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t m c » p u l s e | m a y 2 0 1 6 36 36 ACCOLADES SUSAN M. BLANEY, M.D., deputy director of Texas Children's Cancer Center and professor and execu- tive vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics and vice president of clinical and translational research at Baylor College of Medicine, recently received the Pioneer Award for pediatric neuro-oncology from the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation. Blaney has extensive experience in clinical translational research with a focus on the development of new treatment strategies for children with brain tumors and other refractory cancers. AVERY CLOUD has been named vice president of innovation for the CHI Texas Division at CHI St. Luke's Health. Cloud previously served as CHI St. Luke's Regional Chief Information Officer. In this new role, Cloud leads CHI St. Luke's operations focused on technology and business innovation, IT strategic planning and execution, clinical engineer- ing, biomedical informatics, performance excel- lence, and continued integration. MICHAEL H. COVERT chief executive officer for CHI St. Luke's Health, has recently been elected to the Texas Hospital Association Board of Trustees. He took office Jan. 1 and will serve a two-year term. Covert was named to his current position with CHI St. Luke's Health System in 2014. Previously, he was president and CEO of Palomar Health in San Diego, California. LATOYA MASON, M.D., assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology, has been selected as one of the National Minority Quality Forum's 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health. The award recognizes the accomplishments of young professionals in the health care field and acknowledges their potential to continue impacting minority communities. Mason was also selected for one of Xavier University of Louisiana's 40 Under 40 Young Alumni Awards in Nov. 2015. LARRY L. MATHIS, retired president and chief executive officer of Houston Methodist Hospital System (now Houston Methodist), was inducted into the Healthcare Hall of Fame in Chicago. The award was established in 1988 at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, the first hospital in the country to recognize the men and women who dramatically impacted the future of health care. With this induc- tion, Mathis joins 100 other industry luminaries, including: Benjamin Franklin, Clara Barton, Senator Ted Kennedy, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. Denton Cooley and Dr. Mickey LeMaistre. SANKAR MITRA, PH.D., professor of radiation oncology at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, has been chosen by the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research (AAISCR) to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award. The AAISCR presents the award to an outstanding scientist who has made significant fundamental contributions to cancer research, including treatment, either through a single scientific discovery or a body of work. REBECCA RICHARDS-KORTUM, PH.D., the Malcolm Gillis University Professor at Rice University's Department of Bioengineering, has been presented with the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering's highest honor, the 2016 Pierre Galletti Award. Richards- Kortum, who is the first woman to receive this honor, was recognized for her global leadership and excep- tional innovation. Richards-Kortum directs both the Rice Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering and the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health. PEGGY SMITH, PH.D., director of the Baylor Teen Health Clinic, was named one of Houston's 50 Most Influential Women of 2015 by Houston Woman mag- azine. She was recognized for her commitment to community health care for vulnerable populations and for finding innovative approaches to improve outcomes for at-risk youth.