Faculty Group Practice Newsletter

UTMB celebrated National Doctors’ Day on Monday, March 30, 2026, honoring its physicians with campus-based appreciation events for their dedication to patient care, education, and research.

Welcome to UTMB Health!

April is Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month! Two UTMB departments will offer free screenings. Walk-ins are welcome.

UTMB faculty members: if you need a professional headshot, or even if it's just time for an updated photo, please take advantage of two upcoming opportunities.

Dragon Copilot (formerly known as DAX) is now available for Android users through the Epic Haiku mobile application, allowing providers to conduct a nearly hands-free encounter.

As part of our continued commitment to patient safety and exceptional patient experience, we are pleased to announce the launch of the “No Pass Zone” initiative across all inpatient care areas.

External Cause codes (V00-Y99) will NEVER be a primary diagnosis. These codes were created to report the circumstances (How, What, Where, Intent, Activity, Status) surrounding the patient’s injury or health condition.

Healthcare is an incredibly rewarding profession, but it is also demanding, challenging, and constantly evolving. In environments where clinical decisions carry significant consequences, even the most skilled and conscientious providers may experience emotional distress when outcomes do not go as planned.

Patient-centered, multidisciplinary care is essential to achieve the best outcomes for individuals with spinal conditions. At UTMB Health, neurosurgeon Nathan L. Pratt, MD, applies this philosophy across a broad spectrum of cases, from degenerative disease to trauma, tumors, infection, and complex revision surgery.

UTMB Health has launched a new multidisciplinary clinic designed to streamline care for patients with some of the most complex autoimmune diseases affecting the kidneys. Led jointly by Tina Kochar, MD, and Raai Mahmood, MD, the new Vasculitis and Glomerulonephritis Clinic improves care coordination, treatment decisions, and outcomes.

Congratulations to Tamika Thibodeaux, Executive Assistant, CLC Hospital Administration. She was the lucky winner randomly chosen from all those who correctly identified the UTMB Health Optical Shop in Texas City.

For Andrea Allen, MD, MA, BA, a broad and rigorous academic path laid the foundation for her multidisciplinary interests.

When Brian Oliver, MD, came on board as UTMB Neurosurgery faculty last fall, he brought specialized expertise and a determination to expand UTMB’s capabilities in peripheral nerve surgery, an area of care that had historically been underserved.

Welcome to UTMB Health!

The next chapter of ambient dictation is here: Dragon Copilot! This AI-powered clinical assistant is designed to reduce administrative burden for healthcare professionals.

Providers often spend time counseling their patients on vaccines. Effective January 1, 2026, the American Medical Association created three new immunization counseling codes.

Bone loss does not begin at age 65; it begins at menopause. Yet many postmenopausal women remain unscreened for bone loss for a decade or more after estrogen deficiency accelerates skeletal deterioration. An age-based approach delays diagnosis, limits opportunities for prevention, and contributes to avoidable fragility fractures.

Congratulations to Genesis Diaz, Administrative Coordinator in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Join the Office of Regulated Nonclinical Studies for a 4.5-day FDA-UTMB collaborative training program on Galveston Island!

We are proud to announce an acupuncture clinic was opened in Galveston at St. Vincent’s House.