July 1, 2014

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Texas Children’s Heart Center is adding two new members to its Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team: pediatric and adult cardiologist, Dr. Peter Ermis, and pediatric and adult cardiologist, Dr. Wilson Lam. Texas Children’s Heart Center is ranked #2 nationally in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report.

“With the arrival of Drs. Ermis and Lam, the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team is now among the largest in the nation,” says Dr. Wayne Franklin, director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Texas Children’s and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. “The growth of our program further enables us to provide exceptional care to pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease in our community.”

Dr. Peter Ermis
Ermis, who also serves as assistant professor at Baylor, has clinical interests in determining quality improvement measurements in the care of adults with congenital heart disease, transitioning congenital heart disease patients from pediatric to adult congenital based care and stress echocardiography utilization in adults with congenital heart disease. His research interests include resource utilization in adults with congenital heart disease; transition and location of care for adults with congenital heart disease; pulmonary valve replacement in adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot; long-term follow-up in adults with repaired transposition of the great arteries; stress echocardiography utilization in adults with congenital heart disease; and mechanical support in adults with congenital heart disease.

Ermis is a member of the American Academy of Cardiology, American Academy of Pediatrics and the International Society on Adult Congenital Heart Disease. He is excited to become a part of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team and work with world class physicians and staff who strive for excellence in patient care, education and research. Ermis looks forward to providing valuable care to a unique group of adults that often fall between the realm of general pediatric and adult cardiology. He will primarily see patients at Texas Children’s Health Centers – The Woodlands as well as the hospital’s main location in the Texas Medical Center.

Ermis received an undergraduate degree at Rice University. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and went on to complete his residency and pediatric and adult cardiology fellowship at Baylor.

Dr. Wilson Lam
Lam, who also serves as assistant professor at Baylor, has clinical interests in adult congenital heart disease, primarily electrophysiology issues, complex arrhythmia ablation and lead extraction. His research interests include arrhythmias in adult congenital heart disease, medical education and established technology in novel areas.

Lam is a member of the American College of Cardiology, American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians. He is honored to be a part of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program team which cares for unique patients with complex anatomies and challenging cardiovascular issues. Lam looks forward to joining and contributing to this state-of-the-art program for a medical specialty that is still relatively new nationwide. He will primarily see patients at Texas Children’s Health Centers – Sugar Land as well as the hospital’s main location in the Texas Medical Center.

Lam received an undergraduate degree from Rice University. He earned his medical degree and completed his residencies in combined internal medicine and pediatrics at Baylor with adult cardiovascular diseases and electrophysiology fellowships at Baylor, Texas Children’s and the Texas Heart Institute.

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program enables patients with congenital heart disease to receive seamless continuation of care from birth to adolescence to adulthood. The multidisciplinary team of experienced congenital heart disease specialists is equipped to treat the entire spectrum of medical and surgical problems throughout life, including health and wellness, family planning, and preventative medicine.

June 17, 2014

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What will I be when I grow up? As a young inquisitive child, you’ve probably asked yourself this question numerous times. But, what are the chances of choosing the same career path and working at the same hospital as your father?

Just ask Dr. Jill Roth and Dr. Joey Spinner, whose fathers are long time, well-respected physicians at Texas Children’s. In this video spotlight, Jill and Joey share fond memories of their fathers and express gratitude for the guidance and encouragement they received from their biggest supporters.

Just like their fathers, Dr. Jill Roth and Dr. Joey Spinner share a passion for helping children. So, it was no shock, when these young physicians decided to pursue a career in pediatric medicine.

“I always knew that I would pursue a career as a doctor, even as young as I can remember,” said Dr. Joey Spinner, chief pediatric resident at Texas Children’s.

“As early as middle school, Joey frequently talked about becoming a doctor and he’d always ask questions about what we did,” said Joey’s father, Dr. Stanley Spinner, chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Pediatrics.

Joey recalls one particular moment when he accompanied his father on hospital rounds when he was just a toddler.

“On a couple of Saturday and Sunday mornings, he would take me with him to the hospital to make rounds on infants in the well-baby nursery. I’d get up on my tip toes to stare over the ledge through the window to see him examining babies.”

As years went by, it didn’t surprise his father when Joey applied to medical schools. He ended up attending his number one choice, Baylor College of Medicine, where he received an academic scholarship.

“I never pushed him to go into pediatrics,” said Dr. Spinner. “I just said whatever you do, be sure you love it, because if you love it, you will succeed.”

Just like Dr. Joey Spinner, Dr. Jill Roth followed in her father’s footsteps. She knew at the ripe young age of four, that she wanted to be a doctor.

“I wanted to be a doctor for as young as I can remember,” said Dr. Jill Roth, who recently completed her position as chief pediatric resident at Texas Children’s. “So, when people would ask me when my interest started, I’d say about 4 years old.”

“From the moment she was able to verbalize, she showed an interest in medicine,” said her father, Dr. David Roth, chief of Urology at Texas Children’s.

Dr. Roth remembers his teenage daughter participating in a Texas Children’s program called “Bring Your Daughter to Work Day,” where Jill got her first experience in an operating room.

“I remember dressing up in scrubs and walking around with my dad and having fun at the hospital with him,” recalls Jill. “I think just observing him in the hospital setting and getting to see what his life was like at Texas Children’s made me want to be a doctor.”

After years of rigorous work and training, Jill is pursuing a profession she thoroughly enjoys, and grateful every day for her father’s support.

“He’s just been there for me throughout my whole life, and I am very fortunate to have his support.”

April 8, 2014

The annual Doctors’ Day celebration took place during a luncheon honoring the hard work of our physicians. The event was attended by doctors and members of the leadership team who stopped by to say thank you.