David Beasley, PhD, has been appointed director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs in the Office of Regulated Nonclinical 
Studies. Beasley joined UTMB as a postdoctoral fellow in 1999 and is now an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He also serves as associate director of UTMB’s WHO Collaborating Center for Vaccine Research, Evaluation and Training on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Three UTMB nurses wrote the cover story for the October issue of Critical Care Nurse. Odette Y. Comeau, Josette Armendariz Batiste and Scott A. Woodby wrote, “Safety First! Using a Checklist for Intrafacility Transport of Adult Intensive Care Patients.”
Dr. Olugbenga B. Ojo, the chief medical officer at the TDCJ Hospital Galveston, recently was a featured speaker on a national 
panel discussion on hepatitis C, “Hepatitis C in Corrections: Innovations in Treatment and Management of a Public Health Challenge.” The discussion was organized by the National Institute of Corrections, an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Victor Reyes, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, has been selected to receive the Mary and J. Palmer Saunders Professorship for Excellence in Teaching. This is the highest honor the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences bestows on faculty in recognition of their efforts in teaching and mentoring students. Reyes will hold the professorship through Sept. 30, 2017.
Work performed in UTMB’s Synthetic Organic Chemistry Core facility has contributed to the success of 2015 Nobel Chemistry
awardees Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar in the area of DNA damage repair. The SOCC has worked with Sancar since 2007 and Modrich’s lab since 2013. The SOCC at UTMB is one of the few synthesis facilities in the world to produce needed DNA lesions for researchers.
Jin Mo Chung, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology. He has successfully led the department as interim chair since 2013 and is an internationally renowned pioneer in the field of medical neuroscience.
Dr. Oscar “Skip” Brown, associate professor of Pediatrics and vice chair for Clinical Affairs, recently received the 2015 Texas 
Pediatric Society Sidney R. Kaliski Award of Merit. This award recognizes a member of the Texas Pediatric Society who has served as an advocate for children and has made a substantial contribution to both the health and welfare of the children of Texas and to the Texas Pediatric Society.
Mark R. Emmett, PhD, professor in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a member of the Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology, has received a VUV Analytics Inc., fall 2015 grant. The academic grant provides Emmett’s laboratory with the use of an ultraviolet detector to do research in the field of biomolecule analysis. The new equipment will allow for the identification of biological isomers in Emmett’s research, which specializes in identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers in oncology and neurological disease.
Dr. Karen Dineen Wagner has been selected chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences effective Oct. 1. 
She is an expert in treating childhood mood disorders and had served as interim chair since March 2015.
A new book published by Caister Academic Press, “Arboviruses: Molecular Biology, Evolution and Control” is set for publication in April 2016. The book brings together a panel of expert arbovirologists to produce a timely review of the rapidly expanding arbovirus research literature. The book is co-edited by Nikos Vasilakis, PhD, and has major contributions from UTMB authors Scott Weaver, PhD; Brian Friedrich, PhD; Birte Kalveram, PhD; Shannan Rossi, PhD; and Dr. Robert Tesh.
Dr. David Callender recognized several UTMB employees for their great work with “Way to Go! Awards” during his Town Hall On the Road presentations. The new Town Hall concept for UTMB in which leaders head out “on the road” to meet employees where they are kicked off in September. Since then, Dr. Callender has met with employees at Clear Lake Center, the Clinical Sciences Auditorium and the Rebecca Sealy Building. Watch for details on sessions near you as more are scheduled.
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