Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics

Genetics - Clinics

The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston is dedicated to improving the health and welfare of all infants, children, and adolescents.


Craniofacial/Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic

The clinic meets once per month all day (third Monday) at the UTPB (across the street from the Medical School and Hospital) in Suite 1400.  The MGR/F will join a multidisciplinary team including plastic surgeons, dentist, orthodontic specialists, nutrition, speech pathology, and general pediatrician.  Dr. Jacqueline Hecht is a regular participant in this clinic.  She has performed research for many years on CLP searching for susceptibility genes.  In addition to CLP, patients with a number of other genetic conditions are referred to this clinic [i.e. various craniosynostoses (Apert syndrome, Pfeiffer syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, Saethre-Chotzen syndrome), Goldenhar syndrome, Stickler syndrome, etc.]

Hemophilia/Thrombophilia Clinic

The clinic meets weekly on Wednesday afternoons at the UTPB.  The MGR/Fs will join a multidisciplinary team including hematologists, nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants, and a social worker.  Aimee Williams, MS, CGC, has been involved with the clinic since 1997 and is an expert concerning these disorders.  Patients referred to the clinic include those affected by hemophilia A and B and von Willebrand disease (VWD) as well as many rarer hemophilias/thrombophilias.

Shriners Hospital Metabolic (Rickets) Clinic

The clinic meets once per month on the fourth Friday afternoon at SHOPC.  The MGR/Fs will join a multidisciplinary team that includes Barbara Dominguez, BSN, Genetics Nurse Specialist, Dr. Patrick Brosnan, pediatric endocrinologist, and Dr. Byron York, pediatric orthopedist.  The Rickets Clinic is one of the largest clinics in the nation focusing on rickets.  The most common type of rickets is the X-linked hypophosphatemic variety providing an excellent clinical example of an X-linked dominant condition with variable phenotype.

Shriners Hospital Cerebral Palsy (CP) Clinic

The clinic meets 2-3 half days/week at SHOPC.  The schedule is published on a monthly basis and will be provided to the MGR/Fs for planning their attendance.  The CP Clinic is staffed by a variety of orthopedic surgeons at Shriners Hospital as well as support staff including nurses, physical therapists, social workers, etc.  The CP Clinic, like CHOSEN Clinic described above, includes many patients who have underlying genetic diagnoses.  It provides the MGR/Fs with an opportunity to learn to distinguish multiply handicapped patients with genetic versus non-genetic etiologies for their problems.  It also provides an opportunity to learn about obtaining resources for patients and working within a system.

Shriners Hospital Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) Clinic

The clinic meets once per month on the fourth Friday afternoon at SHOPC.  The MGR/Fs will join a team of orthopedic surgeons and support staff.  The OI patients will provide the opportunity to learn about a single gene disorder with extreme variability in phenotype.  With the recent innovation of therapy for OI, the MGR/Fs will also have the opportunity to learn about how some genetic diseases can be effectively treated.

Shriners Hospital Spina Bifida Meningomyelocoele (SBMM) Clinic

The clinic meets once per month all day on the third Friday at SHOPC.  The MGR/Fs will join a team including orthopedic surgeons, pediatric urology, pediatric neurosurgery and support staff.  The MGR/Fs will learn about the multitude of problems faced by individuals affected with one of the most common complex birth defects.  As we have learned through the increased longevity of SBMM patients after the advent of surgical intervention in the 1960s, the problems of SBMM extend beyond the typically associated physical handicaps of ambulation and bowel/bladder control to include learning deficits hampering the ability to integrate into society.  Working with specialists from diverse specialties such as neurosurgery and urology reinforce the concepts of teamwork for approaching difficult care issues and utilization of resources.

Shriners Hospital Arthrogryposis Clinic

The clinic is held all day on the fourth Monday of each month at SHOPC.  The MGR/F will join a team of orthopedic surgeons and support staff.  The clinic includes all patients with a non-specific diagnosis of “arthrogryposis”.  Examples of various diagnoses of patients referred to the clinic include arthrogryposis multiplex congenital (AMC), Escobar syndrome and multiple pterygium syndrome.  The MGF will learn about the different diagnoses include in this broad descriptive category and how to distinguish genetic versus non-genetic diagnoses. 

Shriners Hospital Screening (General) Clinic

The clinic meets 1-2 times each month all day on Thursday at SHOPC.  At this clinic triaging occurs for new patients in the Shriners Hospital system. Individuals from all the different clinics including Genetics Clinic participate.  Patients are assigned all of their appointments to the different specialty clinics at Shriners Hospital.  Attendance at this clinic should aid the MGR/Fs in honing skills to determine whether a patients’ constellation of symptoms merits genetic referral and work-up.