Research at UTMB is often multidisciplinary, with basic scientists, clinicians, faculty and students from all areas of medicine working together to share information, facilities and other resources. Faculty members and students in nursing and the allied health sciences also conduct research in their specialties. In addition, a series of multidisciplinary research centers of excellence address cancer, environmental toxicology, structural biology, molecular sciences, aging and molecular cardiology.

Research and current patient care are supported by sophisticated equipment and innovative treatment techniques, such as a magnetic resonance imager, laser devices, extensive computer networks, intraoperative radiation therapy, replantation surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, and trans-esophageal echocardiography.

Biomedical research at UTMB delves into a broad range of promising topics that often have immediate application to patient care. Current areas of investigation include new and resurgent infections, tropical diseases, neuroscience and human behavior, and burns and wound healing, to name a few.

UTMB’s standing as an international leader in research is reflected in the presence of four World Health Organization collaborating centers on the campus. As home of the annual National Student Research Forum, founded at UTMB in 1960 and the only competition of its type, the university also plays a pivotal role in the support and education of the nation’s future scientific leaders.