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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.

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Marco Flores, Family Services

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Marco Flores, Family Services

by | Mar 11, 2019 | Spotlight

What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis?
I am the lead medical interpreter for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. I oversee and help coordinate the day to day operations and language access needs for our patients. My team and I make sure that every patient and/or family with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), that walk through our doors, have quality communication access in their own language via in-person, over the phone and/or video remote interpretation. We also provide translation services for the hospital on a wide variety of documents including patient education materials, consent forms, medical charts, etc. I also provide Spanish interpretation services to every department.
 
What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
Como dicen algunos, “no soy de Tejas, pero vine lo más pronto que pude”, así me paso a mí. No trabajaba en Scottish Rite, pero en cuanto tuve la oportunidad de venir y ser parte de la familia de Scottish Rite, lo hice lo más pronto que pude. Ahora llevo trabajando 2 años y contando. Crecí en los alrededores y recuerdo que de niño mi hermano y yo veníamos a jugar aquí enfrente en el parque, nunca me hubiera imaginado que algún día seria parte de esta gran institución.
Like some would say, “I am not from Texas, but I came here as fast as I could”, that’s what happened to me. I wasn’t working at Scottish Rite, but as soon as I got the opportunity to be part of the Scottish Rite family, I did it as soon as I could. Now, I’ve been working here for two years, and counting. I grew up around here, and I remember that as a child my brother and I would come play here at the park. I never would’ve imagined that one day I would be part of this great institution.
 
What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
That we’re all one great happy family, and that we all genuinely care about the wellbeing of our patients. I’ve had the opportunity to work in other local hospitals, and I can honestly say that the amazing atmosphere and high quality service that Scottish Rite Hospital provides is like no other. Coming here never feels like work – I enjoy and love what I do.  
 
What was your first job? What path did you take to get here?
My first job was as a gelato server for Paciugo. After I graduated from SMU, I worked for Children’s Hospital, then for Parkland for about six years, and finally I made it to Scottish Rite Hospital. 
 
What do you like to do in your spare time?
En mi tiempo libre, me encanta pasar el tiempo con mi familia, especialmente con mis dos hijos Axel y Erik. Me gustan los deportes, escuchar y tocar música, ir al cine y trabajar en mis autos.

During my spare time, I love spending time with  my family, especially with my two sons, Axel and Erik. I like sports, listening and playing music, going to the movies and working on my cars.
 
Three words to best describe you:
Sincero, apasionado y altruista.

Sincere, passionate, altruistic
 
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
Train to become a Jedi Master, good with words I am!
 
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Viajar por México después de graduarme de la universidad y visitar diferentes zonas arqueológicas de mis antepasados.

Traveled through Mexico after I graduated from college, and visited different archeological sites from my ancestors.
 
Upcoming Project:
I will be leading an introductory Spanish class through SRH University (hospital staff development program) that will focus on greetings, general instructions and other staff member/patient interactions.

Learn more about the resources provided through our Family Services department. 

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Lisa Gardner, Research

Get to Know our SRH Staff: Lisa Gardner, Research

by | Mar 4, 2019 | Spotlight

What is your role at the hospital? What do you do on a daily basis? 
I provide administrative support to Matt Ferguson, assistant administrator for the Research department and Harry Kim, M.D., director for the Center of Excellence in Hip Disorders.
In addition to Matt’s research responsibilities (I believe we have approximately 60 people in our department), he is also a board member on the Stemmons Corridor Business Association and several times a year, I will assist with events for the association. Dr. Kim is the chair for the International Perthes Study Group (IPSG). This group meets at the hospital annually and I help as I can. When the Research department has people interested in observing, I help with their visits.
 
What led you to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children? How long have you worked here?
My neighbor worked here and everything she told me made me want to become a part of this hospital family. I have been here for 34 years and throughout my time, I have worked in several different areas. I started in security, moved to human resources, then to administration and now, I am in research.
 
What do you enjoy most about Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children?
There are so many things that I love about the hospital! The research that is conducted here is wonderful because it can lead to finding causes and ultimately cures of conditions that many of our patients have. We are all dedicated to doing what is best for the children.  
 
