UTMB School of Nursing Population Health students partnered with the Galveston Police Department to keep bicyclists safe by developing bicycle lanes near campus. As part of their clinical assignment, the students developed a study for the need of bicycle lanes and conducted numerous surveys that showed most respondents did not feel safe riding their bikes to campus without lanes and signage. The students created a community health plan and provided several classes regarding bicycle safety, laws and responsibility for people on campus and throughout the community. Following several meetings with the Galveston City Council and after submitting letters of proposal to the Public Works Department, the bicycle lanes were placed in March. Thanks to the students for helping to keep the community and campus safe!
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UTMB recently hosted a successful site visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Feb. 6-8 as part of the institution-wide re-accreditation process. Following the visit, the SACSCOC issued a comprehensive report based on their findings of UTMB’s compliance with the standards, principles and quality measures defined in the commission’s requirements. Institutions are affirmed every 10 years and must partake in a multi-level process, including extensive reporting, an off-site review, an on-site review and response to the reviewers’ report. As part of the visit, the review committee met with students, faculty, staff and administrators to understand issues related to compliance and UTMB’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), or IPE2Practice. The report highlighted several strengths of the QEP, such as its focus on “interprofessional education as a cornerstone of innovative education and training at UTMB.” The accreditation is necessary for UTMB to confer degrees and receive federal and state funding. Special thanks to UTMB’s QEP Leadership Team:
Jennifer Anderson, Dr. Jose Barral, Riddhi Bodani, David Del Pino, Dr. Christopher Edwards, Connie Heard, Dr. Michael Leger, Dr. Arlene MacDonald, Dr. John C. McKee, Madiha Merchant, Julie Molis, Dr. Cara Pennel, Dr. Jose Rojas, Dr. Eddie H. Salazar, Shelley Smith, Dr. Jacqueline Stout-Aguilar, Julie Trumble, Nicholas Viator, Lane Warmbrod, Patience Wieland, and
Dr. Majka Woods.
Dr. Slobodan Paessler, associate professor in the Department of Pathology, was awarded $2.9 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to learn more about how Lassa fever induces hearing damage. Approximately 30 percent of Lassa fever survivors develop sudden hearing loss weeks or months after leaving the hospital. The researchers have developed the first rodent model that consistently reproduces the Lassa fever-induced hearing loss so that they can learn how and why this happens. They will also investigate the hearing loss seen in documented Lassa fever survivors in Nigeria by using noninvasive hearing tests used for hearing screening in children in the U.S.
The Jennie Sealy Surgical Intensive Care (SICU) team completed the entire 2017 calendar year free of central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI). Some initiatives that contributed to the reduction of CLABSIs include: Implementing daily baths using chlorhexidine gluconate to decrease the bacterial burden on the skin; distributing automated Purell hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the units and patient rooms, as well as improving compliance with hand hygiene; decreasing blood culture contamination by use of blood culture collection packs and skin decontamination; and conducting root cause analysis studies to identify the causes of CLABSIs and prevent future occurrences. Congrats to the SICU, and thank you for your ongoing commitment to Best Care and patient safety.