Price Transparency
Get to Know our Staff: Hillary Verver, Orthopedics

Get to Know our Staff: Hillary Verver, Orthopedics

by | Jan 17, 2022 | Spotlight

What is your job title/your role at Scottish Rite for Children?  
Graduate Medical Education/Continuing Medical Education (GME/CME) Coordinator

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
I just joined the staff here, but I will be overseeing the journey that we are about to embark into becoming a Texas Medical Association CME Accredited Institution. I also will assist with Graduate Medical Education, specifically helping with student/observers, orthopedic and rheumatology residents and fellows.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here?
My first job in health care was a nursing administrative assistant to a medical surgical nursing director. I eventually worked my way into nursing education, and then expanded into GME. I am passionate about providing a special experience in every connection I make. Being able to provide efficient service and coordinate educational opportunities for our health care providers is a way I contribute to the excellent patient care they are able to deliver. 

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
The culture here. Everyone I have met has been so exceptional! My HR recruiter, my new coworkers, our volunteers and security officers — everyone has been very welcoming. 

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know.
It is somewhat a new role, at least the CME side of things. Currently, we work with another institution to provide CME credit. But once we go through the TMA accreditation process, we can offer CME on our own and possibly have more opportunities to offer CME to our providers.

What do you wish you knew more about?
I can’t wait to learn more about the fellowships offered here, as well as seeing a fellow through the complete process.

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been?
The most interesting place I’ve been to is Venice, Italy. I enjoyed the rich culture and history it has to offer, and it was truly amazing to see how flooded the city gets when it rains!

What would you rate 10 / 10?
Work related – Microsoft Office 365. I absolutely love being able to work with such up-to-date software, this should not be taken for granted! Fun related – Sprinkles Cupcakes. BEST. CUPCAKES. EVER!

Is there anything that are you looking forward to in 2022?
The journey of accreditation! 

Doctors Travel to Israel for International Pediatric Orthopedic Conference

Doctors Travel to Israel for International Pediatric Orthopedic Conference

by | Apr 5, 2019 | Research & Innovation

Doctors from the hospital are attending the 38th annual European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS) meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel. EPOS is an international association comprised of over 500 surgeons from across the world. This four-day conference allows members to discuss research and collaborate on latest treatment techniques to ultimately advance the quality of care for children with orthopedic conditions.

As active members of EPOS, hospital staff attend and participate throughout this international meeting each year. Several are in attendance, along with past fellows, presenting the hospital’s original research. Below are the projects being presented:

  • Can real time monitoring with a controlled advancement drill decrease plunge depth?
  • Metaphyseal fracture displacement is predictive of intra-articular diastasis in adolescent triplane ankle fractures
  • Gait analysis in children with proximal femoral focal deficiency

In addition to these research presentations, surgeons from Scottish Rite Hospital are directing the first ever web-based joint educational endeavor between EPOS and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). During this symposium, entitled “Across the Pond: International Differences in Pediatric Orthopaedic Trauma Management,” staff and former fellows from the hospital will discuss and debate current trauma treatment strategies with a panel of European trauma specialists. The debate will be recorded at the EPOS meeting and broadcast worldwide.

Pediatric orthopedic surgeon and director of resident education Anthony I. Riccio, M.D., is one of the hospital’s key representatives for EPOS. “As doctors and leaders within pediatric orthopedics, we have a responsibility to conduct research in order to better understand and find innovative techniques for treating complex conditions,” says Riccio. “It is an honor to travel the world to share our expertise and have the opportunity to both educate and learn from other specialists. Not only does this advance how we care for our patients here in Texas, but it evolves the treatment for pediatric orthopedic patients across the globe.”

Learn more about the hospital’s research.

Scottish Rite Hospital Doctors Make Friendly Competition out of Dallas Marathon

Scottish Rite Hospital Doctors Make Friendly Competition out of Dallas Marathon

by | Dec 8, 2017 | General News, Press Coverage

It’s part tradition, part friendly competition: Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children’s faculty vs. fellows.

Teams of five will relay the 26.2-mile BMW Dallas Marathon on Sunday.

“There’s a fellow team every year made up of fellows who are training to become specialists in pediatric orthopedic surgery, and they compete every year against the faculty and staff who are their educators and mentors,” said orthopedic surgeon Anthony Riccio. 

Back in the day, Dr. Riccio ran on the fellows team. Since then, things have changed.

“Since 2010 I’ve been faculty, and now of course I’ve switched allegiances and run with the staff,” he said.

Their competition dates back at least 20 years that they know of, and almost every year, guess who’s come out on top? To see the full story, watch here. 

Dallas Morning News: Bragging rights on the line during next month’s BMW Dallas Marathon

Dallas Morning News: Bragging rights on the line during next month’s BMW Dallas Marathon

by | Nov 25, 2017 | Events, Press Coverage

Read original story here.

Lorena Floccari hopes she and her four Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children co-Fellows can halt a 13-year losing streak against the hospital’s orthopedic staff in a deep-rooted competition involving next month’s BMW Dallas Marathon.

This marks the 20th year that the staff and its Dorothy and Bryan Edwards Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopedics and Scoliosis recipients have fielded five-person relay teams. The Cox School of Business Relays are held in conjunction with the Dec. 10 marathon and half marathon.

“It’s grown to be an expectation,” said the hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Dan Sucato, one of the staff relay members. “The camaraderie it engenders is really strong. It allows people to come together under the guise of competition. It’s all about generating enthusiasm and support for the hospital, the community and the marathon.”

The hospital, the primary race beneficiary, has received $4 million from the marathon since the partnership began in 1997.

