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NEWS RELEASES
HOUSTON – (Mar. 09, 2010)
– Charles D. Fraser, Jr., M.D., an internationally recognized leader
in pediatric and congenital heart surgery, has been appointed
surgeon-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, effective
July 1. He will lead a team of more than 100 surgeons representing
multiple pediatric surgical subspecialties at one of the nation’s
largest children’s hospitals. (Read a
biography and view a
slideshow
of Dr. Fraser).
Fraser joined Texas Children’s as chief of congenital heart surgery
in 1995 to establish a focused congenital heart surgery team. During
that time, he has built this service into one of the most respected
heart centers in the country, with surgical outcomes greater than 98
percent. Along with an active pediatric heart transplant program,
his service also includes the nation’s largest pediatric lung
transplant program, performing an average of 13 lung transplants per
year. It also offers the most comprehensive pediatric ventricular
assist device program available to children today.
“Dr. Fraser is not only a gifted surgeon, but he is also a skilled
leader,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO, Mark A. Wallace.
“In his new position, he will help formulate the overarching vision
for the hospital’s future endeavors in surgical care, research, and
education. He will also be a vital conduit for communication between
our many surgical subspecialties, the executive leadership of the
hospital, and the Board of Trustees. Clearly, Dr. Fraser embodies
excellence in pediatric surgery and is well-qualified to oversee
surgery at Texas Children's Hospital.”
The new surgeon-in-chief, who has contributed more than 150 journal
articles, chapters
and textbooks to medical literature, maintains an active research
program with specific interests in surgical outcomes,
transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, brain protection
during surgery, and the development of bioengineered tissues for use
in congenital heart surgery. He currently serves as the National
Principal Investigator in a first of its kind multi-center pediatric
ventricular assist device trial to assess the safety and
effectiveness of the Berlin Heart Pediatric EXCOR® device. In 2002,
his team developed the first pediatric lung transplant program in
the Southwest, which has subsequently grown to be the nation’s
largest program of its kind.
“I am honored to be the next surgeon-in-chief of such a respected
surgery department,” said Fraser. “As surgeons, we have a
responsibility to provide our pediatric patients the highest level
of care. Building on the renowned multi-disciplinary strength of
Texas Children’s as an educational and research leader for pediatric
surgery, my vision is to grow our success nationally and globally.”
Fraser holds academic appointments as professor of surgery and
pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and adjunct professor of
bioengineering at Rice University. He also has joint clinical
appointments at the Texas Heart Institute and The University of
Texas at Houston.
A native of Midland, Texas, Fraser graduated with honors in
mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin and received his
medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in
Galveston, Texas. He was a resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Baltimore, Maryland, where he specialized in general, cardiothoracic
and thoracic transplant surgery. Fraser completed fellowships in
pediatric cardiac surgery at The Royal Children’s Hospital in
Melbourne, Australia, cardiac transplant research at The Johns
Hopkins Hospital, and cardiovascular surgery at the Texas Heart
Institute in Houston, Texas. In 1993, he joined the faculty at the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation. From there, he was recruited to Texas
Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.
About Texas Children’s Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy
children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education
and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough
developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children’s is
ranked in the top ten best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World
Report. Texas Children’s also operates the nation’s largest primary
pediatric care network, with more than 40 offices throughout the
greater Houston community. Texas Children’s has embarked on a $1.5
billion expansion, Vision 2010, which includes a comprehensive
neurological research institute, the formation of a maternity
center, and the development of the new West Campus, Texas Children’s
first pediatric hospital in a suburban setting. For more information
on Texas Children's Hospital, go to
www.texaschildrens.org.
Get the latest news from Texas Children’s Hospital by visiting the
online newsroom and on Twitter at
twitter.com/tch_news.
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