I am an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine where I practice clinically at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston, TX in the 174 bed Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower Pediatric ICU where we care for over 5,000 critically ill pediatric patients annually. I am board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine. I care for patients aging from neonates through approximately 26 years old with one or more organ systems at risk of, or actively, failing. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TCH formed a pediatric critical care special isolation unit where I helped care for the sickest pediatric COVID-19 patients including those who developed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). As the Associate Medical Director of Mission Control, TCH’s centralized hospital system communication system, I ensure safe and efficient intra- and inter-facility transport for patients of all ages. I evaluate and improve the technology used to optimize patient flow and work with all TCH medical directors of transport to ensure consistent communication and education around practice and guideline changes. I am part of the Governor’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) Pediatric Stroke Task Force to advise and make recommendations for Texas Emergency Healthcare System rules to facilitate the best and safest care for pediatric stroke emergencies within Texas.

Utilizing my background in biomedical engineering I optimize the incorporation of technological advancements into pediatric intensive care clinical practice. Most recently I have been investigating the application of wireless/remote monitoring systems in pediatric patients building upon an initial pilot study in which I showed that using partially wireless pulse oximetry reduces episodes of loss of signal integrity secondary to motion artifact in pediatric subjects. Through my work on AICORE-kids (NIH R61HD105593 under PI Dr. Ananth Annapragada), I have been working with a multidisciplinary group to utilize machine learning applications to risk-stratify COVID-19 and MIS-C pediatric patients including prediction of likely outcomes based on electronic health record and biomarker data.

Through my advisory role in the TMC Innovation Accelerator and by facilitating connections with device companies and engineering colleges/universities, I work to keep the division of Pediatric Critical Care medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital at the forefront of medical device and software innovation. I have recently become adjunct faculty for the Clinical Informatics Fellowship, helping to expand the application of clinical informatics in pediatric critical care medicine. My goal is to re-design pediatric critical care units through optimizing the utilization of current and emerging technologies and devices to improve patient care, optimize billing and documentation accuracy and reduce administrative burdens on providers to improve patient, family, and provider experiences.