UTMB Police Officer
Hector Martinez designed a special challenge coin which was selected to commemorate The University of Texas System Police’s 50th anniversary (1967-2017). The coin’s design includes the UT System Police badge on one side, with the UT Tower and the number 50 on the other side. The UT Tower symbolizes the active shooter event of Aug. 1,1966, on the UT Austin campus. The creation of the UT System Police came in the wake of the mass shooting, which killed 16 people and wounded 32 others. Today, the UT System Police deploy 567 sworn police officers and 900 civilian staff members across Texas and at 14 institutions to fulfill its original mandate to protect life and property. Officer Martinez has been at UTMB for nearly two years and enjoys doing graphic art and photography in his spare time. “The UT System Police are especially proud of the skilled artistry demonstrated by Officer Martinez, for these coins will be circulated across the United States during our anniversary year,” said UTMB Police Chief Tom Engells. Martinez was selected as the UT System Police Featured Officer of the Month for December.
Mental health staff with UTMB Correctional Managed Care’s Region 1 North were recognized during their fifth annual Training Day in Gatesville on Oct. 5. Annual awards included “Above and Beyond,” presented to
William Hull; “Creative Therapy” to
Joel Chandler; “First Responder” to
Whitney Weaver; “Houdini” to
Christopher Ginn; “In Spite of” to
Yahaira DeLaRosa; “Iron Chef” to
Sigrid Teague-Cobb; “Mission Impossible” to
Kathy Brady; “Rookie of the Year” to
Tinalee De Costa; and “Servant Leader” to
Robyne Roberts. Dr. Joseph Penn, director of Mental Health Services;
Beverly Echols, administrative director of Mental Health Services;
Dr. Billy Shelton, senior psychologist at Skyview;
Joe Simental, senior mental health manager; and
Amanda Vasquez, manager, Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical and Mental Impairments, all gave presentations during the training session.
A team from the
Provost’s Office and
Marketing and Communications received a prestigious national award for their collaboration on the new UTMB provider directory,
https://doctors.utmbhealth.com. The site, which features provider information, locations and consumer reviews, won a silver award from the eHealthcare Leadership Awards for “Best Doctor Directory.” The collaborative project was recognized at a special presentation in Las Vegas on Nov. 9 during the 20th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference. Members of the core team included
Kanimozhi Chinnapayah, Kumudini Mandava, Uday Pachalla and
Mark Schultze from the Provost’s Office, and
Mike Cooper, Melissa Harman and
Pep Valdes from Marketing and Communications.
Donna Sollenberger, UTMB executive vice president and CEO, Health System, has been named in Becker’s Hospital Review 2016 list of “135 nonprofit hospital and health system CEOs to know.” The men and women on this list lead some of the largest, most successful and prominent nonprofit health care organizations in the country.
Congratulations to
Dr. Allan Brasier and
Rakez Kayed, PhD, whose Sanofi iAwards proposals were selected for funding. Brasier and Kayed will each receive $125,000 in seed funding this year and were among 20 funding requests chosen from more than 190 submissions. Sanofi iAwards were created in 2015 to identify and help develop innovative and translational research proposals that could lead to the development of effective and safer therapeutic solutions for patients. UTMB was the sole University of Texas System institution to receive funding this year. Brasier is a professor in Internal Medicine and director of the Institute for Translational Sciences and the Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine. Kayed is an associate professor in Neurology.
A friendly competition between UTMB’s
Police Department and
Research Services/Grants and Contracts Accounting during the UT System “Walktober” event kept employees moving in October. Research Services/GCA employees held a potluck lunch and award ceremony on Nov. 14, where the winning team was announced. Research Services took home the first place trophy, with their 46 participants each averaging 391,789 steps over the 31-day challenge. UTMB Police came in at a close second, with their 19 participants each averaging 389,109 steps. Great work keeping employee health a top priority and building comradery with other areas on campus!