Endowed Chair Program

Cook Children's is home to many of the best and brightest minds in pediatric health care. In 2013, we implemented a special program to recognize outstanding visionaries on our medical staff. Established by Cook Children's Health Foundation with a $10 million endowment, the Endowed Chair program recognizes the great work of our innovative physicians who are advancing pediatric care along with Cook Children's research reputation.

This program is our commitment to supporting research and teaching. Through their endowed chair, physicians develop programs, participate in clinical research, write for national publications, make presentations on a national level and further elevate the regional, national and global prominence of their work.

President and CEO Rick W. Merrill stated, "The potential of this program is profound. It holds incredible promise for our organization and the patients we serve. It is another step in our commitment to improve the well-being of every child in our communities and our care."

The following physicians have been given an endowed chair in support of their work in their program areas:

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Sibo Zhao, M.D.

Development of Focused Ultrasound Program: Dr. Zhao will develop a focused ultrasound program within Cook Children's Health Care System. This unique ultrasound program will present novel therapies for the treatment of malignancies in children. This will establish Cook Children's at the forefront of Neuro-Oncology therapy across the nation.

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Sani Roy, M.D.

Multidisciplinary Prader-Willi Wellness, Education and Research (MPoWER) Center: Dr. Roy will develop and manage a comprehensive program for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome, the most common life-threatening genetic obesity syndrome. The MPoWER Center will engage in novel research, education and patient advocacy while giving families access to an expert multidisciplinary team and avenues for family support, establishing Cook Children's as a Center of Excellence in the management of this vulnerable population.

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Paul Thornton, M.D.

Hyperinsulinism Center: Dr. Thornton will develop and manage the Hyperinsulinism Center, a subspecialty of Endocrinology and Diabetes Services, with a dedicated multidisciplinary team focused on the diagnosis and management of patients with hypoglycemic disorders caused by inappropriate insulin secretion.

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Artee Gandhi, M.D .

Center for Pain Management and Integrative Health: The development of the Center for Pain Management and Integrative Health focusing on expanding complementary medicine services. This includes developing patient and family support groups to increase community awareness as well as providing a network for patient encouragement and inspiration, increasing community and staff education on the implications of untreated pain and the associated disability that ensues and creating a transitional care program for patients admitted to the rehabilitation unit.

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Scott Perry, M.D.

Comprehensive Epilepsy Program: A three-tiered program designed within the Comprehensive Epilepsy program at the Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health. Dr. Perry will expand the use of new and existing technologies in a minimally invasive epilepsy program. The tiers further local and collaborative research, continue the education of the next generation of neurologists to guide the program at Cook Children's and serve as a method to introduce Cook Children's to the broader neuroscience community and help foster continued collaborative relationships.

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Clifton Huang, M.D.

Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy for Pediatric Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Dr. Huang will establish Cook Children's as a Center of Excellence in Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy and put Cook Children's at the forefront of live gastrointestinal endoscopic diagnosis and molecular imaging, facilitating the management of multiple acute and chronic gastrointestinal disorders in an expedient and more precise way.

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Cynthia Keator, M.D.

Lennox-Gastaut Comprehensive Care Center: Dr. Keator will establish a new standard of care for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). She and her comprehensive clinical team will capture data, monitor patients and identify patterns that will help with early identification of high-risk patients before LGS onset, enabling proactive evaluation and intervention. This program will establish natural history, biomarkers best practice for treatment, and be the first program in the country to target LGS in a comprehensive center.

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Anish Ray, M.D.

Precision Medicine Program: Dr. Ray will expand on Cook Children's pharmacogenomics and targeted therapeutics expertise in oncology, by creating a precision medicine service infrastructure across the organization. Developing partnerships with genetics, immunology and genetic oncology and building infrastructure for pharmacogenomics, patients will have access to innovative personalized care and the program will establish Cook Children's as a national leader in a field that will have impact on every medical specialty.

Dr. Pamela Sherman

Pamela Sherman, M.D.

The Center for Motion Analysis (CMA): Dr. Sherman will establish an upper extremity motion analysis laboratory using the Cook Children's Gait Lab to evaluate patients, guide and predict responses to treatment, and develop new techniques. The CMA will provide analyses for pediatric patients with neuromuscular, orthopedic, and other impairments, enhancing awareness and improving functional outcomes. It will identify movement patterns difficult for clinicians to detect, assisting with surgical planning, non-surgical treatments, and overall function improvement.

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Natalia Chaimowitz, M.D.

Center of Excellence of Congenital Athymia (CA): Dr. Chaimowitz will establish a CA clinical program to provide curative therapy for children with congenital athymia – an ultra-rare, life-threatening condition caused by the absence or severe underdevelopment of the thymus. The program will incorporate evidence-based medicine, clinical research and patient-centered care to become a leading provider of this lifesaving treatment.

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John Robertson, M.D.

Exercise Respiratory Center (ExRC): Dr. Robertson's clinic will help diagnose, treat and research the causes of exercise induced respiratory symptoms. This pioneering center will specialize in maximal exercise exertion with simultaneous airway, respiratory and cardiovascular evaluation. This comprehensive approach can pinpoint the root cause(s) in most cases. Cook Children's is one of only a handful of pediatric centers nationwide offering continuous laryngoscopy during exercise (CLE) - the gold standard for diagnosing exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO).

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Yvette Johnson, M.D., MPH

N.E.S.T. Developmental Follow-up Clinic Early Cerebral Palsy (CP) Detection and Intervention Program: Dr. Johnson will expand access to early CP detection for all children in our region. This program also will help increase participation in clinical research and quality improvement initiatives across local and national collaborative clinical research projects. Engaging most level 3 and level 4 NICUs across North Texas in early CP detection would strengthen this internationally recognized and evidence-based clinical practice as the standard of care.

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Marcela Torres, M.D.

Pediatric Stroke and Thrombosis Program: The development of a Pediatric Stroke and Thrombosis Center with a highly specialized and trained multidisciplinary team able to provide the best medical care to children who suffer an acute stroke or suffer from chronic neurological deficits due to the stroke.

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Don Wilson, M.D.

Risk Evaluation to Achieve Cardiovascular Health (REACH) Clinic: Create and manage the pediatric REACH program, a subspecialty of Endocrinology and Diabetes Services, with a dedicated multidisciplinary team designed to identify, manage, treat and educate children at risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

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Warren Marks, M.D.

Movement Disorders Clinic: Develop and manage the Cook Children's Center for Pediatric Neuromotor Disorders, which includes the Deep Brain Stimulation program, Motion Analysis Laboratory, Transcutaneous Magnetic Stimulation, Spinal Cord Rehabilitation program, Therapeutic Sports and Recreation program and Transitional lifespan "Bridge to Adulthood" program for children with complex neurological disorders.

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Steve Muyskens, M.D.

3D aPPROaCH Lab - Heart Center: Continued advancement of the Cardiovascular MRI (cMR) for Congenital Heart Disease program at Cook Children's, including the development of the Adult Congenital cMR program and incorporating state-of-the-art imaging techniques including a 3D printing program.