May 10, 2016

51116stbaldrick640Nineteen years ago, Adam Henderson lost his hair to chemotherapy while battling acute lymphocytic leukemia at Texas Children’s. On April 9, this long-term cancer survivor is bald once again but this time it’s for a good cause. He and others participated in St. Baldrick’s annual fundraising event in Sugar Land.

Henderson and his former pediatric oncologist Dr. Timothy Porea, clinical director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, and Dr. Fatih Okcu shaved their heads to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research. Chris Stout, the father of Texas Children’s cancer patient Justin Stout, and students from Baylor College of Medicine, UT Med and Rice University participated in the event including long-term cancer survivor Michael Graves who emceed the event.

“There were a lot of emotions about being bald again,” Henderson said. “This time, I did it by choice and it was a joyous occasion because I was able to promote and support a worthy cause.”

St. Baldrick’s annual “Brave the Shave” challenge brings together survivors, patient families, physicians and supporters from across the community to raise funds for childhood cancer research. This year, these nationwide shaving events – 1,158 to be exact – have raised more than $28 million. Since the first event began in 2000, St. Baldrick’s Foundation has raised more than $178 million in funding for childhood cancer research – more than any organization other than the U.S government.

The foundation started in response to the lack of funding for childhood cancer research. According to the organization’s website, while 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, all types of childhood cancers combined receive only 4 percent of the U.S. federal funding for research. The funds raised through St. Baldrick’s have helped fund 820 grants at 329 institutions in 22 countries. Several of these funds support researchers at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers.

“Seeing Adam and other cancer survivors standing next to me means we have succeeded,” Porea said. “Their inspirational stories of survival are a testament of why we do what we do every day here at Texas Children’s. Through advanced research, we can help save more lives and ultimately find a cure for childhood cancers.”

Porea has participated in St. Baldrick’s fundraising and head shaving event for the last 11 years. This is the second time he and his former patient participated in the event together. After all these years, Porea and Henderson still keep in touch and are counselors at Camp Periwinkle.

Prior to the head shaving challenge, two of St. Baldrick’s scholars – Drs. Karen Rabin and Wendy Allen-Rhoades – delivered opening remarks and highlighted the benefits of funding pediatric cancer research.

Click here to watch a spotlight video of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers.

51116CancerCenternursingconference640Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers held its inaugural “No one fights alone: enhancing nursing care of the pediatric hematology/oncology patient” conference at Texas Children’s last month. The conference provided pediatric hematology/oncology nurses with opportunities for professional enrichment and to gain industry connections to help improve the overall health and outcomes of their patients.

More than 70 participants from hospitals all across the southern region of the U.S. were in attendance and educated on the current and emerging trends in care such as popular diagnostic features, revolutionary therapies and recommended symptom management.

Numerous sessions were held during the three-day event, including a presentation on the latest therapy treatment for neuroblastoma, a survivor panel and a discussion about Texas Children’s work on the inclusion of screening for severe combined immune deficiencies in the Texas state newborn screening. This newborn screening has led to early detection and successful treatment with bone marrow transplants here at Texas Children’s. Participants also enjoyed a session on symptom management for pediatric oncology patients by keynote speaker, Dr. Marilyn Hockenberry.

Hockenberry currently serves as the associate dean for research at the Duke University School of Nursing and has over 30 years of experience in pediatric oncology nursing, almost 20 of which were spent at Texas Children’s. She was the first director and pioneer of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) program at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers and introduced the NP post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) procedure team and the NP graduate fellowship program.

The conference concluded with a special, inspirational performance by Purple Songs Can Fly, a partner of the Periwinkle Arts In Medicine program at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers that provides patients the opportunity to write, record and share their own songs.

May 3, 2016

42716PoplackandPizzo640The 12th Annual Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Research Symposium on April 7 offered faculty and trainees the opportunity to present their latest research and reunited the editors of the leading textbook on pediatric oncology.

The 7th edition of “Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology” is co-edited by Dr. David Poplack, professor of pediatrics at Baylor and director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, and Dr. Philip Pizzo, former dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine and founding director of the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute.

Pizzo, whose career focus has been on the treatment of childhood cancer and infectious complications in children whose immune systems are compromised by diseases such as cancer and AIDS, was the keynote speaker at the symposium’s morning session. He offered a reflection on his career and participated in a question-and-answer session moderated by Poplack.

