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Frisco Style: When the Game Gets Too Big

Frisco Style: When the Game Gets Too Big

by | Sep 11, 2025 | Press Coverage, Sports Medicine

By Monica Wallis

In cities like Frisco, where the population has surged by over 77% in the last decade and sports are stitched into the community’s identity, the growth of youth athletics is impossible to ignore. Across North Texas, and especially here in Sports City USA – home to major professional teams, the PGA headquarters, and some of the nation’s most competitive youth clubs – sports aren’t just something kids do after school. They’re a culture. A lifestyle. An industry.

And an enormous one at that. The youth sports industry in the U.S. now generates over $20 billion annually. In 2023, more than 70 million children participated in youth athletics, a staggering number. But for many experts, the boom comes with a question: At what cost?

Meet Dr. Philip Wilson, Assistant Chief of Staff, Director of the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon, and Associate Program Director for the Orthopedic Sports Fellowship at Scottish Rite for Children. A professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Medical Director of the North Campus, he sees patients at the Frisco campus – and is an avid sports fan. He’s a passionate advocate for the value of youth sports, celebrating their physical, social, and character-building benefits while acknowledging the physical and mental risks that can come with them. And according to Dr. Wilson, the question of cost is more than rhetorical.

Read the full article.

Two Fellows Begin Training in Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

Two Fellows Begin Training in Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

by | Sep 10, 2025 | Psychology, Spotlight

The Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship program proudly welcomes two fellows, marking the first time the program has hosted multiple fellows since its inception. The 2025 – 2026 fellows are Paige Mandas, Ph.D., from University of Georgia and Ashley Wilkerson, Psy.D., from The Chicago School.

The goal of the psychology fellowship is to receive in-depth training in the practice of pediatric psychology. Young psychologists who choose this program select a niche focus on guiding children through a breadth of pediatric orthopedic conditions. The fellows will work alongside Scottish Rite’s Psychology team to gain experience in inpatient and outpatient pediatric settings at both Dallas and Frisco campuses. Together, the fellows will embark on an educational journey that will equip them with the necessary skills to support children throughout their treatment.

Meet the 2025 – 2026 Psychology Fellows

Paige Mandas:

What inspired you to apply to the Psychology fellowship at Scottish Rite?
I was very interested in the highly specialized care Scottish Rite provides. Additionally, I wanted to be part of an organization that actively celebrates and embraces individual differences.

What made you choose a career in health care?
I really appreciate the opportunity to work alongside an interdisciplinary team that allows us to provide holistic, patient-centered care. Each member of the team offers a unique perspective. Being able to collaborate in this way provides the highest level of care to families.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I love spending time outside, so I am hopeful that this fall will bring some cooler temperatures and pretty foliage.

What is your hidden talent?
I enjoy puzzles and problem-solving. If there is a challenge or a mystery, I will zone in to figure it out.

What is something you are looking forward to learning about in your fellowship?
I am excited to learn more about the various orthopedic conditions through working with interdisciplinary teams who prioritize the well-being of patients and their families.

Ashley Wilkerson:

What inspired you to apply to the Psychology fellowship at Scottish Rite?
During college, I was a volunteer for Scottish Rite for Children. A few years later in graduate school, I met Dr. West at a conference and enjoyed talking with her. I loved the specialized training opportunities here, and I knew that I would apply when it came time for looking for a fellowship.

What made you choose a career in health care?
From an early age, I knew I wanted to work in a hospital setting. I love that I can combine my passion of children’s mental health within the hospital.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Outside of work, I love spending time with my husband and my dogs, as well as riding horses.

What is your hidden talent?
I am really good at walking fast and like to race my friends.

What is something you are looking forward to learning about in your fellowship?
I am looking forward to gaining more specialized training in pediatric psychology within the orthopedic setting.

Learn more about the Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship and other fellowship programs available at Scottish Rite for Children here.

Scottish Rite for Children Launches Partnership With Dallas Trinity FC

Scottish Rite for Children Launches Partnership With Dallas Trinity FC

by | Sep 5, 2025 | General News, Press Coverage

Scottish Rite for Children has been named the official pediatric healthcare partner of Dallas Trinity FC. In collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center, Scottish Rite is the official front-of-kit sponsor. This multi-year partnership highlights a continuous commitment to supporting young athletes across North Texas.

“This is an exciting moment for us!” says Scottish Rite for Children President and CEO Robert L. Walker. “Women’s professional sports are reaching new heights, and we are honored to stand alongside these incredible athletes. As the official pediatric healthcare partner of Dallas Trinity FC, Scottish Rite celebrates not only their skill and dedication on the field but also the role they play in showing young people what is possible when you chase your dreams.”

