Get to Know our SRH Staff: Jeff Black, M.D.

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Jeff Black, M.D.

by | Apr 1, 2019 | Spotlight

What is your role at the hospital?

I am the medical director for the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders. The dyslexia center is a multi-disciplinary program that provides diagnostic services, community and school outreach, curriculum development, teacher training and physician education. Our mission is to improve lives of children with specific learning disabilities.
 
What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
J.C. Montgomery called. I started August 1,1990.
 
What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
The popcorn aroma.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here?
Filling station attendant. Interstate 8, 10 and 20.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Play golf or think about golf.

Three words to best describe you:
Focused on retirement.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
Medical missionary

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
White water rafting on the Rio Grande in Taos in the spring.

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Bob Walker, President/CEO

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Bob Walker, President/CEO

by | Mar 28, 2019 | Spotlight

What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis? 

My role is to provide support for the staff, medical staff and volunteers who do an outstanding job serving our patients and families each day. Our hospital touches the lives of thousands of individuals every year in a positive way and I feel fortunate to be part of the team.
 
I start my day with eggs, bacon and sausage cooked for me by Fernando in our cafeteria. He does an outstanding job! I spend a lot of my day supporting the leadership team and working with our Board of Trustees on strategic matters to ensure our patients continue to receive the excellent care they have received for almost 100 years.

What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here? 

I received a call from J. C. Montgomery in 1979 asking if I had an interest in working at Scottish Rite Hospital. Certainly, it was one of the best phone calls I ever received. Thanks, J.C.! I joined the staff shortly after this building opened in 1979. It was a true blessing to have the opportunity to work in a children’s facility well on its way to becoming the premier pediatric orthopedic hospital in the world.

What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
What I enjoy most about working at the hospital is knowing a positive impact has been made on the lives of so many children and families. It is also a pleasure working with dedicated individuals who make this such a special place. I hear from people, just about everywhere I go, that their children’s lives have been transformed by the excellent care received at the hospital. 

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here?
My first job was patching potholes for the City of Garland streets department. I worked for the city for seven straight summers and most of that time I drove a tractor, mowing right-aways. I learned the correct way to patch a pothole and the importance of air conditioning.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love being outdoors working in my yard, and I still drive tractors. I also enjoy running, exercising and working out daily.
 
Three words to best describe you:
According to Belinda, I am absent-minded, disorganized and overly sensitive.
 
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
I would ask Kim Howard for a job in our grounds department. Our beautiful grounds are the first impression (and sometimes the only impression) that many people have of the hospital. The grounds team does a spectacular job keeping things looking beautiful and immaculate all year long. 
 
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
My son Matt and I took a trip to Moab, Utah in our Jeep. Moab is known for rock crawling. In our Jeep, we completed Pritchett Canyon and Behind the Rocks (both very steep, rocky terrain) and White Knuckle Hill – which is self-explanatory.

THIS WEEK, MR. WALKER CELEBRATED 40 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE OF GIVING CHILDREN BACK THEIR CHILDHOOD. CONGRATULATIONS!

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Molly McGuire, Research

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Molly McGuire, Research

by | Mar 26, 2019 | Spotlight

What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis? 
My job involves working with teams of surgeon-researchers and coordinators all over the world to collect data about patients they treat for Perthes disease, a rare disease that impacts formation of the hip. We then study this information to understand the phenomenon of Perthes disease and help families. The organization is called the International Perthes Study Group. I help this multicenter research effort by coordinating legal, regulatory, communications and operational aspects of enrollment and data monitoring. I also recruit our own hospital patients for various Perthes-related research projects.  

What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
I was an academic research coordinator at UT Southwestern. Prior to that, I was in Lima, Peru working on grant-funded research for the University of Pennsylvania and Tulane University. I have been at the hospital for one year, and I’m loving it!  

What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
My co-workers and colleagues energize and humble me and are the best part of the job.  

What was your first job? 
I was a lifeguard during a shift no one else wanted – 5-9 a.m.in the morning.  

