April 7, 2022

As we build our bright future Tomorrow, Together, we will continue to offer and improve our best-in-class patient care, service for our members and elite programs for our workforce. We’re already off to an amazing start for the year as the three Texas Children’s Hospital Surgery PA Fellowship Programs become the first and only pediatric-focused programs to receive national accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Prior to this recognition, there were only seven Clinical Postgraduate PA programs in the U.S. to have received accreditation. What an incredible achievement!

“The PA Fellowship Programs have factored enormously into the growth of our surgical APP program and have raised our profile across the country,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, surgeon-in-chief and chair of the Department of Surgery and medical director for the Surgical PA Fellowship Programs. “These accreditations will certainly make our PA Fellowship Programs some of the most sought-after opportunities for recent graduates and experienced generalists interested in specialization. We are incredibly proud of how this program has evolved over the last decade.”

The newly accredited programs are:

  • Texas Children’s Hospital Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship Program
  • Texas Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Physician Assistant Fellowship Program
  • Texas Children’s Hospital Community Surgery Physician Assistant Fellowship Program

“These programs are truly one of a kind,” said Jordan Rodriguez, chief administrative officer for the PA Fellowship Program. “It is such an honor to see each class of fellows arrive and grow not only as clinicians but as well-rounded providers. The opportunities they get to experience throughout the year amazes me, and I am so happy we can proudly say we are accredited.”

New applicants can be assured that Texas Children’s provides a well-rounded education program to prepare them with a strong foundation of skills for the future. The programs can accept a combined 10 fellows each year to learn the ins and outs and to work in each surgical subspecialty. It is a unique opportunity that most providers never experience.

“The medical knowledge and interpersonal skills our PA fellows develop during their training becomes invaluable as they progress in their career,” said Kris Marsack, director of Surgery APPs and academic director for the Surgical PA Fellowship Programs.

The accreditation could not have been possible without the dedication and tireless efforts of the planning committee who worked for the better part of a year completing applications, planning in person and virtual site visits. Amazing team effort by the accreditation planning committee members below.

  • Dr. Larry Hollier, Medical Director
  • Kristina Marsack, PA-C, Academic Director
  • Ryan Krasnosky, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, DrPH Assistant Director
  • Jackie Broda, PA-C, Program Director
  • Jordan Rodriguez, Chief Administrative Officer
  • Magda Gonzalez, Program Coordinator
July 7, 2021

Seven years after performing the world’s first successful two-port fetoscopic surgery to treat spina bifida, Texas Children’s surgeons have performed the100th surgery of its kind.

Dr. Michael Belfort, OB/GYN-in-chief at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, and Dr. William Whitehead, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Texas Children’s, developed the fetal surgery technique, which presents less risk to the mother and less risk of prematurity to the baby.

The condition occurs when a fetus’ neural tube fails to close during the first month of pregnancy, and can cause children to have difficulty walking, to need a shunt to drain cerebral fluid, and more.

“This milestone is very exciting and has been years in the making at Texas Children’s,” said Belfort, who is also professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine.

“Fetal surgery for spina bifida improves the baby’s chances of being able to walk and decreases the need for a shunt to drain fluid from the baby’s brain. Our procedure allows the mother the chance of a normal term delivery and reduces her risk of the type of complications that may be seen with the open uterus approach,” Belfort said. “We hope that our outcomes will inspire other physicians to use this technique to improve spina bifida care across the world.”

Belfort and Whitehead began to develop and practice their method in 2011, before performing the procedure on a patient three years later. At the time, the then-investigational surgery began a research study overseen by the Institutional Review Board at Baylor College of Medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a Data Safety Monitoring Board and the Texas Children’s Hospital Fetal Therapy Board. Now, the procedure is standard of care for eligible patients at Texas Children’s.

“I am so proud of Dr. Belfort, Dr. Whitehead and the entire Texas Children’s Fetal Center team for this incredible accomplishment,” said President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “Improving the quality of life for even one mother and child is reason enough to be proud, but 100 successful surgeries truly shows the consistent expertise of our team. Reaching this remarkable milestone is only the beginning, and I know the team will continue to take care of the children and women who need us the most while innovating new lifesaving treatments.”

Currently, the typical procedure to treat spina bifida prenatally is an open procedure, where the spine is repaired through a 7 to 10 centimeter opening made in the uterus. Women who undergo this procedure need a preterm cesarean delivery for this and all future pregnancies to avoid uterine rupture.

Instead, Belfort and Whitehead’s method allows mothers to deliver around 38 weeks instead of 34 to 35 weeks, and about half have a vaginal delivery.

“The benefits to the mother are what convinced me to be part of this fetoscopic program, and I am even more pleased now to see that the later gestational age at birth also has benefits for the baby,” said Whitehead, who is also a professor of neurosurgery at Baylor.

Now, Belfort and Whitehead are training physicians from across the world to perform the procedure.

“There are babies on four continents and more than 12 countries who have benefited from the fetoscopic approach. We hope to continue improving spina bifida outcomes for children and mothers, wherever they may be,” Belfort said. “We are looking forward to innovating additional fetal surgeries to address other life-limiting or life-threatening congenital anomalies.”

