ACP South Texas

About our Sponsor and Host: Texas Children's Hospital, located in Houston, Texas, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research. We are proud to be consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation.

About our Speaker: Dr. Brent D. Kaziny obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at Duke University, majoring in both Biology and Philosophy. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences where he completed a Masters of Arts in Philosophy. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Texas - Houston, School of Medicine.

Dr. Kaziny started his pediatric intern year at Tulane University, where he received the Hurricane Katrina Code Grey Hero Award for his efforts caring for patients and assisting with the evacuation of Tulane Hospital during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His experience during Hurricane Katrina ignited his interest in pediatric disaster preparedness.

After completing his intern year, Dr. Kaziny transferred to Baylor College of Medicine, where he completed his residency training in general pediatrics. At Baylor College of Medicine he was involved in a number of preparedness initiatives including review of the patients cared for at the Reliant Stadium shelter and work on the creation of shelters for individuals with functional access needs.

Dr. Kaziny completed his fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. While in fellowship, Dr. Kaziny served as a team physician for the State of Utah’s Pediatric Strike Team, a pediatric specific disaster response team, and as the American Academy of Pediatrics’ State disaster contact. He was also able to complete a variety of training programs in topics ranging from incident command to radiation emergencies and toxic chemical treatment.

Upon completing fellowship, Dr. Kaziny took a position as an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. He has served as a subject matter expert on the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services curriculum development team for FEMA’s Pediatric Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness Course, continues to serve as adjunct faculty teaching the course across the country, and is the current Medical Director for the course.

At Texas Children’s Hospital Dr. Kaziny works in the Emergency Center, is Director of All Hazards Preparedness and Response for the Section of Emergency Medicine, and serves as the Medical Director of the Emergency Management Committee. As Medical Director of the Emergency Management Committee, he fills the role of Chief Medical Officer under the Incident Command Structure.

Dr. Kaziny was also an instrumental team member in the training of hundreds of health care workers in the use of personal protective equipment during the Ebola outbreak of 2014. This work led to his involvement in the creation and development of Texas Children’s Hospital’s Special Isolation Unit, an 8-bed pediatric-specific bio containment unit.

Regionally, he serves as a member of the board of directors for the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, working to continue to improve the region’s readiness efforts. He also serves as Texas’s State Disaster Contact for the American Academy of Pediatrics and as the Disaster Advisor for the State of Texas EMSC State Partnership Advisory Council. He is the Co-Chair of the Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine for the Texas Pediatric Society.

On a national level, he serves as Disaster Preparedness Director of the Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovations and Improvement Center (EMSC EIIC). In this role, he interfaces with a number of national organizations working to improve the care of children in disasters. This work includes, but is not limited to, sitting on a number of expert panels. He is also an executive member of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition.

Ever since his first exposure to disaster work, during his first months as a physician in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Kaziny has devoted much of his career to working to improve the care of children in disasters of all types. He continues this work on many levels as described above, hoping to improve his institution’s response to local man-made and natural disasters, but also hoping to affect change on a regional and national level as well.