Impact

UTMB honored faculty, staff and students who have served in the military with its first-ever Veterans Day Luncheon celebration on Nov. 2 on the Galveston Campus.

There’s no question—Dr. Ruth Levine has always loved teaching. “When I see students get that ‘spark’ of understanding and start putting things together, it’s exciting for them—and me,” said Levine, assistant dean for educational affairs and director of the Office of Clinical Education within the School of Medicine. “Any kind of learning should be fun. If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.”

Stephanie Tutak is inspired by Dr. Hector P. Garcia’s story, his commitment to service and his role in improving access to health care. So when the fourth-year medical student was named the winner of the 2017 Hector P. Garcia, M.D. Cultural Competence Award during the annual luncheon Oct. 6 on the Galveston Campus, she felt honored to play a part in carrying out his legacy.

UTMB’s Interprofessional Scholars Program recently hosted its first Disaster Day, a student-led, large-scale simulation aimed at preparing and educating health care professional students on responding to a crisis.

As you attend family gatherings this holiday season, don’t just ask your loved ones to pass the turkey. Ask them about their health history. It’s the perfect time to gather important information that you and your doctors can use to create a plan for preventing disease.

September 5, 1957—that was Adeline Smith’s first day as a nurse’s aide on UTMB’s Galveston Campus. She would later transfer to UTMB’s Food and Nutrition Services team. Now, 60 years later, she’s still feeding patients and bringing a smile to everyone she meets—with no immediate retirement plans.

On Oct. 16, I had the pleasure of joining our UTMB family in celebrating the prestigious national honor our university received for superior quality and care provided to our patients—the 2017 Vizient Bernard Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award.

Dr. Mayukh Sarkar, a medical laboratory scientist in UTMB’s Department of Pathology, was recognized as a 2017 “Choosing Wisely Champion” by the American Society for Clinical Pathology during its annual meeting Sept. 6-8 in Chicago.

Adding value to patient care is on the mind of nearly every health care organization across the country. As we shift from a volume-based to a value-based health care world, improving outcomes and reducing costs has become critically important.

Growing up during an era with an active space program, Dr. Joan Nichols and Dr. Joaquin Cortiella were fascinated by space. Now, she and Cortiella, a professor and physician in the Department of Anesthesiology at UTMB, are having the chance to live a childhood dream.

UTMB was among 12 U.S. academic health centers to receive the 2017 Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award on Sept. 14. Based on the final results of our Vizient survey, UTMB now ranks ninth among 107 participating organizations and has achieved 5-star performance.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center recently notified UTMB that it had met the criteria of the Magnet Recognition Program, which distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. This credential is the highest honor for professional nursing practice.

Whether it’s sniffles, aches and pains or bumps and bruises, UTMB Health’s Urgent Care clinics are open evenings and weekends to bring you relief. Located near you and staffed by UTMB physicians and medical professionals, these sites provide quality care and prompt attention for injuries and illnesses that are not life threatening.

Three of the scariest words in the English language are, “You have cancer.” “You don’t hear anything after that,” said Dr. Avi Markowitz, chief of hematology and oncology at UTMB. But thanks to a UTMB program called Taking the Message and the Medicine Home, the university is improving communication between patients, families and care providers.

All it takes is 20 minutes for Heather Fields to help a woman take control of her breast health. “A mammogram is the best way to detect breast cancer early—when it is most treatable,” said Fields, a breast imaging technologist at UTMB’s Angleton Danbury Campus. “It only takes a few minutes and it saves lives.”

Rev. José Cedillo joined UTMB in May 2016 as director of Pastoral Care. An ordained bishop with the Church of God, Cedillo provides support for the spiritual, religious, emotional and value concerns of patients, families and staff.

For the past two centuries, the stethoscope has been the iconic symbol of medicine. But if you ask Dr. Masood Ahmad, that could soon change.

The focus on interprofessional education has been a foundational part of UTMB’s Academic Enterprise since it was introduced at the institution in 2008. Interprofessional education—or IPE as it’s commonly called—was introduced as part of Synergy, UTMB’s quality enhancement plan.

Twenty-six UTMB faculty, staff and students recently received UTMB President’s Cabinet awards for projects that promote outreach, education and improved patient care in the community and beyond. The 11 funded projects total more than $243,000.

Whether you’re playing sports for fun or as a competitive athlete, don’t let sports-related injuries keep you on the sidelines this fall. The most common types of injuries are sprains, strains and stress fractures due to overuse. The following tips can help prevent injuries no matter what sport you play.