UTMB Newsroom

 Change magazine, September 2008

UTMB’s Dr. Jason Glenn, an assistant professor in the Institute for the Medical Humanities, wrote an article about a new program, Sobriety High, Inc., a new, local non-profit organization that will offer community re-entry services in Galveston for men with a history of substance abuse who are released from the TDCJ. The program’s board of directors includes health science researchers from UTMB as well as Galveston clergy, community service organizations and ex-offenders.

  Science Daily, Sept. 3, 2008UTMB’s Robert Davey, senior author of a new study that could lead to a breakthrough in the fight against the ebola virus, is quoted in this article. “The nice part about identifying entry mechanisms is you can prevent the virus from infecting the cell,” Davey said. “You can stop the whole show before it even gets started.”  

Another version of the article appears in the Galveston County Daily News. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=41e74ae9a5f1f94e 

 And the study is posted in the Public Library of Science - Pathogens. http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000141

 Houston Chronicle, Sept. 4, 2008

This weekly compilation of UTMB news briefs is published every Thursday in the Clear Lake/Bay Area section of the Houston Chronicle. Today’s featured news briefs include a promising universal influenza vaccine study headed by Dr. Christine Turley; a $50,000 donation to the Blocker Burn Unit expansion from Marathon Oil. Corp.; the Southeast Texas Poison Center staff participated in a GISD back to school fair ; and UTMB’s Kathryn Cunningham of the Center for Addiction Research accepting the 2008 Lone Star Award on behalf of the center from the Association of Substance Abuse Programs. No link available.

 

Galveston County Daily News, Sept. 4, 2008

This article about the United Way 2008 fundraising campaign mentions the Teen Health Center, a program started by UTMB and staffed by UTMB physicians and nurses. “It’s a phenomenal program,” said Elizabeth White, director of the Mainland Communities United Way.

  Galveston County Daily News, Sept. 3, 2008

In their Keeping Kids Healthy column, UTMB’s Drs. Sally Robinson and Keith Bly offer advice on how to avoid being stung by jellyfish or a stingray and how to treat children if they are attacked. “To protect your little one’s feet from jellyfish and stingrays, it’s always a good idea to encourage your children to wear shoes when walking on the beach. We even recommend that they wear water shoes when swimming. This will not only protect them if they step on a jellyfish but will guard them against broken glass and any other debris.”

 Galveston County Daily News, Sept. 3, 2008

UTMB’s Karen Sexton is quoted in this article in which she says that UTMB is taking measures to reduce costs and become more financially efficient. “Layoffs are difficult and used as a last resort but are very necessary for business,” she said. Despite the changes, Sexton said the medical branch, the county’s largest employer, was doing well and was focused on the future.

 Galveston County Daily News, Aug. 31, 2008

This article about the renovation at the Children’s Hospital quotes UTMB’s Karen Sexton. “Kids, even when they’re sick, are resilient; they’re upbeat and hopeful and we wanted to give them that kind of environment.”

 Dallas Morning News, Sept. 2, 2008

This article explaining shingles quotes UTMB’s Dr. Martin Myers. “The older you are, the more likely you are to get shingles,” Myers says. “As people pass the age of 60, the risk of developing shingles goes up with each decade.”

 Reuters Health, Sept. 1, 2008

UTMB’s Dr. Michael H. Malloy has published a study on how Cesarean section seems to improve the survival of most infants delivered prematurely (at 22 to 25 weeks of pregnancy, instead of 40 weeks). “Although the choice of cesarean section for the most immature of these infants may offer survival advantages, consideration of the neurodevelopmental risks associated with survival at this early age and consideration of the maternal costs of cesarean section also must be taken into account.”  The study can be found in the August 2008 issue of Pediatrics. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/122/2/285

 Galveston County Daily News, Sept. 2, 2008

UTMB’s Dr. Michael Warren in his weekly column says that patients should be knowledgeable about his or her body and health problems in order to better communicate with a doctor. “I’m not suggesting everyone goes to medical school and becomes a doctor, but I am suggesting that, when it’s your health at stake, making the effort to get explanations and to understand that what is happening is to your advantage.”