Dr. Peggy Goodell, professor of pediatrics at Baylor and part of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, delivered the afternoon keynote. The symposium also included a dozen oral research presentations and many more poster presentations.

Oral Presentation Winners:

1st place: Ifigeneia Tzannou, instructor, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
Administration of most closely HLA-matched multivirus-specific T cells for the treatment of EBV, CMV, AdV, HHV-6 and BKV post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant

2nd place: Jacob Junco, postdoctoral associate in pediatric oncology
Leukemogenesis in down syndrome acute lymphoblastic leukemia

3rd place: Frank Lin, assistant professor of pediatrics – oncology
Diagnostically and therapeutically relevant alterations in rare pediatric CNS tumors revealed by integrated sequencing

Poster Presentation Winners:

1st place: Paibel Aguayo-Hiraldo, clinical postdoctoral fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology
Adoptive T cell therapy for the prevention and treatment of parainfluenza virus 3 infections post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant

2nd place: Vijetha Kumar, research assistant in pathology
Clinical validation of a next-generation target RNA sequencing assay for detection of fusion genes in pediatric and solid tumors

3rd place: Arpad Szoor, postdoctoral associate in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
T cell activating mesenchymal stem cells as a biotherapeutic for HCC

March 29, 2016

When Sophia Anagnostou saw the Fight Song video about Texas Children’s Hospital’s Main Campus she was determined to create a similar music video about her own experience as a cancer patient at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a part of Texas Children’s she said not enough people know about.

“Everyone knows about Main Campus but no one talks about what’s going on here at West,” said the 13-year-old from Cypress. “This place is great, and at this point, it’s kind of like home to me.”

Almost a year ago, physicians at West Campus diagnosed Sophia with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of cancer that attacks the blood and bone marrow. A team of oncologists and other medical staff at the hospital have been treating the 7th grade volleyball player ever since.

During one of her stays at the hospital, Sophia met Anita Kruse, founder and executive director of Purple Songs Can Fly, a program that provides a musical outlet for children being treated for cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers.

Sophia told Kruse about her desire to make a music video about the relationships she’s forged with the medical staff at West Campus. Kruse explained that she could help her write and record a song but that making a music video wasn’t her expertise.

Sophia understood and accepted Kruse’s offer to help her write and record an original song. In two short sessions at the bedside using a portable studio, Sophia and Kruse created a song that captures the teenager’s unwavering strength and spirit as well as her bond with her mother, brother and medical family at West Campus.

Called “Strength Is In The Soul,” the song is one of the first Purple Songs Can Fly collaborations to be completed at West Campus and, according to Kruse, it won’t be the last. Kruse said she is expanding the program at West Campus and is making plans to create a recording studio at the location.

“Sophia is a great example of what can be done through Purple Songs Can Fly here at West Campus,” Kruse said. “There is a definite need for the program, which offers children undergoing cancer treatment a highly creative, much-needed musical environment to express their many varied thoughts and feelings.”

Sophia got a lot off of her chest by writing her song and soon after she got the chance to release even more emotions by creating what she had hoped for since being diagnosed with ALL – a music video! Anne Hill – director of the “Little Couple” featuring Dr. Jennifer Arnold, medical director of Texas Children’s Simulation Center – learned about Sophia’s wish from Kruse and was more than happy to make it come true.

Hill, along with Houston-based Side Yard Productions, worked with Sophia and West Campus medical staff to make a 3-minute music video set to Sophia’s song. Sophia, her mother and West Campus employees involved in Sophia’s care saw the video for the first time last week at a viewing at the hospital.

“I love it,” Sophia beamed after watching the video for the first time. “It makes me super happy.”

Ashley Edwards, an acute care nurse who has cared for Sophia since she was first diagnosed with ALL, came to the video viewing and said it reflects Sophia’s sweet, upbeat personality perfectly. Sophia’s mother Tara Anagnostou agreed and said her daughter is a trooper.

She said Sophia has experienced some ups and downs while in the hospital and that her daughter has spent a lot of time, including her 13th birthday, being sick. But the staff at West Campus and opportunities such as the ones through Purple Songs Can Fly have kept both of them going.

“Making this video made her so happy,” Anagnostou said of Sophia. “And, that brought me so much joy because I want her to be happy.”

March 1, 2016

3216purplesongsinside640Dr. Jennifer Arnold and 13-year old Peyton Richardson, a patient at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, recently collaborated on an exciting new project – they wrote and recorded the powerful lyrics to their new song in the Purple Songs Can Fly studio.