Each August, the hospital welcomes its five Fellows to work alongside its attending staff and to participate in extracurricular activities. Floccari remembers learning about the marathon relay while interviewing as a fourth-year resident at the Mayo Clinic. She said opportunities to bond with the staff and the other Fellows through such events helped persuade her to accept the Dallas fellowship.

“There’s more of a community feel here than any other program,” she said following a training run at the hospital. “It sets you up well for everything to come when you have these relationships with your mentors.”

The Fellows have beaten the staff only once, back in 2002. That year, one of the Fellows was a former Navy SEAL. He rallied the group, which consisted of numerous other athletes including an ultramarathoner, a former NCAA Division I soccer player, a college baseball player and a woman who was an Olympic hammer throw participant, recalled Dr. Tony Riccio, the staff team captain.

There were a few years the Fellows should have won, according to lore, such as the year the staff used a ringer or in 2005, when one of the Fellows needed a ride to the relay exchange location. The staff member responsible was late, and the Fellows lost a big lead.

The 2017-18 Fellows, who range in age from about 28 to 32, are all athletes. Dustin Greenhill, an All-American gymnast at West Point, started running while serving in the Army. Jeff Peck, a four-sport high school athlete who played intramurals at Northwestern, has run the 12-person, 200-mile Hood to Coast relay multiple times. Surya Mundluru played NCAA Division I tennis at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Ian “Corky” Corcoran-Schwartz played baseball and rugby at Johns Hopkins.

And then there’s Floccari, a former pitcher for the Saint Louis University softball team, who has completed several half marathons.

Most of the staff’s team members, who range in age from about 40 to 68, were former Fellows, and they have run the relay many times, said Dr. Riccio, a staff orthopedic surgeon and avid cross fitter. Dr. Sucato participated as a staff member the first year of the competition.

Others include Dr. Philip Wilson, assistant chief of staff and director of the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine, who competes in cutting horse events; Dr. John Birch, assistant chief of staff smeritus, an avid soccer player and long-distance runner; and Dr. Henry Ellis, a staff orthopedic surgeon and competitive skier, who has worked as a physician for the U.S. Olympic Ski Team.

Floccari said she and her co-Fellows have become more focused as race day approaches.

“We weren’t taking it as seriously until we found out the history and that the staff wins every year,” she said. “We’ve been ramping up our training. We’ve been doing some strategizing.”

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children: Patient Care, Education & Research

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children: Patient Care, Education & Research

by | Aug 5, 2016 | General News, Research & Innovation

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children opened its doors in 1921 and over the last 95 years it has become one of the top pediatric orthopedic hospitals in the country. At the core of our mission are three main pillars: patient care, research and education. The outstanding patient care provided at the hospital is shown each and every day through the interactions our medical staff has with all of our patients and families. The research conducted is designed to treat the entire child and his/her specific needs. The hospital is the training ground for the next generation of world-class pediatric orthopedic physicians through the fellowship program. It is the superior patient care, the groundbreaking research and education of physicians that makes Scottish Rite Hospital such a special place.

Scottish Rite Hospital is a unique institution because of its many resources when it comes to innovation and research. The success of the hospital and its top-of-the-line patient care is closely tied to the collaborative relationship with UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). All of our medical staff hold faculty appointments in various departments at UTSW, including Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatrics. It is a strong, working relationship in which Scottish Rite Hospital has become one of the top research institutions in pediatric orthopedics. The research at Scottish Rite Hospital is regulated by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UTSW, which serves as the governing body for over 100 of our clinical research studies. Additionally, Scottish Rite Hospital welcomes several UTSW orthopedic residents to complete pediatric rotations throughout the year. These residents work closely with our medical staff and research department to gain experience both hands-on in clinic and surgery, as well as with various research studies.

Scottish Rite Hospital is internationally known as a premier research and teaching hospital. Since research is at the forefront of providing the best patient care, it is necessary to have an environment where learning is ongoing and teaching is an everyday practice. The hospital provides several areas for medical staff, fellows, residents and all other staff to continue their education through weekly/monthly conferences, symposiums, visiting professorships and much more. An extraordinary aspect of Scottish Rite Hospital is the Dorothy and Bryant Edwards Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopedics and Scoliosis.

This program provides the fellows an opportunity to work with some of the most experienced pediatric orthopedic staff in the country. The yearlong fellowship includes becoming a member of the patient care team, high-level surgical experience and the opportunity to work closely with the research team on a topic of their choice. Even through the fellowship, research is at the core of the curriculum. The fellows are required to complete at least one scientific manuscript at Scottish Rite Hospital and will have the opportunity to present their work at the annual Brandon Carrell Visiting Professorship. This conference, hosted by the hospital, is an annual course designed for pediatric orthopedic surgeons and others with an interest in pediatric orthopedic practices to keep up to date on the latest in groundbreaking research. The hospital welcomes a visiting professor each year, along with other medical professionals, who will present on their current research projects. It is another opportunity for our medical staff to discuss and debate various techniques, which facilitates ongoing education for all.

Fellowship Programs:

  • Dorothy and Bryant Edwards Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopedics and Scoliosis
  • John and Ellen McStay International Fellowship
  • John S. Appleton Fellowship in Spine Research
  • Ray Lawson, M.D., International Pediatric Spine Research Fellowship
  • C. and Eleanor M. Garison Fellowship in Hand and Upper Limb Treatment

It is through our strong relationship with UT Southwestern Medical Center, accompanied by the continuous learning environment, which has established Scottish Rite Hospital as a leading research institution for pediatric orthopedics. Research continues to be the engine that drives important clinical decision-making to improve the care by finding new and better techniques to treat our patients.