UTMB News Articles

In its ideal form, a contraceptive vaccine could prevent pregnancy without the messy side effects of some hormonal birth control. Deploying the vaccine primarily in under-resourced populations could also raise the specter of the eradication of fertility in society’s most vulnerable subsects. Dr. Lisa Campo-Engelstein, a reproductive bioethicist at the University of Texas Medical Branch, worries that even the vaccine’s ease of administration—an ostensible benefit—could be viewed as a downside: Administering a shot without a patient’s full understanding or consent is easier than coercively inserting an IUD or forcing a daily pill.

Dr. Moe Ameri, MD, MSc, a second-year resident at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said that international medical graduates make up about 25 percent of the U.S. health care work force, with many “going into primary care physician jobs,” including in underserved areas. “I think that IMGs tend to be tenacious in nature and have the ability to survive in underserved areas that might be lacking resources,” he said. “Their impact can be profound in addressing that shortage.”

Reba Smith-Weede described her experience as a patient of Dr. Patrick Karas, a neurosurgeon at UTMB, and her deep brain stimulation treatment for essential tremors. “I wish I hadn't waited so long to get help, but I'm grateful each and every day for the miracle of deep brain stimulation.”

The University of Texas Board of Regents named a Rush University Medical Center physician as the sole finalist for the open job as the president of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Jochen Reiser, the chairperson in the department of medicine at the Chicago-based teaching hospital, was selected as the finalist for the open position in Galveston. Reiser is known for research on kidney disease, with a focus on molecular biology and genetics, according to his profile on the university’s website. He has also directed a National Institutes of Health-funded research laboratory on investigation into the kidney.

It turns out that being active can actually be fun. With the right approach, it can feel less like work, and more like play. “There's an opportunity to make something playful because play isn't its own thing that exists,” said Dr. Elizabeth Lyons, of the University of Texas Medical Branch. “Play is basically an attitude towards everything or anything that happens.”

“If you visit our clinics or hospitals, you will likely encounter a resident or fellow,” wrote Dr. Thomas A. Blackwell, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and a professor of General Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “Please remember their hard work and dedication to helping you have the best health outcome possible.”

“At the end of the day, it’s important to have people who look like you, who have a similar experience to you kind of advocating for you,” said Chinedu Onwudebee, Student National Medical Association, UTMB Galveston.

“It’s no surprise that politicians sort of blame mental illness,” said Dr. Jeff Temple, director of the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. “It’s a safe way to address the gun problem without talking about the real culprit.”

There are several reasons why we haven’t yet come up with an approved vaccine for Marburg, said Dr. Robert Cross, a virologist at Galveston National Laboratory. One of the most salient is that “there really have not been that many outbreaks,” Cross said. “However, as we all know, when these outbreaks occur, they come with extremely dire outcomes, often with many dead.” It’s a blessing and a curse for public health researchers that Marburg outbreaks have historically been few and far in between, as a vaccine can’t be tested if people are never infected.

“The bottom line of the studies is that tranexamic acid does not decrease the risk or the necessity to receive blood products,” said Dr. Luis Pacheco of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. “So as of now, our conclusion is that there is not enough data to recommend the use of tranexamic acid to prevent obstetrical hemorrhage, because it does not translate into clinically significant improvements.”