UTMB Newsroom

 KRIV-TV (Ch. 26, Fox Houston), Jan. 7, 2009

Several television stations from Houston reported on a special Texas House committee hearing that is gathering information about damage caused by Hurricane Ike. UTMB’s Dr. David Callender is featured in this report as well as those by other stations.

The Galveston County Daily News also covered the hearing held on Galveston Island. In the Galveston report, Callender says that the trauma center will not be moving off the island. http://galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=0cab78649a62f02d.

The Houston Chronicle report at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6198989.html says that Callender told the committee that it will ask the Legislature for $336 million in emergency funds to offset the loss of business since Ike and to pay the state’s share of rebuilding expenses. An additional $500 million will come from FEMA.

The Associated Press article, published widely throughout the nation, says that the estimates of damage at UTMB have increased from $710 million to more than $1 billion. The article includes a quote from Callender, “We want to bring UTMB back to the level of excellence it had before Ike.” This version of the AP article was posted by The New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/07/us/AP-Ike-Recovery.html

 Galveston County Daily News, Jan. 78, 2009

UTMB’s Kyungsoon Chung is quoted in this article about a study that sheds light on potential therapies for the alleviation of chronic pain from nerve injury, diabetes, osteoarthritis and other conditions. The study was conducted by Erica S. Schwartz, Hee Young Kim, Jigong Wang, Inhyung Lee, Jin Mo Chung and Chung, all of UTMB’s department of neuroscience and cell biology.

 Galveston County Daily News, Jan. 8, 2009

UTMB’s Dr. Howard Brody, in this guest column, writes about a new code of conduct that establishes boundaries on the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. Writing about Dr. Kevin Hill, a resident in Boston when he realized that he was being influenced by the drug companies, Brody wrote, “Debate will continue about what ought to be the proper limits to place on drug reps’ contacts with physicians. I hope all parties to those debates will remember Dr. Hill’s lesson - that, ultimately, this is about the care of the patient and what promotes the ideal level of public trust.”

 Houston Chronicle, Jan. 6, 2009

This weekly compilation of UTMB news is published in the Bay Area News section of the Houston Chronicle on Thursdays. Included in this week’s coverage is Dr. Courtney Townsend being named the medical director for the physician assistant studies program; Anand Bhat, a third-year medical student at UTMB, is the 2008 winner of the Hector P. Garcia M.D. Cultural Competency Essay Competition; and UTMB students recently led a community forum on health care solutions for the Houston-Galveston area. The brief quotes Dr. Victor Sierpina and medical student Janice Tyler. The forum was one of hundreds organized across the nation to solicit input on health care issues and solutions for President-elect Barack Obama.

 Houston Chronicle, Jan. 7, 2009

In this Letter to the Editor, UTMB’s Dr. Howard Brody addresses an early editorial about the ethics of facial transplants. “As member of a group at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston who have been studying the ethics and technical feasibility of facial transplants, I, along with the Facial Transplant Team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, on whose behalf I am also writing, believe that the Jan. 4 editorial on this topic made an important point but also downplayed important ethical concerns.”

 The (Brazosport) Facts, Jan. 6, 2009

UTMB’s Larry Micheletti is quoted in this article about seasonal affective disorder. “Getting the blues is temporary; it’s normal to people to get the blues.  What’s not typical - when it becomes abnormal - is when it happens consistently over a period of time, lasts a period of time or impacts their functioning in a negative way. (For instance,) they can’t get out of bed, they can’t take care of personal hygiene, they can’t go to work.”

 The Baytown Sun, Jan. 5, 2009

State Rep. Wayne Smith of Baytown and a member of the House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike says that UTMB’s trauma center status needs to be restored. “Not only am I in favor of keeping UTMB’s trauma center open. I’m in favor of building another one on the east side” of Harris County. 

 Galveston County Daily News, Jan. 7, 2009

UTMB’s Dr. David Callender is scheduled to testify before a special Texas House Committee that is looking into providing help to areas devastated by Hurricane Ike.

 Galveston County Daily News, Jan. 7, 2009

UTMB’s Karen Sexton is quoted in this article about the reopening of John Sealy Hospital. “We did take the opportunity to announce yesterday’s opening internally and to congratulate the faculty and staff involved once we knew it was ‘all systems go.’”

 Galveston County Daily News, Jan. 7 2009

In their “Keeping Kids Healthy” column, Drs. Sally Robinson and Keith Bly offer advice to parents on how children can enjoy playing sports while reducing the risk of injury. “Steps that can reduce the chance of becoming injured while playing sports include getting preseason physical examinations, knowing and following the rules of the sport, wearing protective gear, warming up, not playing when tired or in pain, drinking enough water and focusing on having fun rather than winning.”