The University of Texas Medical Branch has been awarded a two-year, $1.4 million grant focused on helping reduce teen pregnancies. Nearly a quarter of a million babies are born to adolescent females each year. The principal investigator of the study, Dr. Jeff Temple, says the “impacts of teen pregnancy are substantial and persist across the lifespan.”

UTMB’s Vineet Menachery was named one of the 50 people to follow during a pandemic by Elemental, a health and science publication by Medium. Menachery leads one of the few labs in the country that was studying coronaviruses before the pandemic began.

“We’ve all learned the hard way that every time there is an emergence, that triggers some sort of disorganized scramble,” UTMB's Nikos Vasilakis tells WIRED. UTMB is part of a new network to detect and respond when pathogens jump from wildlife to humans.

A roundup of news briefs in the Houston Chronicle included a mention of UTMB’s Tammy Cupit and the university’s effort to share self-care tips with employees. “Monitor your stress levels and pace yourself,” Cupit says in the piece. The story also links back to UTMB’s RISE Task Force website.

UTMB’s Shawn Nishi was asked to comment on a study on nighttime use of oxygen use in patients with COPD. This news was also reported in MDedge and The Hospitalist.

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

A $1 million gift from The Sealy & Smith Foundation has established the John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology at The University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, a professor in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department and vice chair for Innovation and Commercialization, has been named the inaugural recipient.

“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