• Guns surpass motor vehicles as top cause of death for U.S. children: What parents should know

    Guns are now the leading cause of death in children and teenagers in the United States. “In addition to common-sense gun control, such as safe storage and enforcement of red flag laws, we need universally administered community- and school-based programs that effectively prevent violence,” said Jeff Temple, PhD, a licensed psychologist, and director of the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

  • Medical branch's League City campus earns higher trauma rating

    The University of Texas Medical Branch’s League City Campus reached Advanced Level III trauma facility status. The verification process of trauma levels requires more than a year of preparation to achieve. “You need to have more trauma centers,” League City administrator Christine Wade said. “Otherwise, other hospitals can get overwhelmed.” League City’s growing population will need more trauma care. “The community here and the growth in this area is just unprecedented,” Wade said. “The emergency room has exploded in volume.”

  • 10 ways to help a loved one living with mental illness

    Once you've asked someone how they are, it is important to listen—without shame or stigma. “Be patient, non-judgmental, and open to conversation,” said Dr. Jeff Temple, a licensed psychologist and University of Texas Medical Branch professor. You should be responsive and make eye contact. Hear them out, no matter what. And offer empathy. “You don't have to be an expert to know someone is struggling,” Temple said. “You just must be a caring person who wants to help. This shows the person that they can lean on you for support and rely on you when they're struggling.”

  • Filipino seafarers often delay or avoid medical care for fear of retaliation from employers

    From December 2016 to October 2017, researcher Shannon Guillot-Wright from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston gathered data during interviews and from observations, field notes and photovoice. the seafarers fear that seeking medical attention for an injury or illness will cause them to be viewed as unhealthy and lead to the loss of employment. “In this way, companies penalize seafarers for accessing the protections guaranteed to them despite having contractual rights,” Guillot-Wright writes.

  • Neanderthals also got zoonotic diseases

    Even 40,000 years ago, we have evidence of diseases from animals affecting our ancient human cousins. The “Old Man of La Chapelle,” a partially fossilized Neanderthal skeleton discovered in a cave in central France in 1908, continues to provide new insights. New analysis suggests that he acquired an infection from butchering animals or preparing raw meat.

  • Make new friends to improve your health

    In an era with easier social connections through the internet, text messaging and email, establishing and building friendships is harder than ever. Dr. Samuel Mathis encourages us to make new friends. Want to have coffee soon?

  • UTMB Physician Elected to the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees

    Dr. Samuel E. Mathis, associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, has been elected to the Texas Medical Association (TMA) Board of Trustees to represent the Young Physician Section. TMA’s House of Delegates policymaking body elected Mathis during the association’s annual conference TexMed, in Houston on April 30.

  • A man cluctching his chest during a heart attack

    Heart attack mortality rate higher in the US compared to other high-income countries

    When it comes to treating heart attacks, U.S. hospitals may have the latest tech and low readmission rates, but the country’s mortality rate is one of the highest among the nations included in a new study. The study, published May 4 in The BMJ, found substantial differences in care for heart attack patients across six high income countries despite international agreement on how heart attacks should be treated.

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