February 7, 2017

2817LaurenKANE175Congenital heart surgeon Dr. Lauren Kane was recently awarded the Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship from The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF). Kane is the first congenital heart surgeon to receive the distinguished honor.

Established in 2013 in conjunction with Women in Thoracic Surgery, The Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship is an annual award presented to an established female thoracic or cardiac surgeon. The award provides recipients the opportunity to travel to another institution to learn a new skill or technology.

“I am truly honored to receive this award,” Kane said. “Carolyn was a wonderful, well-respected and beloved leader in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to pay tribute to her legacy as I collaborate with surgeons internationally who share my passion for enriching the lives of children with congenital heart disease and defects.”

Kane plans to travel to New Delhi, India to collaborate with an outstanding program there focused on advanced congenital heart disease.

“Dr. Kane is a vital member of our team and I am proud that she has been recognized with this coveted fellowship,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr. “I look forward to her returning from her travels with a unique perspective of the keys to success of international programs similar to ours.”

Texas Children’s Heart Center is ranked No. 2 nationally in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. The Congenital Heart Surgery Service offers a comprehensive surgical program that includes every procedure available for the treatment of pediatric heart disease and defects. The team cares for children of every age, including preterm and low-birth-weight newborns, tailoring procedures and treatments to the needs of each individual child and his or her family. During surgery, this individualized approach includes cardiopulmonary bypass and neuroprotection strategies customized to each patient’s condition and needs, helping to ensure optimal outcomes are achieved. For more information visit texaschildrens.org/heart.

For more information about the fellowship visit TSF’s website.

January 24, 2017

12517RebaHillawardsinside640The 17th Annual Reba Michels Hill Memorial Grand Rounds were held recently. Awards were given to Neonatology non-physicians who have made a significant contribution to advancing the quality to which Dr. Hill was dedicated: compassionate commitment to education, patient care, research and family.

12517DrSusanBlaney175Deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center Dr. Susan Blaney recently was appointed to the hematology-oncology self-assessment team of the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). In this role, Blaney will develop content for Maintenance of Certification exams, one component of which is self-assessment.

Founded in 1933, the ABP is one of the 24 certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. The ABP is an independent, nonprofit organization whose certificate is recognized throughout the world as a credential signifying a high level of physician competence.

In addition to her duties with the Cancer Center, Blaney is executive vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. She also is the vice chair of the Children’s Oncology Group, the National Cancer Institute supported clinical trials group and the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research.

Blaney served as the co-director of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at Texas Children’s Cancer Center where she performs pre-clinical and clinical studies of new antineoplastic agents. A primary focus of her research is the development of new drugs for the treatment of central nervous system tumors in children with a particular emphasis on the development of new agents for intrathecal administration.

October 11, 2016

4115Drzoghbi640The Shaw Prize Foundation awarded the 2016 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine to pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and Dr. Ralph D. Feigin professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

The award was presented jointly to Zoghbi and Dr. Adrian P. Bird, Buchanan professor of Genetics at the University of Edinburgh, during a special ceremony on September 27 in Hong Kong for their groundbreaking discovery of the genes and the encoded proteins associated with Rett syndrome.

Considered the “Nobel Prize of the East,” the Shaw Prize is an international award established in 2002 designed to foster scientific research. Awarded annually, the prize honors individuals who have achieved significant breakthroughs in academic and scientific research or applications and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind.

“I am humbled to be honored by the esteemed Shaw Prize Foundation,” Zoghbi said. “We will use this support to continue the research into how Rett syndrome affects the brain with the hope that our research will impact future treatment options.”

Rett syndrome is the leading cause of intellectual disabilities in girls, affecting one in 10,000, and is particularly devastating as girls affected by the syndrome develop normally for the first few months of life before a catastrophic decline in neurological capabilities.

Zoghbi’s discovery that mutations in the MEPC2 gene cause this devastating neurological disorder paved the way for the development of a diagnostic genetic test for Rett syndrome.

The $1.2 million Shaw prize will be shared by Bird and Zoghbi to advance Rett syndrome research.

