August 8, 2017

Megnon Stewart, MSN, RN, education specialist for Nursing Professional Development at Texas Children’s, was recently named the 2017 Star Search winner at the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) national conference.

Each year, ANPD holds a Star Search competition at the annual convention to encourage aspiring speakers to compete for an opportunity to present a concurrent session at the next annual convention.

Each participant had 10 minutes to give a brief presentation that was judged by members of the ANPD Convention Content Planning Committee (CPC) and the audience. The CPC score constitutes 75 percent of the total score and the audience score constitutes 25 percent of the total. The participant who receives the highest score is invited to present a 60-minute concurrent session at the 2018 Annual Convention in Orlando, FL, and receives one complimentary convention registration.

Congratulations to Megnon for representing Texas Children’s with this prestigious award.

July 18, 2017

Ashley King, January – March 2017 Leader

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Ashley King, Patient Care Manager, Otolaryngology Department. I’ve worked for Texas Children’s Hospital for 10 years.

What month are you Super Star for?
First Quarter (January – March) 2017

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
I arrived to our scheduled “staff meeting” and was greeted by smiling faces, balloons and a red carpet. When I entered the meeting everyone yelled “Congratulations!” Confused, I responded, “For what?” That’s when I learned I had won the super star award. I was completely surprised!

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’s extremely rewarding to be recognized by such a great team of hard working individuals who I admire and enjoy working with. Throughout my 10 years with Texas Children’s, I have been surrounded by influential people – from preceptors to coworkers to managers to providers. These people have mentored me and continually challenged me to do more. And when new opportunities at Texas Children’s have presented themselves, they’ve encouraged me to continue moving forward in my career. If not for the excellent and supportive people that I’ve had the privilege of working with at Texas Children’s, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
A super star is a person who leaves you with a memorable impression. They actively listen to others. They do more than what is asked of them. They strive to provide quality patient care. And they do all of these things with a smile.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
My motivation is my team, our patients, and our patients’ families. I strive every day to make our clinic an enjoyable place to work. I also work very hard to ensure that our patients and their families have a positive experience. When my team is happy and our patients are happy, I’m happy!

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
For me, the best thing about Texas Children’s is the children. No matter their circumstance, they still manage to smile and be kids. Their resilience is empowering!

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
It means that Texas Children’s cares about the success of its employees. That we are all considered leaders is a testament to the investment that Texas Children’s has made in each of us by providing us the training, support, and resources that we need to help carry out our fundamental mission: “To create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research.” What is your leadership definition? Leadership means listening to, inspiring, and empowering others. Leadership is serving the people around you by giving them the tools they need to be successful.

Anything else you want to share?
I am proud to work at Texas Children’s and am looking forward to continuing to grow here.

July 17, 2017

Dr. Jane Edmond has been selected to serve as president of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus in 2020.

The organization’s goals are to advance the quality of children’s eye care, support the training of pediatric ophthalmologists, support research activities in pediatric ophthalmology, and advance the care of adults with strabismus.

Edmond is board certified and a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. She is a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and has held many offices within the organization. She is an oral board examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of AAPOS. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She is a frequently invited presenter at national and international professional society meetings and conferences. She is the recipient of the Secretariat and Achievement Award, presented by the American Academy of Ophthalmology; and an Honor Award, presented by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. She is considered a national expert in craniofacial disorders and pediatric neuro-ophthalmology.

Edmond’s interests and specialties are:

  • Pediatric neuro-ophthalmology (brain-based vision abnormalities, optic nerve disease, pupil problems, visual impact of brain tumors or other intracranial insults)
  • Craniofacial disorders and their ocular and impact to the visual system
  • Childhood and adult eye strabismus, medical and surgical treatment (all forms of eye misalignment, double vision, eye misalignment secondary to thyroid eye disease)
  • Amblyopia

Dr. Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Institute at Texas Children’s and professor in the departments of pediatrics, molecular and human genetics, neurology, and neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, received the 2017 Switzer Prize from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for excellence in biological and biomedical sciences research.

The Switzer Prize recognizes discoveries in basic research in the biological and biomedical sciences that have the potential to inspire transformative breakthroughs in medicine. It is awarded annually to an individual investigator whose recent work has revealed new paradigms, illuminated biological processes or pathways, or explained the origins of pathologies or diseases.

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA established the prize to promote the importance of basic sciences research, which advances the understanding of biological systems and human physiology. Such research – a priority at UCLA – is essential to continued improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of illnesses.

The Switzer Prize is named in recognition of the generosity of Irma and Norman Switzer, who made a major gift to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Zoghbi’s research includes identifying a gene mutation that causes Rett syndrome, a severe genetic disorder that mostly affects girls. She will deliver the Switzer Prize lecture at UCLA in February 2018.

Texas Children’s Radiology-in-Chief Dr. George Bisset was recently awarded the Radiological Society of North America’s (RSNA) Gold Medal for 2017.

The Gold Medal is RSNA’s highest honor. It is awarded annually by the Board of Directors to those persons who, in the judgment of the Board, have rendered unusual service to the science of radiology. Typically, three medals are awarded each year in accordance with the RSNA’s Bylaws as revised November 1977. A unanimous vote of the Board of Directors is required.

Bisset is the second Texas Children’s Hospital recipient of this prestigious award. The first recipient was (late) Dr. Edward Singleton, who received the award in 1995.

June 27, 2017

Texas Children’s radiologist Dr. Victor Seghers was recently elected vice president of the Pediatric Imaging Council within the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). This is a six-year term and Seghers will become president of the council in 2019.

In this leadership position, Seghers’ responsibilities will include recruitment of speakers and moderators for the annual mid-Winter meeting in January and annual convention in June. NMMI is a multidisciplinary medical association of more than 18,000 physicians, technologists, scientists, students and other health care providers. Established more than 50 years ago, their goal is to be the leader in unifying, advancing and optimizing molecular imaging with the ultimate goal of improving human health.

Seghers is double-board certified in Nuclear Radiology and Pediatric Radiology by the American Board of Radiology. He has published in numerous peer reviewed journals and his clinical and research interests include pediatric oncology and epilepsy with a focus on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging.

Originally director of Body CT and MRI at Texas Children’s Hospital, he later served as division chief of Nuclear Radiology. He created the PET/MRI program, the first of its kind in a free-standing children’s hospital here at Texas Children’s.

Seghers is currently chief of Community Radiology and is the service chief for Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

June 20, 2017

Amee Moreno, a pediatric nurse practitioner in Neurosurgery, was recently selected for leadership in the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).

NAPNAP is the largest professional association for PNPs and pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with more than 8,500 members. Their focus is centered around improving the quality of health care for infants, children and adolescents, and to advancing the APRN’s role in providing that care. Recently, NAPNAP held elections for their leadership positions and Moreno was selected to serve as president elect.

“We are so very proud of our own Amee Moreno for her tremendous accomplishments, her commitment to excellence, and for her major contributions to our Neurosurgery family,” said Texas Children’s Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Howard Weiner.