UTMB’s Dr. Lillian Lockhart was honored by friends and colleagues with a parade at her home to celebrate her retirement. Lockhart, 89, was one of the first women to teach genetics in a university. “I loved teaching,” she said. “I never had a bad student. I really enjoyed that part the most, other than seeing my patients.

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council recently conducted a hurricane simulation to examine what would happen if the Tampa Bay area experienced a direct hit by a Category 5 storm. They determined it would be a devastating blow to the area, but residents would rebuild as they have done in the past. UTMB’s Jeff Temple explains that risk exists everywhere. “If it’s flooding, mudslides, or earthquakes, or fires, or hurricane, or tornadoes, it’s really inescapable,” said Temple.

This week, Victor Sierpina writes about the power of love and the need for more of it today. He encourages readers to reach out to each other with greater consciousness, love and healing.

National Public Radio interviews Vineet Menachery to get his take on what the future may hold moving forward with COVID -19. Public radio stations nationally broadcast the interview.

Houston coverage of vaccine clinical trials, which have kicked off in the metro area. The story notes that UTMB is a site for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine candidates. The trials are part of an accelerated effort that usually takes two years.

UTMB’s Jeff Temple was named a 2020 Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, one of ten statewide. The Texas Medical Center published the news on their website with other good news from member institutions.

In this week’s column, Victor Sierpina explains the many ways that owning a pet can be beneficial to one’s well-being.

Research conducted at UTMB found that 90 percent or more of people undergoing total knee or hip replacement in 2017 received a prescription for opioid pain relievers within 60 days of surgery, up from 82 percent three years earlier. JAMA Network Open published the findings.