Person seated at a desk using a keyboard and looking at a computer monitor displaying the Google homepage. Office items, including a telephone, calendar, and potted plant, are visible on the desk and windowsill.

Family Nurse Practitioner Alma Chavez answers this and nine of the other most-Googled health-related questions in Texas.

Jacob Moses, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities at UTMB, sits at his office desk working on a computer. Books, research materials and multiple monitors surround his workspace as he studies healthcare ethics.

Artificial intelligence is transforming medical diagnosis, but bioethicists at UTMB say technology should support, not replace, physicians. Beyond speed and accuracy, they say diagnosis is about trust, patient care, ethics, and protecting privacy.

Meredith Masel, PhD, director of the Oliver Center for Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare at UTMB, joins other healthcare professionals in advising on the questions to ask, things to do, and mistakes to avoid to ensure a smooth transition and recovery at home.

Healthcare provider examines a young child seated on an exam table in a medical exam room. Medical equipment is visible on the wall in the background.

Back-to-school jitters are more common than many parents realize, and anxiety can show up in surprising ways. Learn how to recognize the signs, support your child through the transition, and help them build confidence for a successful school year.

A teenage patient smiles from her hospital bed as a therapy dog wearing a blue service vest rests beside her. The dog provides comfort and emotional support during her hospital stay, helping create a calmer, more reassuring environment.

Following two major spinal fusion revision surgeries, 16-year-old Lilly Tucker spent six weeks at UTMB Health recovering from temporary partial paralysis. During her rehabilitation, visits from dogs in the pet therapy program provided comfort, eased anxiety, and motivated her to walk farther and faster during physical therapy.

A man wearing a white UTMB Health lab coat stands with his arms crossed in a clinical procedure room. Medical imaging equipment, a patient monitor, and shelves stocked with clinical supplies surround him, highlighting the healthcare setting.

Patients seeking pain treatment are increasingly asking about alternatives to opioids. Physicians at UTMB Health emphasize personalized care that targets the source of pain through procedures, physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and psychological support.

Dr. Israa Ali, wearing a brown outfit, smiles while speaking with a female patient in a blue shirt during a weight management consultation in her office.

Weight loss and weight maintenance are two different biological processes, according to UTMB endocrinologist Israa Ali, MD. While losing weight requires creating a calorie deficit, maintaining that loss requires overcoming the body’s natural responses, including a slower metabolism and increased hunger signals designed to restore lost weight.

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About The University of Texas Medical Branch

The first academic health center in Texas opened its doors in 1891 and today has four campuses, five health sciences schools, seven institutes for advanced study, a research enterprise that includes one of only two national laboratories dedicated to the safe study of infectious threats to human health, a Level 1 Trauma Center and a health system offering a full range of primary and specialized medical services throughout the Texas Gulf Coast region. UTMB is an institution in The University of Texas System and a member of the Texas Medical Center.