Purple Songs Can Fly is a unique program that provides a musical outlet for children being treated for cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. In this program, which is the first of its kind, the children work with founder, Anita Kruse, and other professional composers to write and record their own songs. In an in-house studio at Texas Children’s, composers work with children and their siblings to write, record, and burn songs to disc within short session.

“Having gone through cancer myself and being a patient here at Texas Children’s, I had heard about Purple Songs Can Fly, but as an adult, I never thought about trying it,” said Arnold, the medical director of Texas Children’s Simulation Center. “When TCH asked if I’d like to sing with Peyton, I was 100 percent on board.”

Their song titled, “A smile and a thank you to you,” delivers a strong message that despite going through a tough time like battling cancer, it’s important to always keep a positive attitude which is only possible by drawing from your inner strength and the love and strength of those around you.

“Both Peyton and I wanted to share the appreciation of our loved ones in our song,” Arnold said.

Watch The Little Couple tonight at 8 p.m. on TLC to watch them sing their song.

bench-and-beside-Header2 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.

February 2

Texas Children’s, Rice University team up to develop new way to repair birth defect

Bioengineers at Texas Children’s Hospital and Rice University have won a National Institutes of Health grant to develop a new generation of patches to repair the damaged hearts of infants. The $1.9 million, 5-year grant will allow Jeffrey Jacot and his team to take the next steps in a long-running drive to improve the survival rates of such infants, many of whom are diagnosed in utero and require surgery soon after birth.

February 2

Department of State Health Services to award Texas Children’s $1 million grant for SIU 3116SIUTraining300

Texas Children’s is set to receive a $1 million grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to put toward its newly constructed Special Isolation Unit at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus. The funds, to be delivered during the next five years, will specifically go toward Ebola preparedness activities that bolster employee safety and quality of care.

February 2

Texas Children’s convenes task force, urges employees to educate themselves on Zika

3116zikamosquito300In light of the multiple confirmed cases of Zika infection in Texas due to foreign travel, Texas Children’s leaders encourage employees, particularly pregnant women, to refrain from traveling to areas where the outbreak is growing and to follow precautionary measures to protect themselves from Zika exposure. Since the mosquito-carrying virus has been known to increase the risk of microcephaly, a neurological fetal birth defect, Texas Children’s recently convened a task force to develop management and research strategies based on screening criteria outlined by the Centers for Disease Control for pregnant women who may have been exposed to the Zika virus.

February 2 Kline: Children deserve access to best care

Many patients have been left scrambling to find a new medical home when a number of insurance companies decided not to provide in-network coverage for many hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, including Texas Children’s Hospital. Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline talks about how all children deserve access to the best care.

February 2

Zoghbi to receive medal for pioneering advancements in neuroscience research

3116zoghbilab300Dr. Huda Zoghbi, director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s, will receive the 2016 Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal from the National Academy of Science in April for her achievements in neuroscience, which includes unlocking the genetic and molecular mysteries behind rare neurological disorders.

 

February 2

Clinical Research Center presents research award to Dr. Anvari

The Clinical Research Center will present the Clinical Research Award for First Quarter 2016 to Dr. Sara Anvari, physician, Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Anvari is a dedicated clinical scientist for the food allergy research trials at Texas Children’s Hospital.

February 9

Three NRI researchers recognized for their contributions to neuroscience research

Drs. Michael Wangler and Shinya Yamamoto recently obtained a research grant from the Simon’s Foundation for Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) to advance their study on autism spectrum disorders. Their study titled, “In vivo functional analysis of autism candidate genes” is one of five projects selected for research funding by the SFARI. Dr. Andrea Ballabio, founder and director of the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Italy, professor at Baylor and faculty member at the NRI, has been selected to receive the 2016 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine. He will share this award with biochemist John Diffley, associate research director at the Francis Crick Institute, United Kingdom.

February 16

Study finds premature infants benefit from exclusive human milk-based diet

3116NEC300A recent Baylor College of Medicine study led by Texas Children’s neonatologist Dr. Amy Hair, and published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine, found that premature infants weighing less than 1,250 grams at birth showed improved outcomes after being fed a human milk-based diet.

