PH CARE CENTERS
Children’s Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Texas Children’s Hospital
The Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Texas Children’s Hospital is a PHA-accredited Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center in Houston, Texas.
6701 Fannin Street
9th Floor
Houston, Texas 77030
Web: https://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/pulmonary-hypertension
PH Program Physicians
- Nidhy Varghese, MD (Director)
- George Mallory, MD
- Corey Chartan, MD
- Ryan Coleman, MD
- Fadel Ruiz, MD
Center Coordinator
- Erin Ely, B.S.N., RN, CPN
History
Texas Children’s Hospital is a nearly 600 bed pediatric hospital system providing specialty healthcare services to patients, including pulmonology and cardiology. The Texas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension program, which began in 2001, is led by Program Director Nidhy Varghese, MD and Clinical Coordinator Erin Ely. The program has a medical infrastructure of three pulmonologists, two dedicated intensive care physicians, a clinical pharmacy specialist and a dedicated pulmonary fellow. The PH service manages patients throughout hospital but mainly in the intensive care units, with consultation from cardiology, critical care medicine and neonatology. Texas Children’s PH program is well-versed with all classes of PH treatments and is involved in clinical research.
PH Program Physicians
- Nidhy Varghese, MD (Director)
- George Mallory, MD
- Corey Chartan, MD
- Ryan Coleman, MD
- Fadel Ruiz, MD
Center Coordinator
- Erin Ely, B.S.N., RN, CPN
Duration of Program’s Existence
- Since 2001
Number of PAH Patients Being Actively Managed
- 150-200
Number of Patients on IV/SQ Therapy
- 30-39
Support Services Available
- Anticoagulation Services
- Cardiac Anesthesia
- Central Line Placement and Repair
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Dietary/Nutrition
- Lung Transplant Program
- On-Call Pulmonary/Cardiology Service (24/7)
- Palliative Care
- Pulmonary/Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE)
- Rheumatology
- Social Work
Nidhy P. Varghese, M.D., FAAP
Board Certifications
- Pediatrics
- Pediatric Pulmonology
Education
- 2004 – MD – Albany Medical College, Albany, N.Y.
- 2001 – BS – Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
- Seven-Year Accelerated B.S.-M.D. Program
Postgraduate Training
- 2007-2010 – Clinical Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pediatric Pulmonology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas
- 2005-2007 – Residency, Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
- 2004-2005 – Internship, Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Current Faculty Appointments
- 2011-Present – Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pulmonology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Current Hospital and Administrative Appointments
- 2016-Present – Director, Texas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Publications
- Click here for recent pulmonary hypertension publications by Dr. Varghese.
Erin Ely, B.S.N., RN, CPN
Professional Credentials
- Registered Nurse
Education
- 2007 – BSN – University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- 2001 – BA – University of Houston
Anthropology and Minor in English
Current Professional Experience
- 2015-present – Clinical Program Coordinator, Pulmonary Hypertension, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas
New and established patients interested in making an appointment with the Texas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program can do so by contacting the number below. To ensure referral completeness, the program requests that referrals are made by a physician (primary care or subspecialty):
- Telephone: (832) 822-3300
Parents wishing to have their children evaluated by the Texas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program should work with their physician to gather the following information:
- Referral form
- Clinical information, such as office notes, echocardiograms, cardiac catheterization results
- Results of imaging and relevant labs
This information can be faxed to (832) 825-3308, Attention Pulmonary Hypertension Coordinator. If you have general questions about the referral process, please call (832) 822-3300.