October 4, 2016

angelagooden175Angela Gooden of Texas Children’s Heart Center is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star leader. “In order to provide quality family-centered care, we all have to commit to taking the lead and finding new and innovative ways to be the best at what we do,” Gooden said. Read more of her interview below and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Angela Gooden, certified pediatric nurse practitioner and manager of Advanced Practice Providers in Cardiology. I started my career at Texas Children’s Hospital as a graduate registered nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit 17 years ago and transitioned into a nurse practitioner role 8 years ago.

What month are you Super Star for?
October – December 2016

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
My team members planned a surprise reception that included my family and other members of the Cardiology department that I work closely with on a daily basis.

What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do?
I’m really very honored and honestly a little bit embarrassed. However, this recognition lets me know that I am doing something right and that’s a great feeling.

How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
I’ve been the recipient of great leadership during my time at Texas Children’s. The encouragement and feedback I have received along the way gave me confidence to explore new opportunities. One of the things I love about Texas Children’s Hospital is professional development is expected.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
One of the comments submitted from my team referred to me as a servant leader. I was extremely honored by this statement because it’s exactly what I aim to achieve on a daily basis. I believe actions speak louder than words and we work better side by side.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
I truly enjoy the work that I do and the people I get to do it with. The experience and knowledge I’ve gained as a nurse practitioner in the Cardiology department has been priceless. I enjoy the people, patients, and families that I work with on a daily basis and care about their quality of life.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
Definitely the people! I have made so many great friends with whom I’ve shared countless experiences over the years. I’ve grown (and continue to grow) up here and more days than not I leave knowing that I made a difference.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
We’re tasked as Texas Children’s employees with providing quality family-centered care. In order to do this we all have to commit to taking the lead and finding new and innovative ways to be the best at what we do.

Anything else you want to share?
I’m grateful to my team for the recognition and happy to be working with people I genuinely like.

10516daisytran175The Clinical Research Center/Research Resources Office presented the Clinical Research Award for Third Quarter 2016 to Daisy Tran, lead food allergy program research coordinator, Texas Children’s Food Allergy Program.

This 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.

Tran’s research activities in the CRC focus on food allergic disorders including peanut desensitization, diagnosing and treating eosinophilic esophagitis, and atopy patch testing.

August 23, 2016

82416SSStephanieChapman175Dr. Stephanie Chapman of Texas Children’s Health Plan – The Center for Children and Women – Greenspoint, is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star physician. “I am continually looking to my colleagues and striving to emulate them,” Chapman said. “To be singled out amongst such a fantastic group of peers means a lot.” Read more of her interview below and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Stephanie Chapman, Licensed Psychologist at the Center for Children and Women. I’ve worked at the Greenspoint Center for Children and Women since we opened our doors in August 2013.

What month are you Super Star for?
July – December 2016

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
Our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Heidi Schwarzwald, announced the award in front of our Center staff at our annual training. It was such a lovely surprise! I was so shocked I got a little tearful.

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?
For me, it’s an amazing honor, mostly because when I look around me I see so many excellent professionals giving their best to our patients and families every day. I am continually looking to my colleagues and striving to emulate them. To be singled out amongst such a fantastic group of peers means a lot.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I see super star behavior in us all, all of the time. I am most impressed by how our team members can be so loving and dedicated to our patients. It’s also really great when people can show joy and excitement at work, both for our patients’ gains and the successes of our teammates.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
The patients and their families, 100 percent. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a kid who was ill doing better, or a mother feeling more confident in her role as a parent.

What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
For me it’s the Texas Children’s Health Plan Centers, as I love being able to work in the community in an integrated setting and serve historically underserved patient families. I feel blessed to have such a dream job! I also really enjoy coming into work and seeing my teammates and laughing with colleagues through the day. I actually get a little lonely on my days off.

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
We show leadership every time we take on a problem and try to solve it, speak up with new ideas or step in to help fill a gap in the team. Texas Children’s has such great staff and providers; we are all showing leadership daily. I think it’s what makes our teams great.

Anything else you want to share?
Thank you to my leaders and my teammates! It is a great joy to be able to work with you.