 

 

 

February 16

Mata twins celebrate one-year anniversary after historic separation 3116MataFamily300

A year after being separated in a marathon surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital, formerly conjoined twins Knatalye and Adeline Mata are healthy, lively toddlers. Several members of our medical staff involved in the girls’ care got to see how much they have grown and how far they have come during a recent visit to Texas Children’s for their follow-up appointments with pediatric subspecialists monitoring their health and development. Hear some of their reactions and see for yourself how much the girls have progressed.

February 16

Heart Center launches series of educational animated videos 3116animation300

Featuring an armadillo, a bison and robot-like caregivers called Blings, a series of animated videos created by Texas Children’s Heart Center aims to help educate patients and their families about various heart conditions and treatment options. Six of the videos were unveiled at a February 15 red carpet premier and can be accessed on the Texas Children’s website at http://www.texaschildrens.org/hearteducation.

February 23

CVICU physician performs CPR, saves man’s life during spin class

When Dr. Natasha Afonso clipped in to a bike for a spin class on a recent Thursday evening, she didn’t know the skills she uses each day to treat patients in the CVICU would mean the difference between life and death for a fellow rider. Toward the end of the 45-minute, high-intensity class, Afonso heard 50-year-old Scott Corron collapse and fall off his bicycle. Because he wasn’t breathing and had no pulse, Afonso immediately started CPR, an action that ultimately saved Corron’s life.

February 23

New in situ simulation program enhances role clarity in high-risk emergencies 3116sitasim300

Texas Children’s Simulation Center recently launched the first-ever Neonatal Comprehensive In Situ Simulation Program for NICU providers at the Pavilion for Women. The program focuses on improving crisis resource management skills, one of which is role clarity, to ensure all code team members know each other’s specific roles when delivering care to patients during high-risk medical emergencies.

February 23

Texas Children’s helps develop nation’s first hospital-based rapid test for the Zika virus

3116zikalab300Pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists at Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital developed the nation’s first hospital-based rapid test for the Zika virus in a matter of weeks as part of the L.E. and Virginia Simmons Collaborative in Virus Detection and Surveillance. Pathologist-in-Chief Dr. James Versalovic and Dr. James Dunn, director of medical microbiology and virology, led Texas Children’s Zika test development team. The new diagnostic test identifies virus-specific RNA sequences to detect the virus and can distinguish Zika virus from other virus infections like Dengue, West Nile or Chikunguny.

February 23

Blaney receives Pioneer Award for contributions in pediatric neuro-oncology The Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation honored Dr. Susan Blaney with the Pioneer Award for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, celebrating her 25 years of dedication to the search for new and better treatments for children with brain and spinal cord tumors. Blaney’s extensive experience in clinical translational research focuses on developing new treatment strategies for children with brain tumors and other refractory cancers. Blaney has been instrumental in developing more new agent clinical trials than anyone in the field of pediatric oncology.

February 23

Dietrich voted president-elect of North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

Chief 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.

February 23

Texas Children’s Health Plan Center for Children and Women earns accolades for CenteringPregnancy® program Texas Children’s Health Plan’s Center for Children and Women has earned site approval for its CenteringPregnancy® program. The Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) has awarded both the Southwest and Greenspoint locations the official designation for closely following the CenteringPregnancy® model.

February 23, 2016

22416blaneyaward640The Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation honored Dr. Susan Blaney with the Pioneer Award for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, celebrating her 25 years of dedication to the search for new and better treatments for children with brain and spinal cord tumors.

Blaney is the deputy director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center, a professor and executive vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, and she also serves as vice president of Clinical and Translational Research at Baylor.

Blaney’s extensive experience in clinical translational research focuses on developing new treatment strategies for children with brain tumors and other refractory cancers. Blaney has been instrumental in developing more new agent clinical trials than anyone in the field of pediatric oncology.

Blaney serves as vice chair for the Children’s Oncology Group and was one of the initial members of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC). Additionally, she serves as a mentor to numerous pediatric neuro-oncology fellows and faculty who are current or developing leaders in the field. Among other appointments and positions, she is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Clinical Trial Advisory Committee and serves on the Executive Committee for the NCI-funded Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium. She has served as a member of the Investigational Drug Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute and as a regular consultant for the Food and Drug Administration’s pediatric Oncology Drug Advisory Committee.

Blaney has published more than 190 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored numerous book chapters. She is dedicated to the development of new anti-cancer agents and therapeutic strategies for malignant central nervous system tumors of childhood and to decreasing the morbidity of current therapeutic strategies. In addition, she is passionate about the mentorship of young faculty members in clinical and translational research to ensure that there is sustained leadership in the field.