Four Texas Children's Hospital surgeons to present at American Academy of Pediatrics national meeting

Texas Children's surgeon serves as 2013 Program Chair

HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Physicians and researchers from the Department of Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston will serve as faculty lecturers and moderators during the annual Section on Surgery Meeting for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) held Oct. 25 through 27, in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Eugene Kim, pediatric surgeon at Texas Children's and assistant professor of surgery/pediatric surgery division at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), serves as the 2013 Program Chair for this meeting. For more information about the Department of Surgery at Texas Children's visit: texaschildrens.org/surgery  

The Section on Surgery Meeting for the AAP will convene a national group of more than 200 pediatric surgeons, researchers, fellows, and residents. The conference will provide the opportunity for attendees to engage in symposiums and presentations on a wide variety of topics that relate to the complex surgical needs of pediatric patients.  From groundbreaking clinical studies to the latest discoveries from the benchtop, the AAP Section on Surgery represents the cutting edge of pediatric surgical science in the country.

"I'm thrilled that the Department of Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital will have such great representation at such a prestigious national conference, underscoring our role as a preeminent program," said Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr., surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children's and professor of surgery and pediatrics at BCM. "Looking at the wide array of presenters and topics of this year's meeting, it is evident that Dr. Kim has done an outstanding job in his role as the program chair bringing together national leaders in the field of pediatric surgery."

Four surgeons from Texas Children's Hospital will participate in the various symposiums held throughout the weekend including:

• Dr. Mary Brandt, immediate past chair of the AAP's Section on Surgery, pediatric surgeon at Texas Children's and vice chair of education for the Department of Surgery at BCM, will moderate a symposium addressing The Pediatric Surgeon and Social Justice.
• Kim will lead a presentation on Spinal Cord Ischemia and the Resection of Posterior Mediastinal Tumors. He will also moderate the following symposiums – Issues in Pediatric General Surgery Appendicitis: New Approaches to an Age-Old Problem; and Current Challenges in Pediatric Surgical Oncology.
• Dr. Monica Lopez, pediatric surgeon at Texas Children's and assistant professor of surgery/pediatric surgery division at BCM, will present: Evidence Based Treatment Strategies for Complex Appendicitis.
• Dr. Jed Nuchtern, chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Texas Children's and professor of surgery/pediatric surgery division at BCM, will present the following topic: Resection of Pulmonary Metastasis in Hepatoblastoma: An Exercise in Futility?

The AAP is the most powerful lobbying health care organization for children in the United States both at a federal and local level. The Section on Surgery provides support to the many efforts the AAP is making to improve surgical healthcare for children.

About Texas Children's Hospital

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation, Texas Children's has recognized Centers of Excellence in multiple pediatric subspecialties including the Cancer and Heart Centers, and operates the largest primary pediatric care network in the country. Texas Children's has completed a $1.5 billion expansion, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; and Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston.  For more information on Texas Children's, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Elizabeth Shackouls
832-824-2108
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital