“Meditation is something I often prescribe in my writings and integrative medicine practice,” Dr. Victor S. Sierpina writes in his regular column for the newspaper. “It’s an evidence-based method for improving health and well-being, managing stress, pain, multiple physical and mental problems and the general chaos of life.”

Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster appears to protect against the Omicron variant for at least four months, according to a new study. “The current vaccine is good for prevention of severe disease, hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, distinguished chair in innovations in molecular biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch and senior author of the study.

The University of Texas Medical Branch uses a population health analytics engine to find and address potential gaps in care, said Craig S. Kovacevich, associate vice president of community and population health at UTMB. This allows his staff to use large amounts of data they've collected, looking at the clinic, provider and patient level. “One of the other components that we have done a lot of work in is really diving into the no-shows, trying to see which patients are not showing up and then doing some deep dives," he said.

Rizwana Sultana, a pediatric sleep medicine specialist and assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, says the design of your bedroom should be tailored specifically to you. “Use a design which appeals to you, feels comfortable and provides a sense of calm,” Sultana said.

New research from the University of Texas Medical Branch shows that a behavioral test to determine anosmia—the loss of the sense of smell—could help determine the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and therapeutics. “This test may contribute to the speedy testing of antivirals and potentially to the development of therapeutics to help aid those suffering from anosmia related to COVID-19,” said Dr. Slobodan Paessler, a virologist at UTMB.

Dr. Victor S. Sierpina shared insights from a speech by Dr. Kendall Campbell, the chair of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “We just cannot move forward without hope,” Sierpina wrote. “By joining hope with our deepest purposes, we create value for not only ourselves but for those around us.”