The UTMB Center for Correctional Healthcare Excellence held its inaugural symposium in Galveston on Aug. 7, 2026. Speakers from Oxford, Morehouse, Emory, Brown, the Royal College of Physicians and NCCHC covered behavioral health, chronic disease, aging, infectious disease and ethics.
UTMB runs the largest prison health system in the U.S. Olugbenga Ojo, executive director of the Center for Correctional Healthcare Excellence, on the roughly 24,000 people 55 and older in Texas prisons, telemedicine that started in the early 1990s, and what students learn at Hospital Galveston.
The Aug. 7 symposium agenda features keynote presentations and sessions on mental health, chronic disease, infectious disease, ethics, research and correctional healthcare delivery, followed by dinner and an evening reception.
UTMB's newly ACGME-accredited Carceral Medicine Fellowship offers longitudinal training across six correctional healthcare settings in Texas, including the TDCJ Hospital in Galveston, FMC Fort Worth, and the Carole Young Medical Facility. Fellows engage in research, didactics, and clinical care across adult, juvenile, and women's health populations.
The American Correctional Nurses Association has named Patricia Blair, PhD, LLM, JD, MSN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A, the 2025 Correctional Nurse of the Year, recognizing more than two decades of leadership at the intersection of nursing, law, and correctional health.
CHANGI General Hospital, October 21-23, 2025 Event Highlights: Main Day (22 Oct) at Nursing Education Institute, CGH Historical Spotlight: Tracing Our Journey in Correctional Healthcare Expert Insights: Presentations from Local & Regional Experts Quality Improvement: Initiatives Showcase Panel Discussion: Conversation on Practice, Growth & Challenges
Patient advocacy in correctional health care is a vital competency that encompasses the articulation and active support of patients’ concerns, needs, and rights.