Robert Zakar gives back to community

Division Of Pediatric Pulmonology

The Division of Pediatric Pulmonology was started by Dr. Gunyon M. Harrison at Texas Institute of Rehabilitation and Research and Texas Children's Hospital in the 1950's.

Dr. Harrison is well known for his interest in polio and care of patients with respiratory muscle disease. In 1960, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation began to create regional CF centers and selected Baylor College of Medicine as its first recipient of CFF grant for a CF center and named Dr. Harrison as its first medical director. In 1977, Dr. Harrison recommended hiring a young, career driven and dedicated physician, who he had trained and worked with for many years, Dr. Dan K. Seilheimer. Among his activities at TIRR,

Dr. Seilheimer served as co-director of the respiratory therapy program, directing the pulmonary function laboratory and working with Dr. Harrison in training pediatric residents and pediatric pulmonary fellows concerning patient management in the respiratory center. Dr. Seilheimer was involved in the development and growth of Texas Children's Respiratory Care Department and in the accreditation of the Cystic Fibrosis Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. In 1984, he was appointed Section Head of the Pulmonary Medicine Service at Texas Children's Hospital. Dr. Seilheimer was awarded the Lay Education Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for his leadership developing The CF Family Education Program. This award-winning comprehensive self-management for patients and families is still in use nationally today.

Through the years, Dr. Seilheimer's dedication and commitment to the care of respiratory patients and their families allowed for the expansion of services and treatment offered to them. Among the physicians that joined the medical staff were Dr. Leland L. Fan and Dr. George B. Mallory, Jr. Both of these physicians brought their knowledge and expertise to the section in the area of pediatric interstitial lung disease and pediatric lung transplantation, respectively.

After 25 years of serving the Pediatric Pulmonary Section, Dr. Seilheimer retired in 2009 and handed over the reins to Dr. Peter W. Hiatt. Dr. Hiatt has continued to expand the services of the section and under his direction, the Sleep Medicine Program and the Pulmonary Hypertension Services have grown. We also now offer Aerodigestive, Life-Threatening Asthma, Pulmonary Sickle Cell, Ventilator and Muscular Dystrophy Pulmonary Clinics.

Presently, our section cares for nearly 13,000 patients annually, treating chronic and acute respiratory illnesses, some of which are noted above. We deeply care for these young patients and their families and provide services at Texas Children's Hospital (Houston), West Campus (Katy), and at our Health Centers in Clear Lake, Sugar Land, Cy-Fair, The Woodlands and Kingwood. In the near future, our services will extend to the new Texas Children's Woodlands Hospital. All of these clinics and centers are staffed by pulmonologists and professionals with special expertise in pediatric respiratory care.

Interventional Pulmonology

Description

Our multidisciplinary team includes board-certified interventional pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, head and neck surgeons, oncologists, anesthesiologists, and other specialists as needed. Together, we provide a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to better treat and diagnose patients with complex airway, lung, and pleural diseases.

We are at the forefront of innovation in advanced diagnostic and treatment technology through sound clinical research, experimental trials, and clinical services. 

Barbara J. Meyer, PhD

Current Research

Molecular Networks Controlling Dynamic Chromosome Behaviors During Development

Barbara Meyer investigates sex determination and the interplay between chromosome structure and function.  Chromosomes undergo dynamic behaviors during development to ensure genome stability and accurate cell fate decisions.  Meyer and her team study interrelated gene networks that control these behaviors. Their projects include exploring the chromosome-counting mechanisms that determine sexual fate and the chromosome-wide regulatory processes – called dosage compensation – that balance X-chromosome gene expression between the sexes.  Previous work by Meyer's team revealed that, in some species, X-chromosome gene regulation is functionally related to a structural challenge of all somatic and germline chromosomes: achieving ordered chromosome compaction prior to chromosome segregation, a topic they continue to investigate.

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