June 6, 2017

For Mark Wallace’s 20th anniversary as president and CEO, the Texas Children’s Board of Trustees created the Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment to leadership.

Since that time, Texas Children’s has recognized 30 of its finest leaders from all levels within the organization. Each has received a number of special honors which include mentoring by an executive, attending senior leadership meetings, being honored at the annual Employee Recognition Celebration, and for the past couple of years, a Texans home game made possible through our partnership with the Houston Texans. Additionally, the Catalyst Leaders of the Year were given the opportunity to further develop their talents by completing advanced training at a renowned leadership institution.

Wallace’s No. 1 maxim is, “Leadership always influences and determines outcomes – not some of the time but all of the time.” He believes each and every day people have a choice about what kind of leader they will be, no matter what role they serve at Texas Children’s.

In keeping with this maxim, people at all levels of the Texas Children’s workforce can be nominated for the 2018 Catalyst Leadership Award. Eligible nominees include all employees, formal leaders (excluding executives), physicians, and volunteers who have two or more years of service with Texas Children’s.

Everyone is encouraged to consider nominating someone whose personal leadership and contributions have positively impacted a team, a patient, a family, a process, an outcome, or any element of our mission while living our core values. Wallace will carefully review all nominations in partnership with other selection committee members, including representatives from Texas Children’s Board of Trustees, our senior executive team, and Human Resources after the nomination period closes at midnight on Friday, June 30.

You may visit the Catalyst Leadership Award website for complete details about the nomination process and this select leadership recognition and development program.

We all work with someone whose actions are the catalyst for the best possible outcomes. Who will you nominate?

March 3, 2017

One of Texas Children’s most recognizable buildings now has a brand new name. The Clinical Care Tower has been renamed the Mark A. Wallace Tower in honor of Texas Children’s long-time President and CEO.

The announcement of the renaming came at the culmination of a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday evening. It was the work of the Board and a complete surprise to Wallace. As the meeting appeared to arrive at its routine close, Board Chair Ann Lents opened the doors of the board room to welcome a few guests – Wallace’s wife Shannon and the entire Executive Council. Lents then proceeded with reading the Board’s resolution to rename the building in honor of Wallace’s 27 years of leadership and service to the organization.

“When you came to Texas Children’s, our hospital was a good but regional provider,” Lents said. “Now Texas Children’s is the largest and most comprehensive provider of children’s and women’s services. You brought a sense of mission and unbounding energy and a generosity of spirit to the job that are all the more remarkable given that you’ve been at it since 1989.”

Wallace and his wife were filled with emotion as the announcement unfolded in the room of about 100 Board members and executives. Expressing his appreciation, Wallace recognized the commitment of the Board, staff and dedicated employees.

“When [late Board member] George Peterkin recruited me, he convinced me that with this Board, Dr. Feigin and this community that we could do something incredible,” Wallace said. “I never imagined anything like this. We’ve gone from one location, seven floors, 350,000 square feet and 1,400 employees to all of this because of the Board, the great medical staff and our employees. Our employees are so committed to this organization and to the children, women and families we take care of. I can’t adequately put into words how much this means to me.”

When Wallace took the helm of Texas Children’s in 1989, the hospital was still contained in a single building – the seven-story Abercrombie Building. The West Tower and Clinical Care Tower (now, the current Feigin Tower) were completed shortly after in 1991. In 2003, as part of a $345 million project, the West Tower was expanded and a new, 16-floor Clinical Care Tower was built at the corner of Holcombe and Fannin. The building houses most of Texas Children’s outpatient clinics, including Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, Neurology and Orthopedics.

Because of the prominent location of the clinical building, it continues to be one of the most visible of the Texas Children’s medical center buildings, making it a perfect choice for the naming honor. But Lents noted that the honor is a milestone in a continuing journey.

“This is not a capstone naming, this is an interim recognition,” Lents said. “We are looking forward to many more years of your leadership.”

