February 23, 2016

22416JenniferDietrichinside175Chief of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Dr. Jennifer Dietrich has been voted president-elect of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.

Her tenure as president-elect begins in April. She will be voted in as president in April 2017.

“I am extremely honored to have been chosen for this position,” Dietrich said. “I will carry my banner for pediatric and adolescent gynecology not only on behalf of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, but also for Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.”

The organization is the premier society that provides gynecologic care to children and adolescents.

February 16, 2016

Texas Children’s wants its employees to know their service and long-term contribution to the mission is appreciated. That’s why once a year at the annual Employee Recognition Celebration the organization rolls out the red carpet and pampers those who have been with Texas Children’s for 15 plus years.

This year, the event was held on February 9 at the Bayou Event Center amid a sea of round tables decorated with candelabras and 3-foot-tall flower arrangements. As the more than 500 honorees arrived, they fanned out across the ballroom, mingling, posing for photos and noshing on a sit-down lunch before the official program began with a performance from the Bayou City Brass Band.

“Happy Fat Tuesday!,” President and CEO Mark A. Wallace told the crowd. “It is amazing to look around the room and see so many familiar faces who have been an integral part of Texas Children’s tremendous growth and success.”

“Did you know that all of you together in this room equates to nearly 9,000 combined years of service at Texas Children’s,” Wallace asked. “I am humbled by this staggering number but it does not even begin to measure the infinite passion you deliver for our mission each and every day.”

In addition to Wallace, honorees heard words of thanks and encouragement from Pathologist-in-Chief James Versalovic, Senior Vice President Linda Aldred and Board of Trustee Member Jodie Jiles before being led down the red carpet and on to a stage where leaders shook their hands and thanked them for their 15, 20, 25, 30 and 40 years of service to Texas Children’s. Recipients of the Best of the West, Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership, Smiles and Super Star awards also were recognized.

“I’m proud to be part of this organization,” said 20-year honoree Richard Nguyen. “It’s all about the people and that’s what I really like.”

Congratulations to all of the honorees!

A copy of the event’s program can be found here and a photo gallery of the celebration can be found below.

February 8, 2016

 

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Bench and Bedside is a digest of the previous month’s stories about the clinical and academic activities of our physicians and scientists. We welcome your submissions and feedback.

January 5

Zoghbi to receive Vanderbilt prize in Biomedical Science

2116zoghbilab300Dr. Huda Zoghbi, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, and director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, will be honored with the 2015 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science. This award is given by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine to recognize women scientists with a stellar record of research accomplishment who have also mentored other women in science. More

January 5

Second location of The Center for Children and Women celebrates milestone

2116TheCenterAnniv300Texas Children’s Health Plan recently celebrated the first anniversary of The Center for Children and Women in Southwest Houston. During the past 12 months, the Center has provided care to more than 5,800 patients, including 356 births, demonstrating The Center’s remarkable footprint in the community. More

 

 

 

January 12

Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan selected for Baylor Young Alumni Award

Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan will receive the 2016 Young Alumnus Award from the Baylor College of Medicine Alumni Association. Vasudevan is a pediatric surgeon and researcher specializing in pediatric cancers such as neuroblastoma, liver cancer, renal tumors and sarcomas. More

January 12

Harpavat receives ASSLD award for study on newborn screening tool to detect biliary atresia earlier

Dr. Sanjiv Harpavat, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, received the 2015 Jan Albrecht Clinical and Translational Research Award in Liver Diseases from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Foundation. His study titled, “Assessment of a Novel Newborn Screening Tool for Biliary Atresia,” explores a new strategy to detect infants with biliary atresia earlier. More

January 12

Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Sundeep Keswani awarded visiting professorship

Dr. Sundeep Keswani, pediatric surgeon, was chosen by the Association for Academic Surgery to receive the 2016 International Visiting Professorship Award to attend the Columbia Surgical Association Congress in Bogota, Colombia, in August 2016. Keswani is the principal investigator for the Texas Children’s Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair. More

January 12

Family Fertility Center advances innovative research to improve IVF process

2116FFC300From exploring the metabolic factors impacting egg quality to the genetics of embryo implantation, Family Fertility Center researchers at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women are engaged in several fascinating studies to help infertile couples achieve successful pregnancy outcomes. Read about the various studies in progress. More

 

 

January 19

Three Texas Children’s Cancer Center researchers receive prestigious ASH awards

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recognized three researchers from Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine for their work in advancing our understanding of disease pathogenesis and exploring novel innovative approaches for the treatment of pediatric cancers. More

January 19

Texas Children’s uses advanced orthopedic imaging, less radiation exposure

2116EOS300Texas Children’s is the first pediatric hospital in the southwest to offer advanced orthopedic imaging that provides full body, 3-D views of a patient’s bone structure using less radiation. Because of the low radiation dose, EOS imaging is beneficial for orthopedic patients with scoliosis and other spinal deformities who require frequent imaging to monitor disease progression. More

 

January 26

Texas Children’s Hospital welcomes expert pediatric hand surgeon

Texas Children’s Hospital is excited to welcome Dr. William Pederson, a highly-regarded pediatric hand surgeon, to the Department of Surgery. Pederson, whose appointment was effective in January, also is a professor of surgery and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. More

January 26

Texas Children’s Heart Center welcomes trio of cardiologists

Texas Children’s Heart Center has welcomed three new pediatric cardiologists to the team. Drs. Tobias Schlingmann, Betul Yilmaz and Justin Zachariah joined Texas Children’s in July. More

January 19, 2016

12016CancerCenterresearchersinside640The American Society of Hematology (ASH) recognized three researchers from Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine for their work in advancing our understanding of disease pathogenesis and exploring novel innovative approaches for the treatment of pediatric cancers.

