Welcome to the latest issue of Impact. This has been a busy summer so far, with great progress being made on the Health Education Center on the Galveston Campus, the opening of the parking garage on the League City Campus and preparations for the opening of the MD Anderson Cancer Center outpatient facility in a few weeks.

Dr. Laticia Stewart’s day begins hours before she ever steps inside the doors of UTMB’s Angleton Danbury Hospital. Mondays are usually a clinic day at the Angleton Danbury Campus for Stewart. But this particular Monday starts before sunrise in Galveston, after she responds to an early-morning call for residents to cover procedures at Hospital Galveston, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility on UTMB’s island campus.

While continuous improvement through lifelong learning has been a key part of UTMB’s culture for years, this tenet comes to life at the Sealy and Smith Laboratory for Surgical Training, Assessment and Research (LSTAR).

A nationwide study led by UTMB researchers has confirmed that for patients with bladder cancer, removing the whole organ increases their chances of survival and is more cost effective than therapies that selectively target and remove cancerous tissue from the bladder.

President David Callender launched his “Pulse” video update series in May to keep the UTMB family up-to-date on issues affecting the organization.

When the 2018 School of Medicine graduates walked in to receive their degrees this year, they followed in the footsteps of generations past being led by the university’s ceremonial mace, a symbol of academia dating back to medieval times.

Leslye Mlcak found her hidden talent four years ago: She’s a phenom with fondant and a cake baker extraordinaire.

A crowd gathers outside and on the balconies of the old John Sealy Hospital (you can see Old Red to the left of the covered walkway) to welcome a passing motorcade on the UTMB campus in May 1937.

With the dog days of summer now upon us, it’s likely that many will spend days frolicking in the pool or heading to the beach to keep cool and beat the heat. If you and your family are heading for the out-of-doors this summer, here are a few myths (followed by the facts) about exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light that you should keep in mind.

Welcome to the newest issue of Impact! This issue highlights the important contributions of our faculty and staff and your ongoing commitment to improving health for the people of Texas and around the world.

Sleep doesn't always come easy for UTMB Detective Greg Gaona. He often wakes up in the middle of the night with an “aha” moment that may crack a case or lead to an arrest. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an idea come to mind at 3 a.m. and I have to go write it down,” he says. “Putting puzzles together and solving cases, especially complex cases—I can’t tell you how rewarding that is. You have to be persistent, nosy and think outside the box.”

The focus on providing Best Care extends well beyond the unit or clinic setting, as every employee contributes—directly or indirectly—to providing top-notch care to patients across our institution.

A new collaborative study has identified Ebola antibodies that could be used to design universal therapeutics that are effective against many different Ebola species. The findings were recently published in Nature Microbiology.

It’s no secret UTMB is comprised of some of the most outstanding employees, but on May 16, more than 1,700 were celebrated for reaching important milestones in their careers during the annual Employee Service Day ceremony in Levin Hall.

UTMB’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences awarded 39 degrees during its commencement ceremony May 18 in Levin Hall. Each year, a highlight of the school’s commencement is the presentation of four prestigious awards.

Two UTMB employees are accomplished jazz musicians, one a saxophonist and the other a trumpet player. They sometimes even play in the Galveston Island Jazz Project together.

Located on UTMB’s Galveston Campus, the Ashbel Smith Building—also known as Old Red—was the first building completed on the campus and it was used to support the state’s first medical school.

The June 1 start of hurricane season makes emergency preparedness a hotEmergency Man topic for those of us on the Gulf Coast.

We recently shared the exciting news that UTMB earned an “A” grade for the second consecutive reporting period from the Leapfrog Group for our accomplishments in reducing errors, infections and accidents that can harm patients.

Angela McDowell likes to talk trash… and recycling. As UTMB’s sustainability coordinator, she’s passionate about promoting environmentally conscious attitudes and planet-friendly habits across the institution. It’s an ambitious endeavor, but she’s up to the challenge.

Although medical imaging technology is crucial to the timely diagnosis and management of many conditions, UTMB radiologist Dr. John Heymann admits: The volume of imaging tests has gotten out of hand.

“Doing more with less” has become a commonly heard phrase, as health care organizations across the country—including UTMB—face financial challenges. Employees throughout the institution are working tirelessly to accomplish our mission more effectively and efficiently—and for a team within Information Services, the hard work is paying off.

UTMB Alerts is our institution’s method of communicating with faculty, staff and students during severe weather conditions or other emergency events that have the potential to threaten safety or impact business operations.

Dr. Stephanie Zepeda serves in the primary leadership role for UTMB and Correctional Managed Care Pharmacy Services. As associate vice president, she oversees and directs all pharmacy-related services provided by the Health System and is responsible for strategic planning, client services, and overseeing operations and finances.

You might say that six of the 578 graduates who received their degrees from UTMB’s School of Nursing on April 20 were “keeping it in the family” because they have family members who either work or teach at UTMB.

If you work on the Galveston Campus, you may have witnessed UTMB nurse Vince Falco riding a unicycle to and from Jennie Sealy Hospital.

When it comes to stroke, every second counts. Recognizing symptoms early and responding quickly is critical to reducing a person’s chance of long-term physical and mental damage—or even death.

Dr. Thomas Jackson graduated in 1893 as a member of the second graduating class of UTMB’s medical school. How many total students graduated that year?

On April 6, I had the pleasure of announcing the three UTMB employees who were chosen as inaugural recipients of the Regents’ Outstanding Employee Award. Hearty congratulations to Chad Connally, Mike Mastrangelo and Scott Woodby—you have done UTMB proud!