UTMB Newsroom

 Clinical Lab Products, Aug. 27, 2008

This Reuters article quotes UTMB’s Dr. Alexander G. Duarte who oversaw a study that determined that the cough reflex returns after a person receives a lung transplant.  “After lung transplantation, restoration of sensory function of the previously denervated airway represents dynamic changes in the structure and function of the airways months to years after the initial injury,” Alexander said. “Thus, the airways have the capacity to repair themselves and reestablish function months after the initial injury.” The study has been published in Chest, a publication of the American College of Chest Physicians.

 HealthLeaders Magazine, August 2008

UTMB’s Mike Hill is quoted in this article about how hospitals across the nation are dealing with the increasing number of patients who do not have medical insurance.  In the article, Hill talks about the Demand and Access Management program. “We tried to take as many unsponsored patients as we could for as long as we were able, but it has gotten to the point where he have had to make a determination about how to proceed,” says Hill. The group’s decision about whether to take on a patient, however, is always clinically based, he adds. “We log consults and pass that log onto the physicians who determine whether they can or need to see the patient based on clinical data and allocation.”

 Hispanic Business Magazine, Aug. 28, 2008

UTMB’s School of Medicine is No. 7 in the nation in the magazine’s annual ranking of medical schools.

 GlobeSt.com, Aug. 28, 2008

This article on a real estate Web site is about UTMB’s recent purchase of 29 acres that is adjacent to the land upon which a specialty center just off Interstate 45 in League City is to be built.

 GALVESTON, Texas - Several members of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the Southeast Texas Poison Center participated in the Galveston Independent School District’s back to school fair held on Aug. 15 at the Galveston Island Convention Center. (more)

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 Galveston County Daily News, Aug. 27, 2008

In their Keeping Kids Healthy column, UTMB’s Drs. Sally Robinson and Keith Bly, taking note of the death of two children in the Houston area who were left in a car, caution that it’s never safe, even on a relatively mild day, to leave a child unattended in a car. “None of us likes to meddle in others’ business because we don’t want others to meddle in ours. But if you see a child (or pet) locked alone in a hot car, don’t turn away. Take the heat yourself. Try to find the parents. If you can’t, find a police officer or call 911. Your willingness to act may save a life.”

 Galveston County Daily News, Aug. 27, 2008
UTMB’s Dr. David Herndon is quoted in this article about Marathon Oil Corp. contributing $50,000 to the expansion of the Truman G. Blocker Burn Unit. Herndon said the gift will “will not only allow us to increase our ability to care for more patients but also better accommodate their families.”

 Galveston County Daily News, Aug. 26, 2008

UTMB is embarking on a pilot program of a four-day work week for some employees in an effort to reduce utility costs. The program initially will affect about 150 employees, but officials are considering a four-day, 10-hour work schedule for as many buildings as possible. From the article:  For obvious reasons, hospitals and correctional care buildings won’t convert to shorter weeks. But the medical branch, one of the county’s largest employers, is considering a four-day workweek for outpatient clinics. “Some may be able to offer longer hours on four days of the week and potentially improve the access to patients,” said Mike Shriner, vice president for facilities and campus services.

 Stillwater News Press, Aug. 25, 2008

This feature story about UTMB’s Dr. Richard T. Jennings is about his efforts to go into space and his work and research for NASA. Jennings, who is residency director of the UTMB/NASA aerospace medicine residency, refers to himself as a two-time loser in NASA’s selection of astronauts and says his medical work is not that different from most doctors, except for a few added difficulties - like operating without gravity and having clients who could be hundreds of thousands of miles away. “We use traditional medicine, but we are really helping create geographic diversity for humans,” Jennings said. “We are helping people get off the planet to get to the moon, to get to Mars, a permanent presence in space, which gives us redundancy on human existence. There is a certain imperative to do that.”

 Austin American-Statesman, Aug. 26, 2008

This article is about separate studies at UT Austin and UTMB in the fight against influenza.  UTMB’s Dr. Christine Turley, who is heading up a study for a universal influenza A vaccine, comments on the UT Austin study in which researchers have discovered a “tricky protein” that attaches itself to a protein in human cells and prevents the immune system from mounting a defense against the virus. “This is a great step forward,” Turley said. “It’s an early stage discovery … but the more we understand about the structure of that (virus) and the interactions of the proteins at the molecular level, the more we’ll be able to develop good drugs.”  Turley said the vaccine she is testing has shown promise in clinical trials. Turley is expected to present early test results Oct. 25-28 at a joint meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington.