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Our Team
Division Chief
As the inaugural Division Chief of Palliative Care at Texas Children’s Hospital, I see the fundamental importance of treating distressing symptoms experienced by children and parents, understanding how parents, patients and care providers make medical decisions as disease changes, finding the best… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
Attending Physicians
Dr. Casas' passion for alleviating suffering and improving quality of life in seriously ill children guides her career goals that include integrating her work as a physician with quality improvement science to help drive institutional change. She strives to help other medical professionals become… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
I believe in a patient and family-centered model of clinical care and rely on an interdisciplinary team to deliver care that is holistic so that every child’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs are addressed. In an effort to provide the highestquality care, I have pursued specialized… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
As a dual trained critical care and palliative care physician, I am dedicated to a holistic approach to medicine that includes high quality, patient and family centered care. I am passionate about primary palliative care education, debriefing and physician wellness.
Clinical Interests:… read more
Phone: 832-826-6230 (Critical Care) | 832-822-2778 (Palliative Care)
I am a dual-trained physician in pediatric rehabilitation medicine and palliative care. I am committed to providing my patients with high quality and evidence-based care that is also compassionate and patient and family-centered. Having lived and experienced medical education in a few different… read more
Phone: 832-822-1620 (PM&R) | 832-822-7228 (Palliative Care) | 713-839-0164 (Bellaire)
No child or family should suffer needlessly as a result of their medical conditions.
Clinical Interests
Pain and Symptom Management, Ethics, Shared Medical Decision Making
Research Interests
Pain Management, Bereavement, Narrative Medicine
Phone: 832-822-7228
Dr. Matthew McEvoy completed his pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship training in 2021. He then completed additional fellowship training in pediatric solid tumors (2022) and pediatric palliative care (2023).
As clinical faculty, he is dual-appointed to two divisions: (1) Hematology-Oncology,… read more
Phone: 832-822-4618
I am a pediatric intensivist also certified in Palliative Medicine, which focuses on the care of seriously ill children, their families, and their medical teams. It is a privilege to provide direct care to these children and families as part of an outstanding multidisciplinary team, and to support… read more
Phone: 832-824-1000 (Critical Care) | 832-822-7228 (Palliative Care)
As a physician who treats children with medical complexity and children in need of palliative care, I am committed to supporting my patients and their families through their unique challenges and providing care that improves my patients’ quality of life.
Clinical Interests:
Care of the medically… read more
Phone: 832-822-3436
I believe that every child deserves thoughtful, compassionate, person-centered healthcare.
Clinical Interests:
Communication, pain symptom management, and shared decision making.
Research Interests:
Medical education, communication, public understanding of healthcare.
Phone: 832-822-7228
I believe each child and family deserves holistic and personalized care. I love working with an interdisciplinary team to ensure that physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs are addressed as we walk with families facing serious illnesses.
I am also an ethicist, and seek to support patients… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
Palliative Care Nursing
I am passionate about ensuring that every patient and their family has equal access to high-quality, culturally sensitive, and compassionate palliative care. I am also committed to debunking the myths associated with palliative care, in order to facilitate proper utilization of our team and the… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
Melody Hellsten is an experienced pediatric oncology and pediatric hospice nurse practitioner who has been board certified as a hospice and pediatric palliative care nurse. She specializes in pediatric palliative care and is a member of the Palliative Care Program at Texas Children's Hospital.… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
I am passionate about providing comfort and enhancing quality of life for children with chronic and life limiting conditions. I enjoy working in two sections that allow me to focus on helping children live better for longer.
Clinical Interests:
I like teaching effective communication skills for… read more
Phone: 346-257-9942 (Direct Line) | 832-822-7228 (Clinic)
My goal is to continue to advance the field of pediatric palliative care. My passion is to lessen the burden for these children and their families through a holistic approach. Pain and symptom management is essential for the best quality of life during acute and chronic illnesses, and I am honored… read more
Phone: 832-822-5519 (Clinic) | 832-822-7228 (Direct Line)
Empowering patients and families by embracing a compassionate approach. I advocate and provide support by, utilizing education to assist with the decision making process of goals of care and help with the navigation of palliative and community resources. I value patient- family centered care,… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
Supporting an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to pain and symptom management is one of the cornerstones to good pediatric palliative care. As a nurse practitioner I see my role as a clinician and educator in managing pain and other distressing symptoms during the course of a child’s illness… read more
Phone: 832-826-8047
Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Team
My care for patients and their families begins with remembering that all families have unique cultures, views, and perspectives. It is essential to meet people where they are with an open mind. Families deserve quality care, and it all starts with building rapport and trust. It is my honor to work… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
My goal as a social worker is to establish close relationships with patients and their family members based on trust, compassion, and open communication. I recognize that all families have individual values and experiences that should be taken into careful consideration during hospitalization and… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228 (Clinic) | 832-824-9349 (Direct Line)
Shannon Barnes, LMSW has been a social worker since 2007 and has worked with patients of every age and stage in life. Her most recent experience includes working with patients and families in the PICU at Texas Children’s hospital prior to joining the Palliative Care Team. The most important thing… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
My practice is driven by two core social work values: recognizing the dignity and worth of each person and emphasizing the importance of human relationships. I approach each patient holistically with consideration of their unique family systems to better understand their quality of life goals. My… read more
Phone: 832-822-7228
Joseph Magallanes is a compassionate grief counselor located in Houston, TX. His training is in Counseling and Guidance from Texas A&M University - San Antonio where he obtained his Master’s degree in 2018. During his training, Joseph completed a two-term internship with the Children’s… read more
Phone: 832-824-9338
My philosophy of care starts at desperately wanting patients’ voices to be heard. Within the hospital context, it is easy to feel unheard and overlooked. In my role as a chaplain, I try to close that gap. I value the art of helping others process their emotions and spirituality and how it informs… read more
Phone: 832-826-8098
Palliative Care Administration
Ebony Friese-Green
Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
Phone: 832-822-7228
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
Phone: 832-822-7228
Research
My focus is on providing patient-centered care of the highest quality. I am dedicated to delivering exceptional health care, and I believe in treating each individual with empathy, respect, and personalized attention, with the aim of enhancing their overall well-being. Through open communication,… read more
Phone: 832-824-9348
Stay open minded, be empathetic and never forget that the patient is a person. Always be willing to learn.
Clinical Interests:
Holistic care, preventative medicine, symptom management
Research Interests:
Improving quality of care, disparities in health care, provider wellness
Phone: 832-824-9339
All people deserve access to quality medical care and to be treated as experts in their own health and experience. I support collaboration over competition. I enjoy working on an interdisciplinary team that houses various open minds in order to facilitate intricate problem-solving.
Clinical… read more
Phone: 832-824-7781