TEXAS CHILDREN’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, upon arriving at Texas Children’s as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark A. Wallace stated that “my goal is for Texas Children’s to be the preeminent pediatric hospital in the world”;

WHEREAS, in his pursuit of that goal, Mark A. Wallace’s visionary leadership and tireless commitment have elevated Texas Children’s to a level of excellence and preeminence not even imagined when he joined Texas Children’s in 1989;

WHEREAS, integral to the goal of preeminence, Mark A. Wallace’s vision has encompassed and supported the development of leaders at all levels, based on his steadfast belief that “leadership always influences or determines outcomes — not some of the time, but all of the time”;

WHEREAS, the members of the Board of Trustees of Texas Children’s wish to express their deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to Mark A. Wallace and honor, recognize and commemorate his inspirational leadership as well as his unwavering pursuit of excellence;

IT IS NOW, THEREFORE, RESOLVED that in recognition of his devotion and personal commitment to Texas Children’s, we hereby rename the Clinical Care Tower as the Mark A. Wallace Tower at Texas Children’s Hospital; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees looks forward to many more years of Mark A. Wallace’s commitment and extraordinary leadership in guiding Texas Children’s to continued preeminence in creating a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research.

UNANIMOUSLY adopted this 12th day of January, 2017.

July 7, 2016

This week a year ago – July 6 to be exact – Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace kicked off his One Amazing Team tour, visiting Texas Children’s team members at all of our locations throughout Greater Houston. The whirlwind, 73-stop tour took more than three-and-a-half months, covered about 750 miles and touched nearly 1,800 Texas Children’s staff and employees.

In case you missed it, here’s an awesome video capturing all the excitement of last year’s One Amazing Team tour!

 

June 7, 2016

6816Catalyst640Every year, this program honors outstanding individuals whose personal leadership and contributions have positively impacted a team, a patient, a family, a process, an outcome or any element of our Texas Children’s mission. Nominations for the 2017 award are being accepted until Thursday, June 30.

Visit the Mark A. Wallace Catalyst Leadership Award website for complete details about the nomination process and this exciting recognition.

September 29, 2015

Each fall, Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace rolls up his shirt sleeve and gets an annual flu shot to protect himself, you, the patients we serve, and his family – especially his young grandchildren – against a potentially deadly infection. As an employee of one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation, Wallace is asking you to do the same.

“We ask you to get your flu shot to protect yourself, and to protect those around you who really depend on you to be healthy,” he said. “When you’re healthy, the patients in our care – children and women – have a much better chance of leaving here without getting sicker.”

“Being healthy also allows you to be here for your team and coworkers during one of our busiest times of the year,” Wallace said. “But most importantly, when you get vaccinated, there’s much less chance you’ll get the flu and pass it on to the people you love, like your precious children, your spouse and others you care for.”

Texas Children’s is offering free flu shots to all Texas Children’s employees, Baylor College of Medicine employees working in Texas Children’s facilities, Texas Children’s medical staff and volunteers. Employee Health is administering free flu vaccinations from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 29 and 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, October 2 on The Auxiliary Bridge.

Click here to view dates and locations for your vaccination. If you are unable to make one of these dates, please make an appointment at the Employee Health clinic, located on the fifth floor of the Abercrombie Building near the yellow elevators, after Thursday, October 1. If you have questions, please call Employee Health at Ext. 4-2150. West Campus Employee Health is located on the campus’ second floor and can be reached at Ext. 7-1365.

Last year, Texas Children’s achieved a 90 percent vaccination rate. We want to reach or exceed that rate this year. As a reminder, employees should be in compliance by Tuesday, December 1. Additional information about our vaccination policy and procedures can be found here and here.

Leaders can run reports for their area(s) via the Health and Wellness portal. Individuals who would like to view and/or print their immunization records can click here for instructions on how to access that portal.

“Protect yourself, and protect those around you,” Wallace said. “It’s a simple act that could save the life of someone you love.”

June 16, 2015

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Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace was on hand at the recent commencement ceremony at Baylor College of Medicine, as he has been on more than 20 other occasions. But this time, he too was being honored.

Wallace received an honorary degree – the Doctor of Humanities in Medicine. The honorary degree is awarded to individuals who have provided exceptional support or service, either directly or indirectly, to Baylor College of Medicine or to academic medicine as a whole.

As he received the honorary doctorate and shook the hand of Dr. Paul Klotman, Baylor’s president and CEO, Wallace said he reflected on how his relationship with Baylor began.