Dallas Trinity FC is a professional women’s soccer club based in Dallas and is a member of the Gainbridge Super League, a Division One professional women’s soccer league. The 2025-26 season has begun, with a touch of Scottish Rite at every game.

Read the full statement.

Get to Know Our Staff: Katie Hayward, Child Life

Get to Know Our Staff: Katie Hayward, Child Life

by | Sep 3, 2025 | Spotlight

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite?
I am a child life specialist. I help prepare patients for procedures and offer support by encouraging them to utilize the coping skills they learn.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
I love preparing a patient who is anxious about a procedure and seeing them cope well during the procedure. It is rewarding to see them understand and realize their coping skills.

What makes Scottish Rite a special place to you?
Scottish Rite is a special place to me because it gave me my start to working in child life. Scottish Rite continues be a special place the longer I work here. It also has given me the chance to make meaningful friendships.

What made you choose a career in health care?
I have always loved the health care setting and to work with children. Child life is a good mixture of both, allowing me to do what I love.

What is something unique you get to do in your position?
My job allows me to make special connections with patients and their families. I get to build a rapport with the patient, which helps me support them during their procedures.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I love to exercise, read, watch movies and spend time with my growing family.

Where are you from, and what brought you to DFW?
I am from North Richland Hills and have lived in the DFW area my entire life.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I would love to travel to Greece. The country is beautiful and has stunning beaches. I also heard the food is delicious!

If you had to pick one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A cheeseburger and fries! I could never turn down a good burger and fries. 

What movie do you think everyone should watch at least once?
The entire Harry Potter series.

What is the first concert you attended?
NSYNC

Favorite DFW hidden gem?
I would choose anywhere in Fort Worth, but especially anything along Magnolia Avenue. It has a charming look and feel, as well as amazing restaurants!

If you were to have a movie based on your life, which actress/actor would you choose to play your character?
Anne Hathaway or Jennifer Garner!

What is some advice you would give your younger self, OR what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Be true to yourself in everything you do so you can be confident you are exactly where you are meant to be.

Healing More Than a Hip: Pierre Spreads Compassion After Perthes Disease

Healing More Than a Hip: Pierre Spreads Compassion After Perthes Disease

by | Sep 2, 2025 | Hip Disorders

Riding a bike is a rite of passage in childhood — a symbol of freedom and fun. For 8-year-old Pierre, gliding through his neighborhood in Michigan was a favorite pastime. But one day, what started as an ordinary ride ended with a sudden, sharp pain in his hip.

“The pain was immobilizing,” Pierre says, now 18, reflecting on this memory. “I could barely walk.”

Concerned for his health, Pierre’s family brought him to a local emergency room and consulted several specialists, which led to a diagnosis of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Better known as Perthes disease, this rare childhood hip disorder occurs when the blood supply to the ball of the hip joint is disrupted, which causes the bone to die.

After searching for ways to treat his rare condition at other facilities across the country and receiving surgical treatments that failed to improve his hip, Pierre’s family ultimately found their way to Scottish Rite for Children and began treatment with pediatric orthopedic surgeon and Director of the Center for Excellence in Hip Harry Kim, M.D., M.S.

“Scottish Rite was a place I actually looked forward to visiting,” Pierre says. “The hospital itself was huge and child friendly with interactive spaces. Those things made it feel less like a hospital and more like a place for kids to heal.”

Pierre required surgery to heal his hip. Dr. Kim performed an osteochondroplasty to reshape Pierre’s hip, which involves removing the excess bone on the hip socket to improve hip mobility. Additionally, Dr. Kim performed a soft tissue release, a procedure done to loosen the tight, contracted tissues around the joint to improve movement. Following surgery, Pierre continued to heal through various stretching exercises and physiotherapy, eventually regaining his ability to walk independently and play sports.

“Dr. Kim not only fixed my hip, but he protected my childhood,” Pierre says. “Dr. Kim brought humor, peace and consistency when everything else felt unpredictable. He made the whole experience easier for my family and I.”

After healing, Pierre reflects on nothing but positive memories of the community he built at Scottish Rite, including his care team and the other patients he met. “Scottish Rite was the first place where I felt seen, respected and uplifted through the hardest time of my life,” Pierre says. “Just being able to be around other kids reminded me that I wasn’t broken. I was just in progress.”

With his senior year of high school underway, Pierre is finding purpose in helping other children find their community and play the sport he loves — basketball. He hopes to provide the children he coaches with a similar level of compassion that he received from his care team at Scottish Rite years ago.

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