What was your first job? What path did you take to get here? 
My first job was at an M.E. Moses Store, which does not exist anymore. When I started working here, I assumed it would be for a short time, yet 34 years later and I cannot imagine working anywhere else.
 
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to spend time with my family, especially my granddaughters. I also enjoy reading and traveling.
 
Three words to best describe you:
Compassionate, sincere, loyal
 
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
I cannot imagine being anywhere else. Scottish Rite Hospital isn’t really a job, it’s much more. I’m extremely lucky to be a very small part of what we do here. 
 
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I am the opposite of adventurous! Although, I do love to ride just about any ride at amusement or water parks – my granddaughters inspire me to be brave.

Share Your Story: Why I Give Back

Share Your Story: Why I Give Back

by | Feb 19, 2019 | Spotlight

Meet Jan and Sam, the chair of 2018 Cookies and Castles and her son, who was treated by our Scoliosis and Spine experts. Learn more about their journey below.

Blog written by Jan, of Dallas. 

At the age of 5, our son Sam was diagnosed with scoliosis. We visited the expert team of specialists at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and Sam started to receive corrective treatment. 

Corrective treatment consisted of Sam wearing a hard-plastic brace, custom made for him by the Orthotics department. The brace went from his chest down to his hips and he wore it for up to 18 hours a day. As he grew, we would visit the hospital every six to eight months to have new braces made. Sam would be measured and have new X-rays taken. Each and every time, these braces became bigger and heavier.   
 
His appointments were often several hours long and this gave Sam and me numerous opportunities to visit with other patient families. We heard stories about other families driving for hours, or flying from great distances, often involving tremendous travel expenses just to have the opportunity to be treated at Scottish Rite Hospital. 

scoliosis x-ray

We realized just how lucky we were that this renowned hospital was only 20 minutes away from our home in Dallas. 

As Sam’s team of doctors had predicted, his curve became much worse around the age of 16. It became too severe for bracing and corrective surgery would soon be needed. The surgery required placing two titanium rods, held in place with 36 screws, on either side of Sam’s spine to permanently support his back.

Sam beside a woman
As scary as this sounded to us, everyone at the hospital, from the pre-surgery staff, Dr. Sucato and the team of surgeons, and the incredible nursing staff – everyone took great care of Sam. Thanks to Scottish Rite Hospital, Sam now stands 6’5” and is enjoying his sophomore year in college.

After many years of being endeared to Scottish Rite Hospital for everything they did to help our family, an opportunity to give back landed in my lap. The Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Tri Delta Sorority has an incredible annual event called Cookies & Castles, where children and their families come together to kick off the holiday season by decorating gingerbread houses. Families and hospital patients fill the atrium while enjoying the sweet smell of candy and gingerbread. As a member of Tri Delta, I was asked to chair the event in 2018.

I never expected I would have a chance like this to give back to the people that had given so much to my family. Stepping back into the hospital and seeing patients, alongside their parents, energized me to work hard to raise money to support such an incredible place.

 

 

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.

Share Your Story: Why I Volunteer

Share Your Story: Why I Volunteer

by | Feb 5, 2019 | Spotlight

Meet Luann and Andrew, a mom who is a hospital volunteer and a patient who was treated in our Neurology department. Learn more about their journey below.Blog written by Luann, of Dallas. Our son, Andrew, was always very active and loved playing soccer and basketball. He was usually the fastest runner on the soccer field and could shoot three-point shots from half court. When he turned 10, I noticed he couldn’t run like he used to, and as hard as he tried, he just couldn’t keep up with his teammates.

