The Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Surgery recently announced the recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Surgeon Award. The award is given to those who have forged a path of innovation in surgical excellence, research and education within the hospital’s Department of Surgery. Leaders in the department chose the recipients and announced this year’s winners on May 6 at the department’s annual dinner event. Each of these distinguished surgeons has significantly contributed to the legacy of the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Surgery.
This year’s Distinguished Surgeon Award winners are:
Dr. Ellen Friedman
Friedman was one of few women in the field when she began her career as a pediatric otolaryngologist, becoming a role model for not only for female academic otolaryngologists, but for academic surgeons in general. Currently, Friedman is a pediatric otolaryngologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and the director for the Center for Professionalism in Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to that, for 24 years from 1991 until 2014, she served as Chief of Otolaryngology at Texas Children’s Hospital and held the Bobby Alford Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine.
Friedman regularly contributes to research, recently completing an online video abstract that was published on the New England Journal of Medicine website. She is highly active in professional societies at a national level and has served as president of several organizations. She was the first woman to serve as the president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) and the third woman to serve as president for the American Broncho-Esophagological Association (ABEA). She also served as president of the medical staff at Texas Children’s Hospital from 2011-2012.
Among many professional honors, Friedman was named a 2010 recipient of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Award for Humanism in Medicine. She has also received the Fulbright and Jaworski Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching and Evaluation from the Baylor College of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Educators. As a singular honor, the ABEA renamed a national award for Dr. Friedman. The Ellen M. Friedman Award for Excellence in Foreign Body Management is given for excellence in innovation, skill and education in the management of aero-digestive foreign bodies.
Dr. William J. Pokorny
Pokorny was a skilled technical surgeon dedicated to surgical education, research and excellence in patient care. He led the Pediatric Surgery Division as Chief of Pediatric Surgical Services at Texas Children’s Hospital from 1988 to 1994, served as Chief of the Section of Pediatric Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and led the Pediatric Surgery Service at Ben Taub General Hospital.
He left his mark on Texas Children’s Hospital by establishing the ACGME Pediatric Surgery Residency Program and worked collaboratively with other program directors, always keeping a quality educational experience, along with the welfare of all the trainees, in mind.
Pokorny also was involved in advancing pediatric surgery and pediatric surgical oncology on a national level by participating and leading committees and workgroups in national surgical organizations. He was held in the highest esteem by his peers and professional community. During his career, he authored more than 50 journal articles and contributed to more than 20 medical textbooks.
Drs. Friedman and Pokorny join the list of previous honorees, which includes: Dr. William Cheek, Dr. Denton Cooley, Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier, Dr. Edmond Gonzales, Jr, Dr. Franklin Harberg and Dr. David Wesson.