Communications

Office of the President


Archive:

December 14, 2022, 15:32 PM by Dr. Charles P. Mouton

Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently directed state agencies to block TikTok on all state-owned and state-operated devices. The order is intended to minimize information security risks to state agencies related to use of the social media platform.

October 27, 2022, 08:56 AM by Stephen Hadley

Along with successfully meeting our mission objectives of caring for patients, educating future health care providers and conducting life-saving research, we recognize the importance for UTMB to communicate publicly through various media outlets. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that we share factual, science-based information with our community and to do so; however, it is vital that we coordinate our communications efforts with UTMB’s Office of Media Relations.

September 23, 2022, 15:38 PM by Melissa Harman

President ad interim Charles P. Mouton announced two new ad interim leaders in the Academic Enterprise. Deborah J. Jones, PhD, MSN, RN, has agreed to serve as Provost ad interim. Jeffrey L. Susman, MD, has accepted the role of Dean ad interim, John Sealy School of Medicine (JSSOM). Both appointments are effective Sept. 22, 2022.

May 24, 2022, 10:58 AM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

Due to our positive financial achievements thus far this fiscal year—and understanding the impact overall inflation and higher gas prices are having on personal budgets—the UTMB Executive Leadership team has decided to expedite payment of FY22 Team Awards on Friday, May 27.

March 10, 2022, 11:33 AM by Stephen Hadley

This morning, at a small ceremony in the Old Red Amphitheater, a document was signed by officials from UT System, The Sealy & Smith Foundation and UTMB to officially change the name of our School of Medicine. I am very pleased to announce that, from this day forward, the University of Texas Medical Branch is home to the John Sealy School of Medicine.

February 4, 2022, 16:02 PM by Stephen Hadley

I am very pleased to announce the next phase in the reorganization of our finance group. These changes will not only position UTMB Health for even greater success in the future but will allow us to make the best use of the considerable talents and skills among our finance leaders.

December 1, 2021, 11:19 AM by Stephen Hadley

On November 30, 2021, the United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana, Monroe Division temporarily restrained CMS from implementing its vaccination mandate. This Court’s order applies nationwide to all health care providers, suppliers, owners, employees, and all others covered by the CMS vaccination mandate.

November 23, 2021, 15:45 PM by Stephen Hadley

An update and some reminders regarding the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for all UTMB employees, students/trainees, volunteers and contractors.

November 11, 2021, 16:48 PM by Stephen Hadley

On Nov. 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule, which applies to all Medicare and Medicaid-certified providers and supplier types, such as UTMB. As a result, UTMB currently intends to comply with this Federal emergency regulation and requirements related to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

November 8, 2021, 10:51 AM by Stephen Hadley

I am pleased to announce that we will be providing Team Awards to eligible employees this year. UTMB’s Team Award program recognizes the efforts and contributions of employees toward the achievement of specific institutional goals and objectives. This year, we achieved institutional financial goals in a very challenging environment. The university will issue a one-time, discretionary payment of $1,000 on Nov. 12, 2021, to employees who meet the eligibility criteria.

November 3, 2021, 17:19 PM by Dr. Ben Raimer

Effective immediately, Aaron LeMay, Vice President for Financial Accounting and Reporting, will serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer. Vice presidents within Institutional Finance now report to Aaron

October 5, 2021, 08:00 AM by Dr. Ben Raimer

Today marks the 130th anniversary of UTMB’s first class. To honor and celebrate the people who have made—and are making—continued progress of our mission possible, Dr. Raimer shared a special video message.

June 23, 2021, 14:19 PM by Stephen Hadley

To minimize the risk to UTMB’s mission from ransomware attacks and other cyberthreats such as phishing, UTMB Information Technology Services and Information Security teams are fortifying our cyberdefenses.

March 3, 2021, 10:20 AM by Stephen Hadley

In consultation with our infection control, clinical and research experts who have been on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 and in keeping with recommendations from public health officials, UTMB leadership has decided that our current masking policy will remain in effect at all UTMB locations to protect the health of the university community and everyone we serve.

December 15, 2020, 10:12 AM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

On Dec. 15, UTMB will begin administering the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to our “first tier” health care workers—those frontline employees who are at elevated risk for occupational exposure to the virus. To make the best use of limited initial supplies, we are following CDC and state guidelines to first vaccinate health care workers and first responders at highest risk of direct occupational exposure to COVID-19. This ensures we all have access to their expertise when we need it. Groups with the next-highest level of risk will be next, and so on.

November 23, 2020, 13:49 PM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

I am writing to share some positive news with you about UTMB’s financial status. For the month of October, UTMB performed better than budget. In fact, our budget called for a positive margin of $3.9 million, but our actual margin for the month was $12.9 million, or $9 million better than expected.

November 9, 2020, 15:53 PM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

Video message in honor of UTMB employees and students who have served in the U.S. Military.

