Our TEAM

MEET OUR TEAM!!  

 We are absolutely blessed to have Elise under the care of the amazing liver/transplant team at Texas Children's Hospital.  We have built relationships and rapport with them….we know them, trust them, and love them…and we would not choose to have Elise treated anywhere else. Here are some pics of the main players, which you may see me refer to from time to time throughout this blog…

Dr Douglas Fishman, hepatologist

Dr. Fishman is the Director of GI Endoscopy and Therapeutic Endoscopy and is active in the study of pancreaticobiliary disease in children. He is the medical director of the Pancreaticobiliary Program (PBP).  Current studies include evaluation of children with gallstones and timing of intervention. He is a charter member of the INSPPIRE group (International Study Group Of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In Search For A Cure), an international consortium funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study recurrent and chronic pancreatitis. Dr. Fishman works on the PEDS-CORI project a national database to improve quality in pediatric endoscopy. He is also a co-investigator in the areas of celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis, NAFLD, cholestatic liver disease, and biliary atresia.

Dr. John Goss, transplant surgeon

John Goss, MD, FACS, is professor of surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of the Division of Abdominal Transplantation. He specializes in adult and pediatric liver transplantation, hepatobiliary surgery, and surgical management of liver tumors. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgery. After earning his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Goss completed his general surgical residency at the Washington University School of Medicine Surgical Program. He then completed a 2-year multi-organ transplant fellowship in the Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation at the University of California School of Medicine in Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Goss has performed many surgical "firsts" in Houston, including the first split liver adult and pediatric transplants, the first adult living donor liver transplant, the first dual organ lung-liver transplant, and the first dual organ heart-liver transplant.

Dr. Ross Shepherd- RETIRED as of 12/2013
former Liver Center Director, Texas Children's Hospital

Ross W Shepherd MD, FRACP, FRCP is Director of the Texas Children’s Liver Center, and Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine. He is Professor Emeritus, Washington University School of Medicine, where he was  formerly Medical Director of the Pediatric Liver Program, at St Louis Children’s Hospital, and Professor Emeritus, Queensland University School of Medicine, where he was Director of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Royal Children’s Hospital Brisbane. He graduated from the Queensland University School of Medicine, Australia and completed his pediatric residency at the Royal Childrens Hospital, Brisbane and pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children, London, and the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. 

He has a broad clinical experience, and national and international reputation as a leader in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. His clinical and academic interests have focused on pediatric liver diseases, liver transplantation in children, and nutritional disorders in children, particularly in biliary atresia, cystic fibrosis, and improving outcomes from liver transplantation. His experience with liver transplants in children spans over 25 years, and he was a member of the team that performed the first successful living donor transplant, and pioneered the use of segmental liver transplants. He has contributed chapters to several major texts on pediatric liver disease and liver surgery, co-authored over 150 original research papers and has given over 200 invited lectures.. He has held numerous NHMRC (Australia) NIH (US) grants, most recently, as a principal investigator in the Biliary Atresia Research Consortium, the Pediatric Acute Liver Failure study group, and the Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease Consortium.

Dr. Stephanie Pocsik
our AMAZING pediatrician

Dr. Ryan Himes,
Clinic Chief, Medical Director

Dr. Himes’ clinical and research activities converge on defining, measuring and improving value-delivery in healthcare. He leads efforts in the section of gastroenterology and within the visceral transplant program to make Texas Children’s Hospital a national leader in outcomes transparency and improvement.

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Liver Clinic, May 2012
from left: Dr. Danny Raferdy (senior fellow),  Julie (our 1st transplant coordinator), Elise, and Dr. Fishman

Elise, with Dr. Shepherd, Dr Goss, Dr. Himes, and the fellow and residents on day of DISCHARGE 10 days post-transplant!!  April 1, 2013 

Liver Clinic, 1 year post-transplant
from left: Sarah (transplant coordinator), Stacey (dietician), Elise, me, and Dr. Fishman

Elise's liver transplant surgeon, Dr. John Goss, with Elise and me at the TCH  Transplant dept Holiday Party 2014

Dr. Himes sending Elise and me off….back home with clear biopsy results….December 30, 2014

Elise and Dr. Himes... inpatient admission May 2015

Liver Clinic- 6/17/15 -  Elise, transplant coordinator- Sarah, and our primary liver doc- Dr Fishman