I took him to his pediatrician and she could not find anything physically wrong. His left foot started
to turn in so we thought maybe he just needed ankle braces, so we gave that a try. That didn’t help, so we began a seven-year search for answers. We saw 13 different doctors – from podiatrists, to an orthopedic specialist and even a neurologist, but we were still left without answers. In the meantime, Andrew was growing and his ability to walk was becoming more and more difficult. He had pretty much given up the idea of ever playing sports again.  Attending high school was even a struggle for him. In the morning, he was strong and could walk, but by the end of the school day he was physically spent. I would pick him up from school and take him home, where he would have dinner and then literally crawl to his bedroom to go to bed, only to face the same struggle the next day. It would just break my heart to see him not being able to attend football games or go to movies with his friends. He had pretty much given up the idea of attending homecoming or walking across the stage at his high school graduation.

After seven years, 13 doctors, countless doctor visits, MRI’s, CT Scans, X-rays, braces, and exercises, we were referred to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. We initially met with Dr. Sucato in August of Andrew’s senior year of high school. Dr. Sucato thought it would be best if we saw Dr. Delgado, a neurologist at the hospital. I thought this would be a waste of time since we had already seen two other neurologists, but I reluctantly agreed.

We saw Dr. Delgado that October and that is when our miracle began.

I remember sitting in the exam room with a stack of X-rays, MRI reports, CT scans and other medical records. In walked Dr. Delgado and through my tears I began to tell him all of Andrew’s physical challenges for the past several years. I will never forget that day – he looked at us and said we were going to find out what was going on! He was the first doctor who had told us that. He closely studied Andrew walking, which was so hard for me to watch. Andrew underwent a few different tests and on January 29, 2010 was admitted to the hospital for a spinal tap. 

A young boy in a hospital bed with a red bandage on his hand

A week later, we received the call that changed our lives.

My husband Earl, Andrew and I went back to the clinic and nervously waited in the exam room, praying for an answer. I had prepared myself for the worst. Dr. Delgado walks in and said he knows what is going on with Andrew – I could hardly believe we were hearing those words! Andrew has Dopa-Responsive Dystonia, a rare neurological disorder that is easily treated. His brain doesn’t produce enough of the chemical dopamine, so he takes a medicine that is often used to treat Parkinson patients.   We were beyond excited for a diagnosis, but I was not going to get my hopes up until I saw positive results!  Andrew took his first pill that Friday and within 24 hours he was able to walk, stand and run like he had been able to eight years ago. He went to school that next Monday and his baseball coach called me to find out what had happened – no one could believe the miraculous change in Andrew!

A man wearing a shirt that says hunger is hugging a woman

Andrew was able to play in the last baseball game of his senior year and the The Dallas Morning News was there to capture it all.  Andrew’s friends and family filled the stands, cheering him on. He got up to bat, got a hit and was able to run the bases – something we all thought we would never be able to see him do again. I cheered and cried at the same time! He was then able to attend the high school homecoming dance, his classmates voted him “Raider of the Year” and he proudly walked across the stage at his graduation. 

I still tear up thinking of this journey and how Dr. Delgado and Scottish Rite Hospital gave my son his life back.  Andrew went on to graduate from the University of North Texas and has moved to Los Angeles, California, where he is truly enjoying life. My heart is so proud and full to see him have the confidence to go out on his own. For so many years, he felt he had to hide in the background due to his physical limitations.  He didn’t want anyone to see him and was laughed at for his physical shortcomings. 

He is an amazing young man. When he went to bed at night, he knew he would have to wake up and face the same challenges again that next day. He never complained, was always smiling and was a true testimony to everyone he ran into. I am one proud mom!

Because of everything Dr. Delgado did for my son, I decided I wanted to give back to the hospital. On February 22, 2011, I began volunteering at the hospital. I volunteer Tuesday evenings, at special events and I serve on the Volunteer Executive Committee. My biggest honor is to volunteer in Dr. Delgado’s Neurology Clinic. I love being able to greet his patients, assure them that they are in an amazing place and are seeing the best doctor in the world.

A basketball player is jumping in the air to dunk the ball

It is my absolute pleasure to brag on Scottish Rite Hospital and to share Andrew’s Story and give other families hope.

When Andrew is home for a visit, he always tries to stop by the hospital and visit with Dr. Delgado and his staff – I love seeing the big grins on each of their faces! Thank you to Dr. Delgado and his amazing team, who we now consider family, for giving my son his life back.

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.