UTMB’s Susan McLellan was on Houston Public Media’s (KUHF NPR Houston) Town Square program to talk about dating and human interaction in the time of covid-19.

Researchers UTMB found that while the 30-day readmission rate for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has decreased, the mortality rate has increased. Both Daniel Puebla Neira and Gulshan Sharma were quoted in the story. This news was also reported in SOUND HEALTH and Lasting Wealth, The Medical News, Brinkwire, Science Magazine, 7thSpace, Medical Xpress

“If discussions about contraception become more normalized, then improvements in the use of more effective contraceptive methods could potentially occur,” UTMB’s Jacquiline Hirth told Contemporary OB/GYN. Hirth discussed the findings of her survey on women’s choice of contraceptive including some of the surprises gleaned from the data.

When you check your heart rate, track your weight or manage your diabetes with a health app, do you know where the data goes? UTMB's Mohammed Abdullah and Joshua Belillo decided to track it down and found it could be going places you never intended. “Right now, there are no limitations on what companies can do with this data,” said Abdullah. News about their story has been reported widely including in the Sun Sentinel, The Virginian-Pilot, The Register Citizen, Journal Courier, Laredo Morning Times, Big Rapids News, CTPost, Times Union, The Hour, Midland Daily News, Midland Reporter Telegram, Manistee News, StamfordAdvocate.com, Home Health Choices, Brinkwire

UTMB’s Pei-Yong Shi is the inaugural John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology. The chair was established by a $1 million gift from The Sealy & Smith Foundation.

UTMB’s Camila Fontes was featured on the front page of the Houston Chronicle on Sunday as part of a story on the effort to develop and test a covid-19 vaccine in the Houston area. UTMB’s Scott Weaver, Pei-Yong Shi, Xuping Xie were also included in the story. “I’m a realist,” Fontes told the Chronicle. “I have an opportunity to help everybody else. I want to see my mom and my dad. They’re in El Paso, and if I want to see them, we need a solution.” This news also reported in San Antonio Express-News, Laredo Morning Times, MSN.com, MSN Canada,

UTMB’s Thomas Geisbert is included in this story about second infections and long-term immunity to covid-19. So far, reinfection is not a cause for worry, Geisbert tells Nature.

UTMB’s Richard Rupp tells The Daily News that covid-19 vaccine trial volunteers in Galveston County are among tens of thousands of people participating in trials across the country. UTMB is conducting trials for two vaccines, one being developed by Moderna and another by Pfizer, Rupp said.

The Daily News reported on a UTMB study that found that people who have substance abuse disorders might be at higher risk for dangerous effects of covid-19.

“I don’t think it is avoidable. But it is preventable,” UTMB’s Nikos Vasilakis told Buzzfeed of future pandemics. Experts foresee an accelerating rate of pandemics in the years ahead driven largely by deforestation, urban crowding, and wet markets for wild game, Buzzfeed reports.