UTMB News

  • Robots help tackle COVID by automating testing, research and diagnostics

    ABB Robotics has developed an automated neutralizing antibody testing system with the University of Texas Medical Branch that is “the most effective means” of determining an individual’s immunity to various strains of COVID. “The ability to carry out more daily tests is the key to generating more data on individual immunity profiles that will help control the further spread of the virus,” said Dr. Michael Laposata, professor and chairman of the department of Pathology at UTMB.

  • Schools, doctors work to prevent fentanyl overdoses among students

    As fentanyl-related deaths rise among Texas students, school districts across the county are raising awareness about the synthetic drug and stocking school clinic shelves with Narcan, an opioid overdose preventative. Some school districts this week also have been working closely with University of Texas Medical Branch doctors to receive written physician’s orders for Narcan, providing an extra layer of protection in the case of overdoses on campuses.

  • Texas City library, medical students team up to prevent overdoses

    “Taking Our Best Shot has presented hands-on presentations to the community in the past and we surveyed some students who suggested we talk about opioids and Narcan administration,” said Dorothea Morris, the organizer for Taking Our Best Shot and a University of Texas Medical Branch doctoral candidate. “We believe these presentations are important for community awareness.”

  • Space Medicine with Drs. Serena Auñón-Chancellor and Michael Barratt

    The Curbside Consults podcast episode featured aerospace medicine with two physicians who are double-boarded in internal and aerospace medicine and are also NASA astronauts. Dr. Auñón-Chancellor recently served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expeditions 56 and 57. She is an internist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and program director for the University of Texas Medical Branch Aerospace Medicine Residency.

  • Doc rock: Angleton physician has played concert series for 30 years

    Dr. Anthony Scott Rogers will again perform his annual Valentine’s Day to support the UTMB Health Angleton Danbury Auxiliary. “It’s always been sort of involved with the Auxiliary,” Rogers said. “It was a venue for a little bit of fundraising. We didn’t really hit that too hard. Mainly it’s been kind of a fun event, but we always had donations for the event and sometimes we did pretty good. I know there were times we made $3,000 or $4,000 — and sometimes we made $300 or $400. It didn’t matter, we were just having the event.”

  • Mass shootings & gun violence in America: What can be done?

    Psychologist Dr. Jeff Temple, director of the Center for Violence Prevention at UTMB Health, joined the program Townsquare to share his thoughts on the statistics of gun violence in the United States and what needs to be done to prevent more tragedies.

  • Parents must ask: Is football worth the risk of devastating injury?

    Dr. Brent E. Masel of Galveston, professor of neurology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and national medical director of the Brain Injury Association of America, believes parents should be aware of CTE and understand its risks. “As a practicing neurologist, I’ll see many sad issues, but not much is worse than one of my favorite patients who is slowly dying from the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” Masel said.

  • COVID vaccine can decrease chances of developing long COVID

    “If for no other reason, people who are not current with their vaccinations should consider getting vaccinated to decrease their chances of developing post-COVID conditions,” wrote Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp in their Vaccine Smarts column.

  • Plants can be more valuable than gold

    In the recent Medical Discovery News column, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel wrote about the re-discovery of an important medicinal and flavoring plant used in the ancient world called silphion. “Its history and re-discovery is an interesting story and reminds us of the value of natural products as new medicines.”

  • Your grandmother’s diet could affect your children’s health

    Your grandmother’s diet could affect your children’s health The Galveston County Daily News, February 7, 2023 In Medical Discovery News, Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel wrote about a study by Shelly Buffington at UTMB that discovered a high-fat diet can alter social behavior and promote neurodysfunction in descendants.

  • Learn Hands-Only CPR

    What is Hands Only CPR?

    When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby.

  • Daughter and mom taking muffins out of the oven

    Avoid a Contact Burn

    Prevention, tips and facts to keep the entire family safe around hot surfaces

  • Get your flu shot

    Researchers working on effective CMV vaccine

    Developing a vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV) is right at the top of researchers’ priority list. However, most people have never heard of the virus.

  • A nurse in black scrubs talks to a patient sitting behind a screen at an improvised dockside clinic

    Docside Clinic brings primary care to underserved maritime community

    University of Texas Medical Branch researcher Dr. Shannon Guillot-Wright was recently awarded a $660,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control to fund a five-year research project to address health disparities for commercial fishermen.

  • A blast of ultrasound waves could rejuvenate aging cells

    Low-frequency ultrasound appears to have rejuvenating effects on animals. As well as restarting cell division in aging human cells, it has reinvigorated old mice, improving their physical performance in tests such as running on a treadmill and making one old mouse with a hunched back move around normally again. “‘Is this too good to be true?’ is the question I often ask,” says Michael Sheetz at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

  • Clinical trial to test wearable device to treat chronic pain, opioid withdrawal

    A multi-year clinical trial at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Medical University of South Carolina will examine the use of a wearable device thought to stimulate nerves near the ear to change signals in the brain as a treatment for chronic pain and opioid tapering. The opioid crisis has spawned untold deaths and chronic disabilities with a major impact on global health care,” said Dr. Kathryn Cunningham, a translational pharmacologist and director of UTMB’s Center for Addiction Research. Many other online news organizations and TV stations shared this news.

  • Can Texas lawmakers ban minors from social media?

    House Bill 896 would ban minors from using social media. On this week's episode of Texas Wants to Know, host Baylee Friday asks if it is possible for lawmakers to ban all minors from social media. Dr. Jeff Temple, a professor and licensed psychologist at UTMB, was one of the guests on the podcast.