UTMB Announcements for 10/14/2026

November 3, 2026  /  12:00 – 5:00 p.m.  /  Health Education Center, 2nd Floor

All GSBS students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and guests are invited to attend the 2026 GSBS Research Expo, featuring GSBS trainee research posters, informational tables, and the GSBS Dean’s Lecture keynote speaker! Come and network with faculty and trainees from across the UTMB campus, check out the poster sessions, and learn more about available trainee resources!

Register to attend at the link below!

https://utmb.us/ggr

UTMB Pharmacy Department's Southeast Texas Poison Center is proud to host our first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  Join us Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the UTMB Galveston Campus Circle Drive between Levin Hall and the Moody Medical Library.

UTMB employees and members of the surrounding community can conveniently drive up and safely dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired medications without leaving their vehicles. Pharmacy professionals will also be on site to provide medication counseling and answer medication-related questions.

Clean out your medicine cabinet, reduce the risk of accidental poisonings and medication misuse, and help the UTMB Pharmacy Department build a safer, healthier community.

CLEAR LAKE CAMPUS

                                                                                                      WEDNESDAY

Please come out and welcome our newest vendor to UTMB!

Wreaths By Gunny creates wreaths, door decor, lanterns, garland, and

tabletop décor to make your doors and living spaces more beautiful.

Wreaths By Gunny creates these beauties for all holidays and

everyday decor as well.  Each piece would be a great gift

for a loved one or a friend, or maybe for yourself.

    WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14^TH

    9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

                                    1^st FLOOR – MAIN LOBBY

Cash, debit cards, and credit cards are all accepted.

Proceeds benefit patient and volunteer programs.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

COME OUT AND VISIT GRACE ANNA’S BOUTIQUE!

Grace Anna’s Boutique offers $6. jewelry and much more – including

necklace sets, rings, bracelets, earrings, fashion accessories, scarves, 

dresses, tops, a great selection of scrubs at great prices, electronics, and more.

They’re also having a Lavish Linens Sale to include sheet sets and bamboo pillows.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12^TH

11:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13^TH

8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14^TH  

8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15^TH

8:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16^TH  

8:30 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

     LEAGUE CITY CAMPUS (CLINIC SIDE) – 1^ST FLOOR

AND

LEAGUE CITY HOSPITAL ENTRYWAY (ACROSS FROM THE PHARMACY)

Cash, debit cards, and credit cards are all accepted.

Proceeds benefit patient and volunteer programs.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

We are very excited to announce the first Epic Cosmos Datathon training on Thursday, October 29th at the Health Education Center (HEC). This one-day event will be in-person only & no virtual option will be offered. A laptop device with Cosmos connectivity is required to attend. Epic Cosmos is a massive, de-identified electronic health record research database maintained by Epic that combines clinical data from hundreds of participating health system to support medical research and patient care. Please submit the following form to reserve your spot! Seating is limited and contact Juan Artigas, Andrew Nugent, or Darwin VanDyke with any questions or insights. We look forward to seeing you there!

Registration Due Friday: Epic Cosmos Datathon Training Event RSVP – Fill out form

UTMB Pediatrics Grand Rounds
Friday, October 16, 2026, 8:00 – 9:00 AM (Central Time)

Virtual: Microsoft Teams

Meeting ID: 272 364 227 501 87; Passcode:db739qr9

Dial in by phone

+1 409-240-0721,569277189#

Akila Muthukumar, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Department of Pediatrics

University of Texas of Medical Branch

Neuroblastoma: Recent advances in diagnosis & management

Objectives: Following this session, participants should be able to

• To recognize the various clinical presentations of neuroblastoma 
• To understand the unique nature and the risk stratification that determine management
• To describe the recent changes in management and new therapies
• To understand the long-term outcome in children with neuroblastoma

Join us for a hybrid Pepper Center Investigators Lecture on October 28, 2026, at noon. Kyriakos S. Markides, PhD, will present, "Reflections on Gerontology, Minorities, and Immigrants from the 1960’s to the 2020’s". Dr. Markides is the Annie and John Gnitzinger Distinguished Professor of Aging and Professor in the Department of Population Health and Health Disparities. From establishing NIH funding in the 1980s to growing the Hispanic EPESE and launching the Texas RCMAR, Dr. Markides had led a hugely impactful career. Most recently he received a UTMB Lifetime Achievement Award in Research and was elected as an External Member in the field of Sociology by The Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts.

Subjects Needed for Infectious Disease Research

YOU CAN HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST EMERGING PATHOGENS!

STUDY PURPOSE:

To collect samples such as blood and urine for the Biorepository for Severe Emerging Infections for researchers to use for future research.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

·        Anyone age 18 or older

·        With or without a diagnosis of an acute infection in the last 30 days

·        Those with well controlled chronic infections (like HIV) are encouraged to participate.

·        Pregnant & breastfeeding individuals are encouraged to participate

WHAT TO EXPECT:

·        One clinical visit lasting around 60 minutes involving taking a health history and collection of specimens.

·        Participants will be compensated for their time.

For more information and to discuss interest in the study, contact:

Malinda Ruelas              Charles Cass                 Study PI: Corri Levine

maruelas@utmb.edu         cocass@utmb.edu        cblevine@utmb.edu

409-772-0367                  409-772-0367              409-747-0234

BRAIN HEALTH CONVERSATIONS
Sleep, Memory, and Healthy Aging: A Special Community Conversation

Featuring:

Lisa Cisneros, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology
MBHI Fellow

Giulio Taglialatela, PhD
Vice President of Brain Health
Director, Moody Brain Health Institute

Rachel Marie E. Salas, MD, MEd
Professor of Neurology and Nursing
Johns Hopkins Medicine

WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 21, 2026
6:00 PM
The Bienville Wine Bar
323 23rd Street, Galveston

Join us for an engaging and informal evening of conversation about the important connections among sleep, memory, and healthy aging.