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I spend as much time as I can in the company of my dog, and I play on a recreational women’s soccer team.  

Three words to best describe you:
Studious, committed and adventurous  

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
Professor or CIA, can’t decide.  

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I served in the Peace Corps.

Learn more about the research conducted in the Center for Excellence in Hip. 

Rheumatology Overview

Rheumatology Overview

by | Mar 22, 2019 | Spotlight

Scottish Rite Hospital’s rheumatology team includes five board-certified pediatric rheumatologists. The team includes staff from various areas of expertise who evaluate and treat patients with a variety of rheumatic conditions including but not limited to arthritis. Rheumatology patients are seen at both our Dallas and Frisco campus.
Under the direction of Marilynn G. Punaro, M.D., the hospital’s Rheumatology Clinic is actively researching advanced treatment methods to discover innovative ways to better care for pediatric patients diagnosed with rheumatic conditions. All Scottish Rite Hospital rheumatology physicians are active members of the American College of Rheumatology, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) and participate in the national registry and other research projects.

Common conditions treated:
Scleroderma
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Vasculitis
Dermatomyositis

Services available for rheumatology patients in Dallas:

  • Infusion therapy
  • Digital X-ray and advanced imaging
  • Family Services and Child Life specialists
  • Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Orthotics
  • Lab Services
  • Psychologists

Services available for rheumatology patients in Frisco:

  • Infusion therapy
  • Digital X-ray and advanced imaging
  • Family Services and a Child Life specialist
  • Physical Therapy
  • Orthotics
  • Lab Services

Rheumatology team of experts
Julie M. Fuller, M.D.
Lorien A. Nassi, M.D.
Tracey B. Wright, M.D.

Watch the latest #SRHaccess Facebook LIVE segment about the Infusion Clinic at our Frisco campus.

Learn more about the hospital’s Rheumatology services.

Infant and Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

Infant and Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

by | Mar 20, 2019 | Hip Disorders

In its highly regarded medical journal, Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) just published a review of current standards for evaluating and treating a condition often recognized in newborns and infants. The condition is called developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Dysplasia is a term that means poorly formed. It describes this condition well because one or both sides of the hip joint do not grow correctly as the child develops.

With later recognition of the condition, the treatment becomes more complex and may even require complex surgery. In order to minimize missed cases of hip dysplasia, the AAP recommends that pediatricians periodically screen for DDH during routine office visits from infancy until the child is walking.1 With effective screening, most cases are identified and managed during infancy, leading to complete correction of hip dysplasia and the development of normal hips.

Though this condition rarely requires surgery, Scottish Rite Hospital has a team of pediatric orthopedic surgeons focused on conditions affecting the hip. Corey S. Gill, M.D., M.A., sees these and other patients in his clinic in Frisco. Here are the top four things parents of newborns need to know and do:

  1. Know that DDH occurs in approximately 1% of children. Though the occurrence is low, early identification of these cases is important.
  2. Ask for an evaluation if your baby has one of the two strongest risk factors for DDH.
    • Delivered feet first (breech position)
    • Related to someone who has been treated or monitored for DDH
  3. If your infant is diagnosed with DDH, there is a greater than 90% chance of correcting the condition without needing surgery.  
  4. Learn how to properly swaddle. Many videos online teach “how to swaddle” your baby. Watch one of our hip experts demonstrate how to properly swaddle a baby and learn more about how swaddling can increase the risk of DDH.

When infants need treatment for hip dysplasia, our first line of defense is a Pavlik harness. The harness is generally worn for 23 hours per day for approximately six weeks, but it is removable for bathing. The harness keeps the legs flexed and rotated in the right position for normal development of the hip joint.  After treatment with a Pavlik harness, we use physical exams, ultrasound and X-rays to monitor growth and confirm the hip joint is developing properly.  Most children require no further orthopedic treatment after wearing a Pavlik harness.

Learn more about our treatment and research in DDH and other conditions affecting newborns.

1Yang S, Zusman N, Lieberman E, et al. Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. Pediatrics. 2019;143(1):e20181147