In this guest column published in the local newspaper, Dr. Ben Raimer, UTMB president ad interim, explains why it is important to wear a mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Raimer notes that masks are not a silver bullet against the illness, but they are a useful and effective tool along with other prevention measures.

The number of reported cases of child abuse have declined during the pandemic, which worries authorities. Many feel the decline is because children are not in schools and other facilities where people are trained to spot abuse and mandated to report it. The pandemic has also been a stressful time, which can lead to abuse. “When we see increased stress, we see increased abuse, whether it’s to a partner or to a child,” said UTMB’s Jeff Temple.

In this installment of their popular column, Drs.Megan Berman and Richard Rupp explain why high quality studies are necessary when researching drugs and their usage. The highest quality are randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies, according to the doctors.

This week, Dr. Victor Sierpina shares with readers a number of studies that are likely to impact practices and patient care from The American Family Physician journal.

A report from local media on the recently opened South Tower at UTMB’s League City Campus.

As efforts continue to understand the spread of COVID-19, Galveston County, and UTMB are now offering antibody testing to county residents. The test being used was developed in the Galveston National Laboratory, according to UTMB’s Gulshan Sharma. i45NOW also interviewed Dr. Sharma about the antibody testing program.

According to Victor Sierpina, a person’s diet may be able to reduce chronic pain. He notes that no single diet is right for everyone, and encourages reader to see the support and guidance of their physician, dietician or other health expert to guide and monitor their dietary path to wellness and pain control.

Research being led by UTMB’s Rasha Al-Lami explored the effects of estrogen and testosterone and their possible therapeutic effects in treating older patients with COVID-19. The findings are available in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. KPRC Channel 2 also reported the research findings.

In this column, Megan Berman and Richard Rupp discuss the meaning of the terms vaccination and immunization.