Pediatrics Honors, January 2026

Pediatric Nephrology and Hypertension Professor Rita D. Swinford, MD, has been named a Memorial Hermann Hospital Distinguished Physician for 2025. Distinguished Physicians are physicians who have spent the majority of their professional careers at Memorial Hermann-TMC/Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and made significant contributions to the Hospitals during that time. Dr. Swinford will be formally awarded this honor at the Annual Medical Staff Meeting.

 

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Staff Physician Amy Tsai, MD, was awarded the 2025 Physician of the Year at Memorial Hermann Memorial City.

 

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Robyn Garner, NNP, (pictured above, center), was recognized as a Houston Rockets Community MVP at the Memorial Hermann Memorial City NICU. She will be honored officially at a game this spring.

 

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Andrea Ramirez Varela, MD, PhD, MPH, (pictured above), was honored with the Global Leader in Physical Activity Award by the Ministry of Sports in her home country of Colombia.

 

Child and Adolescent Neurology Professor Mary Kay Koenig, MD, received a grant from the POLG Foundation for her pioneering project: POLG Patients in Crisis — Collating Medical Knowledge and Creating Resources to Achieve Improvement in Patient Outcomes, Creating a POLG Crisis Response Database.

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