Dr. Erik Rytting, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Gary Hankins, professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have received a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development to study indomethacin, a commonly prescribed pain reliever widely used to delay labor and delivery and prolong pregnancy. However, there are differences in how patients react to this medication based on their ethnicity, gestational age, levels of estradiol and BMI; therefore, this study is looking at whether dose amount and frequency can be individually optimized for patients.
Dr. Karen D. Wagner, Marie B. Gale Centennial Professor and interim chair of the Deptartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is 
the President-Elect (2015-2017) of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. The mission of AACAP is the promotion of the healthy development of children, adolescents and families through advocacy, education, and research, and to meet the professional needs of child and adolescent psychiatrists throughout their careers.
Dr. Tom Ksiazek, director of high containment laboratory operations for the Galveston National Laboratory at UTMB, received the
2015 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Kansas State College of Veterinary Medicine and the Veterinary Medical Alumni Association for his outstanding achievements, humanitarian service and contributions to the veterinary profession. He was honored during the 77th Annual Conference for Veterinarians on June 7 in Manhattan, Kan.
UTMB Primary Care Physicians contributed to the Friendswood ISD pre-participation physicals event on May 16 at the Walter Wilson Fieldhouse on Friendswood High School. The physicians examined over 500 students who will participate in school athletics, cheer, dance and band. Special thanks to Dr. Cynthia Judice for coordinating the effort and to the many area physicians who spent their Saturday supporting the Friendswood community – Drs. Michael Binder, Crystal Sierra, Lauren Raimer-Goodman, Erika Schulze, Matthew Hay, Saloni Majmudar, Jean McAtee, Faiz Mahmooduddin, Syed Kazmi, Amber Hairfield, Matthew Propst, John Moore and Karl Crudo.
The UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, directed by Dr. Elena Volpi, has renewed its funding for the 
next five years through a $3.4 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. The grant enables the center to continue its mission to improve physical function and independence in older adults. The focus of the UTMB Pepper Center for the next five years is to identify pathways of physical function loss and gain, and develop targeted interventions to improve functional recovery from illness in older adults.
Dr. Nisha Garg, professor in Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Pathology; Dr. Taylor Riall, professor of Surgery and director of the Center for Comparative Effectiveness and Cancer Outcomes; and Dr. Vicki Freeman, professor and chair of the Clinical Laboratory Science Department and associate dean for Faculty Development in the School of Health Professions, recently completed one-year fellowships in national leadership development programs for women faculty members. Garg and Riall completed fellowships in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program, a part-time fellowship for women faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry and public health. Freeman graduated from the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering program. Both programs are sponsored through Drexel University.