“In 1977 when I joined Houston Methodist, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey was Baylor’s president and was regarded as the number one cardiovascular surgeon in the world,” Wallace said. “I remember how aspirational DeBakey was about making Baylor a great medical school. I learned a great deal from DeBakey about the importance of teaching hospitals.”

DeBakey’s sister, Lois DeBakey, had nothing but kind words for Wallace regarding the recent honor.

“I am pleased to see Mark’s inordinate intellect, capabilities, talents and laudable personal qualities recognized in this way,” Lois said. “He should take just pride in the growth, expansion and high stature of the hospital system he’s shepherded for so long and so successfully.”

Wallace said it was during his early days at Methodist that he began to understand what contributes to the success of great academic centers of excellence – teaching hospitals like Johns Hopkins, Mass General or Boston Children’s, for example – is their affiliation with a medical school which attracts the best minds and the brightest individuals. He carried that knowledge and DeBakey’s wisdom with him to Texas Children’s, which has been affiliated with Baylor since its inception more than 60 years ago.

Today, Texas Children’s has a complementary mix of Baylor faculty and outstanding private pediatricians, surgeons and Ob/Gyn physicians who choose to practice at Texas Children’s and are dedicated to fulfilling our mission.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the tremendous work and dedication of everyone associated with Texas Children’s – the Board, executive and physician leaders, our extraordinary employees and everyone else who is somehow involved in our commitment to patient care, education and research,” Wallace said. “It is their dedication that allowed me to celebrate that very special moment.”

This news story includes excerpts from Mark Wallace’s June 4 On the Mark blog post “An honorary degree 38 years in the making.” Click here to read the blog post in its entirety.

October 30, 2014

Dear Colleagues,

For the past few months, many of us here at Texas Children’s have been focused on keeping each other and our patients and families safe in the event of a potential Ebola case at our hospital.

While I am proud of our efforts to ensure we will provide the best care to such patients while keeping our staff safe and healthy, I am concerned we have forgotten about an infection that is much more likely to affect us than Ebola. That infection is the flu.

More than 200,000 people suffering from the flu are admitted to a hospital each year. And more than 20,000 of them die. They die from a virus that a simple vaccination can most times prevent – a shot that takes mere seconds to receive.

Ebola has infected some 7,000 people and killed more than 3,300. Most of those infected with the virus are in West Africa. One person in the United States has died from Ebola, and he contracted the infection in Liberia. Two of the people who cared for that patient and became infected with the virus have been treated and released.

There is no vaccine for Ebola. That is why we have been working so hard to obtain the best personal protective equipment for our staff. There is, however, a vaccine for the flu, and everyone here at Texas Children’s should get one. Getting a flu vaccine is one of the simplest and most basic things we can do to keep ourselves and our patients healthy during flu season. It also is part of Texas Children’s incentive plans.

I implore you to take this responsibility to heart. Get your flu shot. Make sure everyone in your family is vaccinated, and educate those around you about getting vaccinated. It’s truly the best personal protective equipment you can wear during flu season.

Remember influenza vaccinations are free and available in Employee Health at our Main and West Campuses and will be available at the Benefits and Wellness Fair today on the Auxiliary Bridge.  If you receive your vaccination elsewhere, your Texas Children’s insurance will cover the cost.  Please remember to provide documentation to Employee Health & Wellness.

Information about where to get your flu shot is below.

Regards,

Mark A. Wallace

Get vaccinated!

  • Flu vaccines are available in Employee Health
  • Appointments are recommended, however walk-ins are welcome
  • Department or unit leaders may request a flu cart visit by calling Employee Health at 832-824-2151 or West Campus Employee Health at 832-227-1365
  • If you received your flu vaccine elsewhere, please fax your documentation to 832-824-2141or send via interoffice mail to Employee Health A5527

Main Campus Employee Health 

Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: Employee Health & Wellness Center
5 Tower by the yellow elevators

Phone: 832-824-2150

Fax: 832-825-2141

Emergency: An Employee Health nurse is available after hours by pager 24 hours a day for emergencies. Call the page operator at 832-824-1000 to have an Employee Health nurse paged.

West Campus Employee Health 

Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: West Campus, Human Resources and Employee Health, 2nd floor

Phone: 832-227-1365