Dr. Rikhia Chakraborty, instructor of pediatrics and part of the Histiocytosis Research Lab at the Cancer Center, received a 2016 Basic Junior Faculty Scholar Award for her study investigating disease pathogenesis of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, a disease that occurs when the body accumulates too many immature Langerhans cells, a type of white blood cell that normally helps the body fight infection. Scholar awards support fellow and junior faculty dedicated to careers in hematology research as they transition from training programs to careers as independent investigators. The award is for $150,000 over two to three years.

Dr. Maksim Mamonkin, a postdoctoral associate in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, received a 2016 Basic Research Fellow Scholar Award for his study on developing targeted therapy to treat T cell malignancies. This research award will provide $100,000 over two to three years and will support transition from training programs to an independent investigator career.

Dr. Rayne Rouce, instructor in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, has been named a 2016 award winner of the ASH and the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She delivered a presentation on her work, which focuses on immunotherapy for the treatment of pediatric cancer. She will also receive a $400,000, four-year grant to further her work.

January 12, 2016

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Sandra Yacoub of International Patient Services is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star employee. “Being recognized is the icing on the cake,” Yacoub said. “It provides me with the motivation to continue giving the best I can give.” Read more of Yacoub’s interview and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.

Q&A: Sandra Yacoub, October 2015 Employee

Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Sandra Yacoub, Senior Interpreter in International Patient Services. I’ve been working in IPS for seven and half years.

What month are you Super Star for?
October 2015

Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
It was actually a HUGE surprise. We had an International Patient Services team meeting on October 15 to which I came late because I was in another meeting that ran a bit longer than anticipated. Julia Barreda Wong, International Patient Services senior coordinator, attended the first meeting with me. I could see her getting anxious to go the second meeting but I had no clue why because we already informed Iman Shebaro, our assistant director, that we might come late. Julia was practically running to the location of our second meeting and I was running behind her. As I walked in the conference room, everyone in the room started clapping and yelling “congratulations.” I still had no idea what was going on. Ivett Shah, assistant vice president of Women Services and Joann Lee, International Patient Services and Women Services director were present. As Iman told me that I won the Super Star Award I was speechless. I had no idea that I was even nominated. It was a very emotional moment for me. I just hope I didn’t embarrass myself. There also was a lot of good food and a delicious cake.

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?
In International Patient Services we all work from the heart, we all do our best to provide our families and our care providers with an excellent service. We all support each other, and we all know that we are highly supported by our leadership. Being recognized is the icing on the cake. It provided me with that much more motivation to continue giving the best I can give. I hear horror stories from my friends and acquaintances about the difficult times and lack of support they have to deal with in their workplace, which makes me realize how lucky I am with all the support that the organization, the leadership and the team offer.

What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
Their heart.

What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
Knowing what’s at stake. We help international patients who are not familiar with the country or the language to have access to the best medical care they can get. Each family has a story that we become a part of. It is truly a privilege.

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

What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
A leader to me is someone who is willing to assume responsibility and take the necessary steps to do what needs to be done. It’s SERVICE WITH HEART.

Anything else you want to share?
I’m truly grateful for this recognition, for the opportunity to be working in Texas Children’s Hospital and to be working with the International Patient Services team. It is indeed a blessing.

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Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan will receive the 2016 Young Alumnus Award from the Baylor College of Medicine Alumni Association. Vasudevan is a pediatric surgeon and researcher specializing in pediatric cancers such as neuroblastoma, liver cancer, renal tumors and sarcomas.

The Baylor Young Alumnus Award is presented to former students under the age of 46 who make outstanding contributions to biomedical or medical science through clinical service, research, education or administrative leadership. Vasudevan completed his residency in general surgery and fellowship in pediatric surgery at Baylor and Texas Children’s.

Vasudevan, who is also an assistant professor of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, leads a robust clinical and molecular biology research program at Texas Children’s focusing on pediatric solid tumors, in particular neuroblastoma and liver cancer. Through his research, Vasudevan aims to find novel and less toxic therapeutic agents to improve outcomes for children with solid tumors.

“We are proud to be able support Dr. Vasudevan as pediatric surgeon scientist at Texas Children’s,” said Dr. Charles D. Fraser, Jr., Texas Children’s surgeon-in-chief. “I am confident his innovative research program will continue to provide many important contributions in the treatment of pediatric cancer.”

11316sundeepKESWANIinside175

Dr. Sundeep Keswani, pediatric surgeon, was chosen by the Association for Academic Surgery to receive the 2016 International Visiting Professorship Award to attend the Columbia Surgical Association Congress in Bogota, Colombia, in August 2016.

Keswani is the principal investigator for the Texas Children’s Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair. His clinical interests are in fetal diagnosis and therapy, neonatal surgery, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and pediatric wound care.

His National Institute of Health-funded laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of regenerative fetal tissue repair and is actively developing novel therapeutics to achieve postnatal regenerative wound healing.