UTMB offers employee flu shots each year through our Flu Free Vaccination Program to help prevent the spread of seasonal influenza. 

• As a condition of employment, all health care workers must get an annual flu shot or complete a declination form by Nov. 4, 2026. All other members of the UTMB community are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated, unless prohibited for medical reasons.
• Employee flu shots will be available at all hospital campuses, primary care clinics, and Employee Health clinics. Visit the Flu Free website for a complete list of vaccination locations.
• Employees are encouraged to register through MyChart to receive a flu shot at any UTMB location. Please note that if you are not a current UTMB patient, you will be able to create a new patient record or register as a guest.
• Employees who do not live or work in the UTMB clinical service area should get their flu shot from a local provider or pharmacy.
• Any employee vaccinated outside of UTMB, or who has recently had a name change, is asked to complete an attestation form and provide proof of vaccination.

For more information about this year’s vaccination program and the MyChart registration process, please see the Flu Free web page.

SPAN

Study of Pregnancy And Neonatal health (SPAN), pregnancy cohort investigating paternal contributions, placental/fetal genetics, and timing of delivery on neonatal health

What is the purpose of this study?

AIMS: This study will establish a cohort from multiple sites to collect common data elements and conduct a randomized trial among women with gestational diabetes.

(1) paternal cardiovascular health in association with fetal and neonatal outcomes accounting for maternal factors and pregnancy complications,

(2) fetal genetic and placental epigenetic markers influencing fetal growth and neonatal outcomes, and

(3) determining the optimal timing of delivery for women with gestational diabetes (GDM) with lowest risk to neonatal morbidity and perinatal mortality

Inclusion criteria:

1. Age ≥18 Years
2. Accurate gestational age as verified by ultrasound*
3. Verified GA* is <24 weeks, 0 days gestation at time of consent
4. English or Spanish speaker
5. Singleton gestation
6. Does not expect to terminate the pregnancy
7. Plans to deliver at the study site hospital
8. Ability to provide informed consent
9. Male partner willing to provide informed consent
10. Verified diagnosis of GDM with abnormal glucose levels or meeting other criteria for poor control

Please contact the study team at obgynrsu@utmb.eduor research coordinators: gaybarra@utmb.edu ,esvillaa@utmb.edu, scrobaze@utmb.edu

The Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology

Proudly Presents

David Wei, MD, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Internal Medicine

Division of Nephrology

“Circulating immune factors and kidney disease”

Friday, October 16, 2026

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

BSB 2.212

This seminar will be held in person only

Contact Rodrigo Salinas at risalina@utmb.edu for further information.

If you have:

Allergic rhinitis, asthma, or no allergies

Age between 7-25 years old

Men and women

Have not received allergy shots

Are not taking an antihistamine within two weeks

Have been tested for allergy (skin tests or ImmunoCAP), or not have any history of allergies

Are willing to donate nasal wash

You may be eligible to participate in our study.

Successful participants will be compensated for their time and effort.

If interested, please contact

Terumi Midoro-Horiuti

(409) 772 3832

tmidoro@utmb.edu

Your opinion matters!

The Gourmet Cupboard sells dry ingredients that, when mixed with wet ingredients,

make full meals, entrees, sides, soups, breads, dips, beverages, crock pot meals, etc. 

They also sell salsas, pickles, and spreads from Crosby, TX.

Easily plan your weekly meals!!!

                       THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH           

     AND

          FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16^TH

       CLEAR LAKE HOSPITAL

9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

Cash, Debit Cards, MasterCard, Visa, Discover,

and American Express are all accepted.

Proceeds benefit patient and volunteer programs.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Seminar Presentation

"Harnessing Stress-Evolved Microbes to Promote Health Aging"

Ajay Bhat, Ph.D
Research Investigator
Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology
University of Michigan Medicine

Thursday, October 15, 2026
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
2.212 Basic Science Auditorium

 JOIN IPE TEAM TALK PODCAST

Elevating Voices. Empowering Teams.

Moderator

Dr. Ashley Parikh, EdD, MSHS, PTA
Director
Office of Interprofessional Education, Practice and Quality Enhancement Plan
Health Education Center

October 21, 2026, 9:00-10:30am

Location: Virtual MS Teams

Featured Guest

Dr. Jan-Jaap Reinders, PhD
University Medical Center Groningen
University of Groningen, Netherlands

Topic:

Extended Professional Identity Theory (EPIT) in Interprofessional Education and Practice

Register Here to Attend

On Thursday October 15, 2026 at the Health Education Center, the UTMB Police Department will be conducting "free basic" Bicycle Maintenance. The maintenance provided includes air in the tire and oil on the chain. The UTMB PD will also register bicycles. Registering bicycles helps to deter bicycle theft and it also aids law enforcement in the recovery of lost/stolen bicycles. Those registering their bicycles will receive a free U-lock and lights for their bicycles (while supplies last). The service will be held at 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and is provided to all UTMB Students, Faculty, and Staff. All are required to have valid identification and their UTMB ID badge. If you have any questions, please contact Corporal Dorsey at 409-772-2691.