UTMB News

“Not all oils are created equally,” writes Dr. Samuel Mathis in his latest column. Mathis dives into the health benefits of the oils we typically use to cook with.

healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards 2026

The University of Texas Medical Branch announced today that it has achieved numerous distinctions for exceptional clinical performance from Healthgrades. Among UTMB Health’s new recognitions are three Specialty Excellence Awards, which place the hospital among the top 10% nationwide for cardiac, pulmonary, and critical care. UTMB Health is also five-star rated for 11 services, including treatment of heart failure, stroke, and pneumonia.

The Daily News reported on UTMB receiving multiple awards from Healthgrades, placing it among the nation’s top 10 percent of hospitals for cardiac, pulmonary and critical care, and earned a top rating for 11 other services with specialty excellence awards.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel discuss the gunshot wound George Orwell suffered when fighting in the Spanish Civil War. “The novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ was almost never written after Orwell was seriously wounded,” they write in their latest Medical Discovery News column.

Breast cancer survivor, Teresa Boulet was diagnosed with stage 3 HER2+ breast cancer in 2017, later undergoing chemo, radiation, and surgery. She now shares her story to inspire others and ease those going through a similar process.

Breast cancer treatment can leave women to face the devastating emotional toll of the diagnosis, as well as overwhelming decisions about their bodies, their appearance, and what recovery will look like. Many women choose breast reconstruction to restore confidence, and to feel healed and whole again.

“It’s not just about comparing success rates; it’s about defining what success means for each family, whether that’s minimizing interventions, avoiding anesthesia, or achieving the lowest chance of readmission,” Dr. Isabella Faria tells Medscape. Faria was an author on a recent paper reevaluating nonoperative management of pediatric appendicitis.

Regular OB-GYN visits are vital for women’s health, offering preventive care and support through all life stages, from adolescence to menopause. UTMB Health emphasizes early visits to build trust and educate young patients, while adult care focuses on screenings, reproductive health, and symptom management during hormonal transitions.

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), a leading global molecular diagnostic society, has honored UTMB’s Dr. Michael Laposata with its prestigious Champion for Innovation Award for his countless contributions to the clinical laboratory field and for his role as a joint plaintiff in AMP’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s rule on laboratory-developed test procedure regulation.

Nurse Practitioner Jill Resendez shared how her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis shaped her career and her life. Resendez works in UTMB’s Division of Plastic Surgery where, among other procedures and services, she performs areola tattooing for patients who have undergone a mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

“The pace of hospital consolidation has slowed but will continue over the next few years,” Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB and CEO of UTMB Health, tells Becker’s Hospital Review. Becker’s spoke C-suite executives from hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers and universities across the U.S. to share their outlook on the future of hospital consolidation.

“Mindful eating is purposefully taking the time to taste, chew, and enjoy your meal,” explains Dr. Samuel Mathis in his latest column. Taking time to mindfully eat your food has some surprising health benefits, he writes.

Following up on last week’s column, Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp explain how maternal RSV vaccination works and how it can protect newborns from RSV.

People diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata suffer from a disruption in hair growth that leaves them with patchy scalps and uneven hair, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discovery News column. But new drugs are available that can restore hair growth.

Medpage reports on a UTMB retrospective cohort study that linked GLP-1 receptor agonists to a lower risk of legal blindness in patients with type 2 diabetes and risk for cardiovascular disease. UTMB’s Dr. Praveena Gupta, Dr. Andrew G. Lee and UTMB medical student Ethan Jarrett, all authors on the study, were quoted in the Medpage article.