June 8, 2021

When children and families throughout the Houston area need expert care to evaluate, treat and manage a variety of wounds, there is only one place in the local community for them to go: Texas Children’s Wound Care Clinic.

And now – after our most recent expansion to accommodate that ever-increasing need – our patients can find service close to home at the newly opened Wound Care Clinic at West Campus.

“There is no other service like this being offered anywhere in Houston,” said Dr. Larry Hollier, who serves as Surgeon-in-Chief and holds the S. Baron Hardy Chair in Plastic Surgery. “This is a genuine value to these patients and will elevate the level of care they receive. The ease of access will clearly set this clinic apart.”

Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nurses have provided wound care at Texas Children’s campuses for several years, treating conditions as varied as animal bites, chronic wounds, soft tissue infections, thermal skin injuries and trauma. These nurses have highly specialized skills that require intensive training, certification and experience that very few achieve, according to Anita Harris-Brown, director of Nursing Clinical Support Operations.

But just as the Texas Children’s system has grown, so has the demand for wound care services in inpatient and outpatient areas. This prompted leaders to set their sights on a new dedicated clinic inclusive of wound care nurses, physician assistants, physicians and other clinicians from a variety of disciplines. The ultimate plan is to offer wound care service on a daily basis at every campus.

Successfully opening the West Campus clinic required collaboration between teams and a constant, collective focus on meeting patient needs – even amid the challenges of the pandemic. Patients and families will find a dedicated staff focused on offering a holistic approach to wound management that allows for the best possible care, as well as the latest in wound care products and an embrace of targeted research around new wound care ideas.

Offering assistance with wound treatment and navigating the system for home care and supplies is also a priority, said Shannon McCord, director of Advanced Practice Providers and Nursing Support Services at The Woodlands and West Campus. Having clinics at all three Texas Children’s hospital campuses gives patients access to care across the continuum.

“The goal is to have a standardized, multidisciplinary approach to care to optimize patient outcomes, increase patient access and facilitate care coordination,” McCord said.

Additionally, establishing the West Campus clinic brings Texas Children’s another step closer to earning national distinction as a Pediatric Wound Care Center of Excellence. The certification is awarded to facilities that have demonstrably improved the quality of life for patients with wounds.

“It is a recognition of staff members’ compassion, dedication to optimizing patient outcomes and ongoing efforts to educate not only themselves, but their patients,” said Ryan Krasnosky, director, Surgery Advanced Practice Providers. “The goal is to highlight facilities that have developed a superior wound management program.”

Texas Children’s also stands out for its commitment to evidence-based care, an essential component of our wound care delivery model that remains part of our long-term vision – along with the Center of Excellence designation and becoming an international and national wound care leader.

To that end, McCord partnered with Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence) last year to provide wound care education to nurses and providers in Africa. She developed an evidence-based practice policy and procedure for pediatric wound care, and recommended wound care products that they had or could access inexpensively. She presented the information to four countries in the sub-Saharan region.

This May, a multidisciplinary wound care team from Texas Children’s delivered a skills session on wound assessment and care at a virtual workshop hosted by Global HOPE in partnership with health ministries and universities in Botswana, Malawi and Uganda. The workshop was attended by more than 320 nurses and pharmacists from 22 different countries.

June 2, 2021

“After doing our due diligence, we chose Texas Children’s Hospital. We knew this was the best place for our daughter’s care.” Read more

March 23, 2021

In 2018, Cathy Kyomugisha had given up hope. A massive tumor was invading her spine, back and pelvis, and the Ugandan girl with a bright smile was confined to laying on her stomach, unable to move for five years. A serendipitous visit to her room at Bless a Child Foundation started her long journey to Texas Children’s Hospital, where she would meet a team who would make the impossible, possible.

A dedicated, multidisciplinary team of pediatric surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and urologists, alongside anesthesiologists, radiologists, critical care specialists and nurses, among others, worked tirelessly during the three-day surgery to remove the tumor, reconstruct her pelvis and, in turn, give her a new beginning.

Now, nearly a year-and-a-half after she arrived in Houston, Cathy is going home to Uganda with an opportunity to live her life in a meaningful way without pain. She is looking forward to her future and will undoubtedly inspire others with her story.

Click here for a short film chronicling Cathy’s inspiring story.

February 8, 2021

Texas Children’s Department of Surgery Mentorship Program paired 62 Advanced Practice Providers with executives, physicians, nursing leaders, administrators and seasoned APPs across the system in 2020, providing each mentee with a trusted and experienced adviser to support and guide them to greater success in their roles.

Launched in 2015 by Ryan Krasnosky, director of the department’s APP program, the initiative connects motivated APPs with engaging mentors with three goals in mind:

  • Promoting the benefits of mentoring in the career of an APP,
  • Building collaborative relationships throughout the organization, and
  • Providing a structured mentoring program for surgical APP leaders and future leaders.

Interest in the program has been so robust that the department designated three separate tracks to allow mentees to focus on the areas of development that most interest them: Leadership, Clinical or Research.

