Staff Expertise Makes the Difference

Since the Shriners Hospitals for Children® specializing in treating burns opened in the mid-1960s, the health care system has provided care for more than 50,000 patients with burn injuries.

One reason Shriners Hospitals for Children® is known world-wide as a leader in burn care is the excellence and expertise of the health care system’s staff. The medical staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children® is renowned for their expertise in critical care, particularly in techniques that may help save the life of a patient with severe burn injuries. These techniques include fluid resuscitation, early excision and skin grafting, and management of increased metabolism. The interdisciplinary methods used by the staff of Shriners Hospitals for Children® ensure each patient receives complete, individualized care.

Two examples of staff who are leading the way in the field of burn care are Oscar Suman, Ph.D. and Robert Sheridan, M.D.

Oscar Suman, Ph.D.

Oscar Suman, Ph.D., is an exercise physiologist and director of the Children’s Exercise and Wellness Center at Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Galveston and associate professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In January he was honored for his work in helping children recover from burns by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony. Dr. Suman was one of 100 researchers selected to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor given by the government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their careers.

“It is an extremely great honor to be nationally recognized for the work we do at the Shriners Hospital in Galveston,” said Dr. Suman. “It is a reflection of the great work and dedication that our Galveston staff and faculty exhibit daily. I hope to be able to continue to devote my life to burn care research.”

Robert Sheridan, M.D.

Robert Sheridan, M.D., assistant chief of staff of Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Boston currently serves as the president of the American Burn Association, a premier national organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with burn injuries.

In addition, Dr. Sheridan is co-director of the Sumner Redstone Adult Burn Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sheridan is certified in surgery and surgical critical care and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Chest Physicians and American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

Several other Shriners Hospitals for Children® medical staff members serve on the boards of trustees of the ABA and the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, a national organization dedicated to empowering burn survivors through support programs, education and advocacy.

The expertise and dedication of the medical staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children® is just another part of what allows the health care system to change the world through caring for kids every day.