James LeDuc, director of UTMB’s Galveston National Laboratory, outlines public health advancements in China since the SARS outbreak of 2003. The advancements have allowed the country to much more rapidly identify and begin to deal with the most recent novel coronavirus. In that time the National Laboratory has welcomed Chinese health officials to learn about biocontainment facility design and construction, biosafety training and laboratory operations.

A 1920 plague outbreak on Galveston Island, and the work of UTMB’s Paula Summerly to document the efforts that resulted in elimination of the illness, is revealed in this story originally published in The Galveston County Daily News. Summerly’s discoveries have turned up newspaper articles and a doctor’s journal documenting the city’s fight with plague, which included the extermination of more than 46,000 rats.

UTMB fellow Sagar Kamprath examines a theory from the book “The End of Alzheimer’s” that may explain why advances in treating the illness have been so elusive.

In this installment of their popular column, UTMB’s Megan Berman and Richard Rupp help readers understand why it is important that adolescents receive the human papillomavirus vaccine.

The Galveston County Daily News, January 15, 2020 - UTMB appoints chief nursing, patient care executive - Thayer Awards for excellence in teaching - UTMB’s 2019 by the numbers - Spatial neglect topic of next SCI Café

China’s announcement that researchers have quickly identified a microbe causing an outbreak responsible for one death and many hospitalizations is being seen as progress compared to the SARS outbreak in 2003. According to UTMB’s Jim LeDuc, “The biggest challenge in 2003 was the initial reluctance of China to explain what was going on.” Since that time, China has opened its first biosafety level 4 lab in Wuhan, and many of its scientists have trained with LeDuc in the Galveston National Laboratory.

A 1920 plague outbreak on Galveston Island, and the work of UTMB’s Paula Summerly to document the efforts that resulted in elimination of the illness, is revealed in this local story. Summerly’s discoveries have turned up newspaper articles and a doctor’s journal documenting the city’s fight with plague, which included the extermination of more than 46,000 rats.

Dr. Ben Raimer, UTMB president ad interim, recently announced the formation of the official Old Red Medical Museum steering committee, part of an effort to establish a medical museum in UTMB’s oldest building. At the time the building was completed it housed one of the finest human dissection labs in the United States.

Local coverage of the UT System’s town hall meeting seeking input on the search for a new UTMB president. “This is the beginning of the search process and a very important part of it,” said Dr. John Zerwas, UT System executive vice chancellor for health affairs.

A novel coronavirus has been identified in some patients who are part of a cluster of unexplained pneumonia cases in China. UTMB’s Vineet Menachery is one of this story’s contributors. He would like to see more details on patients’ serologic findings and if the virus is a member of the 2B coronavirus family a group that includes SARS.