The 2020-21 group of APP mentees came from the Medical Center, The Woodlands and West Campus. To hear firsthand insights about the unique relationships they built with their mentors and all the program accomplished even amidst the challenges of the pandemic, click here to watch a special showcase video created in accordance with social distancing recommendations and other safety precautions. A special thank you to Sarah Philips, PA-C, for producing the video.

“It’s about having somebody you trust to talk to about the challenges that you face, and somebody who’s comfortable enough to share with you stories from their life – things good and bad – and what they’ve learned from that,” Surgeon-in-Chief Larry Hollier said in the video. “The program that’s been developed here is intended to jumpstart this process; to not have you have to rely on simple luck to come across one of these people.”

Senior Vice President Matt Girotto agreed. A sought-after mentor in the program for the last 4 years and counting, he believes we all have mentors in our lives.

“As I reflected upon the questions asked to me, I realized how much I drew upon things I heard or observed at home growing up from my parents, through a homily at church, through a lecture at school or through countless conversations with coworkers and bosses,” Girotto said. “Many of these lessons were not formal, but the words and advice were just as impactful and meaningful.”

If you have interest in becoming a mentor for this upcoming term, please reach out to APP Project Manager Jordan Rodriguez at jlmcandr@texaschildrens.org.

October 6, 2020

One of Texas Children’s most prominent surgeons, researchers and mentors is retiring after 23 years of dedicated service to Texas Children’s patients, families, employees and staff.

Dr. David Wesson stepped down from his position as associate surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine on September 30 leaving behind a body of work that will live on in the efforts of many.

“David has trained dozens of clinical fellows and others throughout his career, many of whom have gone on to do great things,” said Chief of Global Surgery Dr. Jed Nuchtern at an in-person and virtual retirement party for Wesson. “He also has done ground-breaking research and has been a pioneer in the operating room. In short, he is a servant leader, a consummate academic and a well-established surgeon.”

View photos from Wesson’s retirement celebration and throughout his career at Texas Children’s below.

Wesson joined Texas Children’s in 1997 as chief of Pediatric Surgery, a position he held until 2012. Shortly after arriving, building a superior trauma program became a goal. He recruited pediatric surgical subspecialists with the ability to care for children with a broad spectrum of traumatic injuries and continues to serve as a mentor to trauma residents, fellows and faculty. He led the effort to attain Level I accreditation for the Texas Children’s Hospital Trauma Center, and he served as its director from 2010 to 2014. Wesson also was instrumental in building other programs such as the Texas Children’s Fetal Center, GI surgery and surgical oncology.

“Dr. Wesson fought hard to have a trauma program and firmly believed it was a service Texas Children’s should provide,” said Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria, medical director of the Trauma Center at Texas Children’s Hospital Medical Center Campus. “Over the past decade, the center has grown tremendously becoming one of the busiest in Houston and best in the region.”

Wesson said when he finished his training 40 years ago it was during a time of rapid change in trauma care. He said children with traumatic injuries were treated like other surgical patients with no special consideration for their needs. Programs that specialized in pediatric trauma care were just beginning to come into play. During his time with the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Wesson set up a trauma service there and get involved in the American College of Surgeons, which helped establish criteria for what standards a center needed to be provide pediatric trauma care.

“Trauma is the leading cause of death for school age kids,” Wesson said. “It was then and is now. Children with such injuries should be treated by people who are specialized in pediatric trauma care and prevention.”

Wesson is well known internationally for participating in some of the earliest definitive studies on the non-operative treatment of solid organ injuries in children. His research helped to bring about a new approach to the treatment splenic of trauma without the need for surgery. Although it was strongly opposed at first it is now the standard of care not only for children but also for all age groups.

Wesson received the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Millennium Commitment Award in 2000 and the Safe Kids Canada Founder Award in 2006. Baylor College of Medicine honored Dr. Wesson in 2013 with the Michael E. DeBakey Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding service.

He has published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers on pediatric trauma and gastrointestinal disorders in medical journals and 33 book chapters. In 2005, he edited a leading textbook, Pediatric Trauma: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. As a member of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Wesson was a survey team member for Trauma Center designation for any years. He is a founding member of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Trauma.

Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier said Wesson is known for his calm demeanor and that in a clinical setting, he fosters special relationships with patients and families, who trust his vast experience and composed wisdom. In surgical and academic settings, Hollier said Wesson’s peaceful nature forges collaboration and collegiality.

“David is a tremendous role model who has led with integrity and grace,” Hollier said. “We all are better having known him.”

Wesson said he has looked at his career as an opportunity to help people achieve what they set out to do. “I believe everyone wins in that type of situation, most importantly the patients.”

To honor Wesson’s legacy, The Board of Trustees passed a resolution honoring Wesson and his many accomplishments. To read the resolutions, click here.

In addition, West Tower Operating Room 7 will be named in his honor. The plaque outside the operating room says:

Generously Given in Honor of David E. Wesson, MD
In recognition of 23 years of service and leadership with Texas Children’s Hospital and the Department of Surgery.

Texas Children’s Trauma Service will be named after Wesson as well. The new name will be the David E. Wesson MD Trauma Service.