DRISCOLL CHILDREN’S PHYSICIAN RECOGNIZED BY
TEXAS SCHOOL NURSES ORGANIZATION
FOR CHILDHOOD OBESITY EFFORTS IN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

(Corpus Christi, TX) Driscoll Children's Hospital is honored to announce Pediatric Endocrinologist Stephen W. Ponder, M.D., C.D.E., has been acknowledged with a President’s Award from the Texas School Nurses Organization for his continued commitment of supporting the health of school-age children in Texas. The award was presented at the organization’s awards banquet held in Dallas, Texas in early November.

Dr. Ponder’s outstanding list of works in the school systems relating to childhood obesity is long and diverse. He has been a pioneer in developing identification and referral standards that assist in addressing the childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes issues in the state of Texas. This includes his early involvement in developing protocols for recognition and management of Acanthosis Nigricans and assisting in training school personnel on implementing the screening strategies. He also developed a video on diabetes in the school setting for every campus in Texas in conjunction with the Texas Lions Foundation. Dr. Ponder’s expert testimony on bills introduced in the last legislative session gave prudent advice and perspective in regards to school health issues.

“We need more physicians like Dr. Ponder throughout the state, to partner with the school nurses, in providing identification, early referral, and proper support and follow-through on this childhood obesity epidemic that has swept over our entire state,” says Cathy Harris, President-Elect of the Texas School Nurses Organization.

Currently, Dr. Ponder is Director of the Children’s Diabetes and Endocrine Center of South Texas at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, and President of the American Diabetes Association in Corpus Christi.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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