UTMB News

Joy is an inside job, not based on external achievements, material goods, fame, power or wealth, writes Dr. Victor S. Sierpina in his column for the Daily News. Gratefulness and joy have scientifically demonstrated health benefits and it’s something Sierpina says he will be focusing on in 2025.

Did you know that reindeer need vaccines to stay healthy? Drs. Richard Rupp and Megan Berman explain in their latest Vaccine Smarts column.

Recent biomedical research suggests that gender and sex utilize different areas of the brain and have distinct communication networks, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their Medical Discovery News column.

Becker’s reports on the newly announced partnership between UTMB and the Wyss Center. The partnership aims to implement Wyss Center technologies at UTMB's new Moody Brain Health Institute to enhance therapies for neurological and mental health disorders, Becker’s reports.

The Daily News reviews some of the groundbreaking advances in health care and science that occurred at UTMB during 2024. Some highlights featured in the article include UTMB researchers logging $168 million in sponsored research, the first robotic uniportal lobectomy, a nasal spray designed to treat Alzheimer’s and many other exciting developments.

three women's headshots in round photo frames on a teal backdrop

UTMB Health Bariatrics patient Felicity Cunningham joined Houston Moms to share her journey of losing half her body weight after having bariatrics surgery at UTMB Health.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system, which is designed to protect the body from infections and other harmful agents, begins attacking the body’s own cells, writes Dr. Hasan Yasin. Recent research, he writes, has highlighted the growing connection between environmental toxins and the rise of autoimmune diseases.

Healio reports on a UTMB study that found that hypothyroidism may be associated with increased perioperative and implant complications after shoulder arthroplasty. “This is a valuable finding which holds significant importance for both surgeons and hypothyroid patients, influencing their choices between shoulder arthroplasty and non-surgical options,” Jad J. Lawand, medical student at UTMB, and colleagues wrote in the study.

Recently more than 20 cases of Oropouche virus infections were identified in the U.S. in people who traveled to Cuba write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their weekly Medical Discovery News column. Oropouche virus causes a disease that resembles Zika virus disease.

Drs Erwin Bottinger, Giulio Taglialatela,  Jochen Reiser pose for a picture after the signing

The University of Texas Medical Branch, patients in our local communities and the broader Houston-Galveston region could eventually have access to the most advanced neurological medical technologies thanks to a collaboration between UTMB and the Wyss Center, a world leading neuroengineering and neurotechnology research non-profit.

photo of trees in forest - camera is angled up. capturing rays of sunlight breaking through the trees

UTMB Licensed Clinical Psychologist Dr. Kimberly Gushanas shares insights on how time outside can impact one's existential, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. The researcher also shares tips for those looking to increase their exposure to nature.

“We're not proposing that semaglutide causes erectile dysfunction or that it causes low testosterone, but there's an association between the two,” UTMB’s Dr. Joseph Sonsteintells Men’s Health in this story about how semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, may come with a side of erectile dysfunction. This story was also published in Yahoo!life.

“Fighting neurological diseases is an exhausting battle, but absolutely worth the effort. Working in collaboration, I think we can truly change the world,” said UTMB President Jochen Reiser at a ceremony celebrating the collaboration between UTMB’s Moody Brain Health Institute and Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, a nonprofit research organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. This news was also reported in Philanthropy News Digest.

Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp highlight the importance of seeking medical care after a possible rabies exposure in their latest Vaccine Smarts column. Once symptoms emerge it is nearly one hundred percent fatal, yet it is entirely preventable if treated promptly, they write.