Two women wearing matching workout gear laugh while enjoying cold drinks.
Sustained weight loss of 130 pounds powers patient’s love for exercise

After years of losing and regaining weight, Lynda Patrick turned to UTMB Health for help. Working with the weight management team, she underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2024 and has since lost more than 130 pounds, dramatically improving her health.

Alarm clock on a bed in the foreground with a child sleeping out of focus in the background.
Why healthy sleep routines matter for school success

Healthy sleep routines help children focus, learn, grow, and feel ready for school. Learn how families can reset bedtime routines and support better sleep before the school year starts.

Experimental technique delivers dramatic relief for severe back pain

“Interventional neurosurgery has transformed the treatment of stroke, aneurysms, and other brain and spinal disorders,” said Dr. Matias Costa, the study’s lead author from the Department of Neurosurgery at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). “We are now exploring whether these same techniques can help patients suffering from severe pain.”

Person seated at a desk using a keyboard and looking at a computer monitor displaying the Google homepage. Office items, including a telephone, calendar, and potted plant, are visible on the desk and windowsill.
Is it bad to eat cheese at night?

Family Nurse Practitioner Alma Chavez answers this and nine of the other most-Googled health-related questions in Texas.

Jacob Moses, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities at UTMB, sits at his office desk working on a computer. Books, research materials and multiple monitors surround his workspace as he studies healthcare ethics.
How AI is changing disease diagnosis and why physicians still matter

Artificial intelligence is transforming medical diagnosis, but bioethicists at UTMB say technology should support, not replace, physicians. Beyond speed and accuracy, they say diagnosis is about trust, patient care, ethics, and protecting privacy.

10 steps to take before you leave the hospital

Meredith Masel, PhD, director of the Oliver Center for Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare at UTMB, joins other healthcare professionals in advising on the questions to ask, things to do, and mistakes to avoid to ensure a smooth transition and recovery at home.

Healthcare provider examines a young child seated on an exam table in a medical exam room. Medical equipment is visible on the wall in the background.
Back-to-school anxiety is common — here’s how parents can help

Back-to-school jitters are more common than many parents realize, and anxiety can show up in surprising ways. Learn how to recognize the signs, support your child through the transition, and help them build confidence for a successful school year.

A teenage patient smiles from her hospital bed as a therapy dog wearing a blue service vest rests beside her. The dog provides comfort and emotional support during her hospital stay, helping create a calmer, more reassuring environment.
Therapy dogs lend a healing paw in teen's recovery at UTMB Health

Following two major spinal fusion revision surgeries, 16-year-old Lilly Tucker spent six weeks at UTMB Health recovering from temporary partial paralysis. During her rehabilitation, visits from dogs in the pet therapy program provided comfort, eased anxiety, and motivated her to walk farther and faster during physical therapy.

A man wearing a white UTMB Health lab coat stands with his arms crossed in a clinical procedure room. Medical imaging equipment, a patient monitor, and shelves stocked with clinical supplies surround him, highlighting the healthcare setting.
Shifts in pain management focus on safer, nonopioid treatments

Patients seeking pain treatment are increasingly asking about alternatives to opioids. Physicians at UTMB Health emphasize personalized care that targets the source of pain through procedures, physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and psychological support.

Dr. Israa Ali, wearing a brown outfit, smiles while speaking with a female patient in a blue shirt during a weight management consultation in her office.
Weight loss is one battle. Keeping it off is another.

Weight loss and weight maintenance are two different biological processes, according to UTMB endocrinologist Israa Ali, MD. While losing weight requires creating a calorie deficit, maintaining that loss requires overcoming the body’s natural responses, including a slower metabolism and increased hunger signals designed to restore lost weight.

A woman stands smiling in a white UTMB Health lab coat while holding a stethoscope with her arms crossed.
Nishi named chief of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at UTMB

Shawn Nishi, MD, has been appointed chief of the UTMB Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. A UTMB alumna and longtime faculty member, she aims to expand research, education, innovation, and access to specialized pulmonary care.

A retired couple and their adult daughter wearing dressy attire pose on a balcony in front of a beach at sunset.
For Galveston retiree, compassionate cancer care close to home is key to recovery

After Charles Meyer's wife died, his grief was compounded by the diagnosis of ampullary cancer. Working with Dr. Raj Vaghjiani, a surgical oncologist at UTMB Health, Meyer completed immunotherapy and prehabilitation before undergoing the Whipple procedure, a complex surgery to remove the tumor and reconnect the digestive system.

UTMB study of milder Ebola strain could hold the key to future treatments

The Bombali strain caused classic Ebola symptoms in laboratory models, yet a full survival rate revealed how the body can fight back. By showing how a less lethal strain can be cleared without fatal organ failure, the findings offer a potential blueprint for future therapies.