million to support epilepsy research initiatives.

Click here to learn more about Xue’s research program and his motivations for pursuing this area of investigation.

113016drprakashmasand175Dr. Prakash Masand, director of Cardiac Imaging Service in the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Radiology has been awarded a Fulbright & Jaworski LLP Faculty Excellence Award from Baylor College of Medicine. He is the first pediatric radiologist at Texas Children’s to receive this award.

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.

“One of the most valuable assets of any academic medical center is a great teacher,” said Texas Children’s Radiologist-in-Chief George S. Bisset. “Dr. Masand understands the power of teaching and his commitment has inspired many of our trainees in radiology.”

As a Radiology attending physician since 2010, Masand has contributed to the training and education of numerous residents and fellows who rotate on the Radiology service from Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas in Houston and the San Antonio military program.

As an educator, Masand inspires residents and fellows by incorporating effective teaching methods to help them discover their true potential. He enjoys teaching while interpreting case studies with trainees and enjoys interactions with his trainees during clinical conferences, didactic and lecture based teaching. Masand is also passionate about optimizing and setting up imaging protocols and sequences, which eventually helps with standardization of imaging based algorithms, and provides him with the unique opportunity to participate in the education of our Radiology staff, including nurses, technologists and sonographers.

“My collaboration with residents, fellows and faculty from other clinical specialties has continually enhanced my learning and I am happy to say that we have developed several successful clinical programs using a multidisciplinary approach,” Masand said. “Being the imaging spearhead for these programs, I am able to impart knowledge about the latest and the best imaging techniques to my clinical colleagues, which improves patient care and benefits the community.”

Congratulations to Dr. Masand for this prestigious excellence in teaching award!

113016juliekuzin175Julie Kuzin, a nurse practitioner at Texas Children’s Heart Center, recently received the 2017 American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence. This prestigious award is given annually to a dedicated nurse practitioner in each state who demonstrates excellence in their area of practice.

“Since joining the cardiology team in 2004, Kuzin has cemented her place as a smart and thorough clinician who delivers safe, effective, and efficient care to our patients and their families,” said Angela Gooden, a pediatric nurse practitioner and manager of Advanced Practice Providers in Cardiology, who nominated Kuzin for this award. “We applaud Julie for the outstanding contributions she has made to the APRN practice at Texas Children’s Hospital and across the state of Texas.”

Kuzin was recognized for a number of achievements, including her leadership in advancing professional standards and practice guidelines across the organization. In partnership with Texas Children’s, Kuzin was instrumental in developing a post-master’s Acute Care PNP certification program at Texas Tech University School of Nursing in 2014 to meet professional practice needs for increased access.

Kuzin has been an active participant in efforts to reform NP practice in the state of Texas. She has travelled to multiple legislative sessions and has disseminated key information from those visits. Her fervent commitment to advancing the scope of practice at Texas Children’s was most inspiring by her colleagues when she served as the first assistant director of Acute Care Advanced Practice Providers prior to taking on faculty duties with Texas Tech. Also, Kuzin has served as a model and mentor to providers with her participation in evidenced-based practice and research.

“Many of our APRNs are unsung heroes in their practice, doing what is ordinary to advanced nursing practice but is seen as extraordinary to patients and families,” said Charley Elliott, director of Advanced Practice Providers at Texas Children’s. “We congratulate Julie for achieving this prestigious state award of excellence.”