November 5, 2020, 11:12 AM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

As of this morning, UTMB has notified Aetna that we intend to terminate our commercial insurance contract with the company in 180 days. This means we will no longer be an in-network provider for patients who have Aetna commercial insurance as of May 6, 2021.

October 14, 2020, 16:35 PM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

I am pleased to announce that Desolyn Foy will be joining UTMB on Nov. 2, 2020, as Vice President, Audit Services. As Vice President, Audit Services, Desolyn will lead our efforts to continually evaluate and measure the effectiveness of our risk management activities and internal controls.

September 15, 2020, 11:22 AM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer and Dr. Charles P. Mouton

Dr. Peter Kan, who joined UTMB in July as the inaugural chair of our new Department of Neurosurgery, has been formally named the Robert L. Moody, Sr. Distinguished University Chair.

September 14, 2020, 16:15 PM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer and Dr. Charles P. Mouton

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and vice chair for Innovation and Commercialization, has been named the inaugural holder of the John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology at UTMB.

August 27, 2020, 12:13 PM by Dr. Ben G. Raimer

This message from Dr. Ben Raimer, UTMB's President ad interim, expresses thanks to the UTMB community for a job well-done in response to Hurricane Laura.

July 2, 2020, 15:33 PM by Stephen Hadley

Our region continues to see concerning increases in the number of COVID-19 cases, the percentage of tests that come back positive each day, and the number of related hospitalizations. We must ALL take action against this growth trend. Now. Click the title to read about the simple actions you can take to work together to protect you and those around you.

June 25, 2020, 16:02 PM by Stephen Hadley

As those of us in health care know, COVID-19 is advancing rapidly throughout our region and state. We must all act now—and continue to act—to lessen the threat to our communities. This means setting a good example regarding social distancing, hand hygiene, self-isolating when ill and wearing masks in public spaces, both at work and on our personal time. We must also serve as advocates for good public health practices. To that end, I have submitted the following message to area newspapers to help educate everyone on the importance of masks and other safety measures. Click title above to read the message from UTMB President ad interim Dr. Ben Raimer.

June 2, 2020, 13:52 PM by Stephen Hadley

As I am sure many of you are, I am deeply saddened by recent events in our nation that, once again, have underscored how far we are from achieving a truly inclusive society. None of us should have to fear for our lives when interacting with others—or while in the privacy of our own homes. While hate and racism are part of our nation’s history, they have no place in shaping our country’s future.

May 29, 2020, 10:52 AM by User Not Found

UTMB's Telecommuting Task Force is surveying employees to better understand employees' views regarding working remotely. Individuals will be surveyed in phases and are encouraged to express their thoughts on telecommuting, potentially as a permanent component of UTMB’s work schedule in the future.

May 1, 2020, 18:58 PM by Stephen Hadley

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) recently requested documentation from both UTMB and UT System regarding contractual and other funding relationships with foreign entities. UTMB, by statute, submits documentation annually to the DOE, and we are fully complying with this recent request.

April 25, 2020, 13:09 PM by

In this video message UTMB President ad interim Dr. Ben Raimer speaks about how we are keeping our patients and employees SAFE at UTMB during COVID-19 and beyond.

April 10, 2020, 15:47 PM by Stephen Hadley

To help meet the needs our workforce, UTMB has enhanced its emergency leave benefit to provide eligible employees up to 80 hours of paid leave for qualifying COVID-19-related reasons. It also ensures those granted time off will receive 100% of their base pay rate for those hours, as opposed to a calculated pay rate with daily and total dollar limits prescribed by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

April 2, 2020, 16:24 PM by User Not Found

During this time of unprecedented uncertainty and stress, it is essential that we take good care of ourselves and our families so that we can continue to support our patients and each other. To that end, UTMB has established an Employee Wellness Task Force, under the guidance of Human Resources and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. This group will be providing resources, updates and general information to all of us in the coming weeks to help us stay emotionally healthy during this crisis.

March 10, 2020, 16:21 PM by Stephen Hadley

For the safety of our faculty, staff, students, patients and visitors and to ensure that we remain prepared to serve those who need our care, the university is strongly discouraging all personal domestic and international travel due to COVID-19. This recommendation is in addition to recently announced business travel restrictions. (You can find a summary of related travel restrictions and requirements on our COVID-19 web site.)

March 5, 2020, 16:55 PM by Stephen Hadley

UTMB is working with federal, state, UT System and local collaborators as we monitor the COVID-19 developments. We are now aware of new cases of COVID-19 in our region, which makes our need for more local action and prevention policies imperative.

September 20, 2018, 09:50 AM by Stephen Hadley

We recently began a new fiscal year after an active and challenging FY18—a year marked by great change but also great accomplishment throughout the university. In keeping with our commitment to reward outstanding work, I am pleased to announce that merit pay increases and TEAM Award payments will be effective in November for eligible employees.