Physician Recognition

Driscoll residents win awards
Two residents at Driscoll Children’s Hospital recently won awards for their research projects from the Texas Pediatric Society. They will be officially recognized at the society’s annual meeting in San Antonio on November 6th. Karen Yulo, M.D., won first prize for best hypothesis-driven research project, titled "The Relationship Between Residence Near Sources of Petrochemical Pollution and Worsening Respiratory Outcomes in Children of Nueces and San Patricio Counties," and Ranjana Sarma, M.D., won honorable mention for her case presentation in the resident category, titled "Improving Quality of Care: Role of Rapid Response Team and Quick Assessment Unit."
Posted August 27, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.

Ernest Buck, M.D., wins Award of Merit
Ernest Buck, M.D., of ABC Pediatrics, has been selected by the Texas Pediatric Society (TPS) Awards Committee to receive the 2010 Texas Pediatric Society Sidney Kaliski Award of Merit for his outstanding contributions to the TPS, pediatrics and his community.

"It's a very humbling experience," Dr. Buck said. "It's the type of award that is the pinnacle of a career. Previous recipients are wonderful and inspiring pediatricians who are the backbone of pediatrics in the state of Texas. I wasn't even considering myself as a candidate. It took me totally by surprise."

Dr. Buck was nominated by Skip Brown, M.D., immediate past president of the TPS, and supported by Driscoll Children's Hospital's William Dirksen, M.D., and Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., M.H.A.

The award will be presented to Dr. Buck at the TPS annual meeting awards luncheon on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio.

Ramakrishna appointed to Regional Advisory Committee
Mulukutla Ramakrishna, M.D. of South Padre Island Pediatric Center has been appointed as a physician member from Corpus Christi to the board of CHIP and Medicaid for Region 11, stretching from Victoria to the Rio Grande Valley (the state is divided into 11 regions). The Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) is an advocacy forum for matters related to CHIP and Medicaid to improve access to care, quality of care and managed care issues. The RAC also responds to questions, suggestions and recommendations from various community partners and the public. RACs are also provided information regarding updates and upcoming changes at the federal and state level. In turn, each RAC sends recommendations from the regional level to the Texas Dept. of Health & Human Services Commission for enhancement and improvement of care. If any physicians or hospital staff have any issues regarding improvement or enhancement of care in this area or issues relating to managed care, contact him at 361-854-4626.

Dr. Ramakrishna is a former chief of staff at Driscoll Children's Hospital and a former chief of pediatrics. He is a former board member of Head Start for Nueces County and the Child Advocacy Center. Presently he serves on the Driscoll Medical Executive Committee and chairs the Driscoll Children's Health Plan Credentials Committee. He is board certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and currently serves on the boards of Coastal Bend Emergency Services and 501Primary Care Pediatrics.

In addition, Dr. Ramakrishna was recognized June 18 during the 2010 Residency Graduation Program held at the Omni Marina Hotel for his contributions to resident education with the "Best Teaching Attending Award." He received a plaque in appreciation of his efforts.

Allen graduates from Spanish Bilingual Assistant class
William Allen, M.D. was one of 15 bilingual staff at Driscoll Children's Hospital to graduate from a 60-hour Spanish Bilingual Assistant (SBA) class on July 14. The class included a comprehensive language screening process and was conducted over six weeks. The SBA program is supported by the National Medical Interpreter Project, which is dedicated to supporting language access for non-English-speaking families. This was the third SBA class offered at Driscoll; the last one was offered in McAllen last year.

Johnson, Cortes receive awards
During the 2010 Residency Graduation Program held at the Omni Marina Hotel on June 18, Cris Johnson, M.D. was the recipient of the "Best Subspecialty Teacher Award" and Richard Cortes, M.D. received the "Best General Pediatrician Teacher Award" from the graduating Driscoll pediatric residents. Both physicians received a plaque in appreciation of their efforts.

Resident chosen to present abstract
Elizabeth Anyaegbu, M.D., a third year resident at Driscoll Children's Hospital, has been chosen to present an abstract of her research at the hospital at the American Society of Transplantation Distinguished Fellows Research Forum, October 16-17 in San Diego. Dr. Anyaegbu‘s abstract is entitled, "Significance of Prospective Viral Screening in Pediatric Renal Transplant Recipients."

Journal will publish research findings
Two former residents at Driscoll Children's Hospital, Carla Garcia, M.D. and Maria Falcon, M.D., and two of the hospital's faculty, Marita Rafael, M.D. and Jaime Fergie, M.D., have submitted their research findings and will be published in an upcoming issue of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The study is entitled, "Increasing Infant Pertussis Hospitalization and Mortality in South Texas, 1996-2006."

Poster presentation selected for meeting
A group of former residents at Driscoll Children's Hospital, Javier Monagas, M.D., Diana Hellman, M.D., and Jusan Galarza, M.D., along with faculty member Jaime Fergie, M.D., have been selected to present a poster presentation of their research entitled, "Central Line Infection in Short Bowel Syndrome Patients" at the 47th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, October 29 - November 1, 2009 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Research findings to be presented
Enrique Dieguez, M.D., a former resident at Driscoll Children's Hospital, and faculty member Jaime Fergie, M.D., have been selected to present their research findings at a national infectious disease meeting. Their abstract, entitled "Murine Typhus Hospitalizations in South Texas Children," was selected for a poster presentation at the 47th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, October 29 - November 1, 2009 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in Philadelphia, PA.

Doctor honored with award
Keshava Gowda, M.D., a chief resident at Driscoll Children's Hospital, was recently honored with an award at the 2009 Texas Pediatric Society meeting in Dallas. His research project entitled, "The Impact of the Institution of a Rapid Response Team on Cardiopulmonary Arrest," was awarded the Best Hypothesis-Driven Research Project in the Resident Section.

Local dentist elected president
William Berlocher, D.D.S., M.A., pediatric dentist, recently was elected president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists. His term will be one year. Berlocher has been active in the AAPD for more than 30 years. The AAPD is headquartered in Chicago.

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