Texas Children’s Cancer & Hematology Center is excited to announce the latest recipients of the Bravo Awards. These awards honor team members who consistently go above and beyond in their roles, delivering outstanding care and support to patients and families.
Read more about the honorees for September:
Artur Gonzales, RN, Medical Center. Artur is a nurse in our Outpatient Infusion Center who is “the master at handling unexpected complications.” His ability to brainstorm solutions for these problems helps the day run smoothly. He displays a “can-do” attitude, every day, always smiling and doing his best to get all necessary tasks completed. In addition to his nursing skills in the clinic, Artur helps our patients by participating in donor fundraising events such as the Derricks and Diamonds Annual Softball Tournament. For instance, he arranged for one of our patients to throw the first pitch at the start of this tournament, in 2025, which made the day extra special for the child and their family.
Joy Griggsby, LCSW, Medical Center. Joy led a detailed, data-driven initiative to increase mental health support for our long-term survivor population. She accomplished this initiative by facilitating a proposal through the chain of command. Her advocacy contributed to these patients receiving needed care in a timely manner. She also saw the need to increase the training of her social work colleagues in this area. She added to her certification to serve as an instructor for her peers since there was a limited number of supervisors for training. This allows junior staff to gain valuable clinical experience in a structured, supervised setting. Joy’s dedication, foresight and commitment to both patient care and professional development have laid the foundation for a program with lasting impact.
Carol Herron, Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Coordinator, Medical Center. Carol has an extraordinary gift of brightening our patients’ days as the coordinator of the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program. Through art, music, and creative writing, she brings comfort, expression and joy to children enduring long-term treatments in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her presence not only nurtures creativity but also supports the emotional well-being that is so vital to a child’s healing. Carol truly transforms the hospital experience, turning moments of fear and uncertainty into opportunities for joy, connection and hope.
Michelle Nguyen, RN, Medical Center. Michelle is the heart of the histiocytosis team. She advocates for her patients, coordinates their care and offers emotional support and guidance. She personally checks in with each of her patients in clinic, ensures follow-up for their needs and maintains continuity of their care. Her clinical knowledge, organizational skills and proactive communication enable the entire team to function more efficiently and effectively. Michelle also provides these same invaluable services to the adult patients seen by her team. They are very thankful to have someone listen to them and help coordinate their care.
David Ross, PharmD, The Woodlands. David embodies compassionate and collaborative care in his role as a specialty pharmacist for The Woodlands. He is the “go-to” pharmacist when anyone on our team is experiencing challenges securing medications. David checks coverage options through the internal specialty pharmacy and uses his connections to identify and contact another pharmacy that could provide the medication. His consistent dedication and perseverance are not lost on families who often express gratitude and are impressed by his professionalism and kindness during difficult times. Dave’s ability to troubleshoot complex issues while maintaining an empathetic approach is an asset to our hospital. We’re very lucky to have him on our team.
Amy Valdez, MSN, RN, CPN, West Campus. Amy is an invaluable leader in her role as an assistant clinical director for our West Campus. Her leadership combines assertiveness and kindness into an effective mix. She has been able to build structure and improvements in our ambulatory centers and in our staff. She tackles issues with proposed solutions, while also being open-minded and flexible about listening to the solutions and concerns of others on our team. Amy efficiently completes innumerable tasks consistently and effectively, no matter how big the ask or how early or late the hour.
Jessica Wu, Cytogenetic Lab Tech II, Medical Center. Jessica is an excellent employee who believes in patient care first. She consistently shows initiative covering wet lab duties, troubleshooting and quality control measures. She pays close attention to turn around time for our clinical cases, so they are reported as quickly as possible. Jessica also spends as much time as needed to train fellows, students and new employees.
Please join us in congratulating these outstanding team members for their remarkable contributions and commitment to excellence.
