UTMB News

  • Amid a growing measles outbreak, doctors worry RFK Jr. is sending the wrong message

    "I'm concerned that people think that vitamin A or other nutrition is a substitute for vaccination to prevent infection and to prevent spread," UTMB’s Dr. Scott Weaver tells NPR. Two people have died in the West Texas/New Mexico measles outbreak and infectious disease doctors are worried about the spread of misinformation on online and from the federal government, NPR reports.

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    The University of Texas Medical Branch Partners with German Innovator NIPOKA to Revolutionize Kidney Patient Care

    The University of Texas Medical Branch has announced a groundbreaking collaboration with NIPOKA, a leading German-based company specializing in advanced diagnostic technologies for kidney research. With over 35 million adults in the U.S. affected by chronic kidney disease, and millions more worldwide, the need for accurate diagnostics has never been more critical. This partnership aims to develop first-of-its-kind diagnostic tests that could transform the way kidney patients are diagnosed, treated, and monitored.

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    UTMB Friendswood clinic moves, expands

    The UTMB Health Pediatric and Adult Primary Care Clinic in Friendswood will open its doors at a new location at 1715 S. Friendswood Dr., Friendswood on March 10. The new clinic will have the same hours of operation, but will offer expanded services and specialties.

  • Kennedy’s push for vitamins in response to measles outbreak worries physicians

    There is “no evidence that vitamin A supplementation improves the outcome of measles in a child who has no vitamin A deficiency in the United States,” UTMB’s Dr. Susan McLellan tells The Hill for a story on how Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rhetoric on Texas’s measles outbreak is concerning physicians.

  • This Is How Your Brain Ages

    UTMB’s Dr. Agenor Limon was one of the experts consulted by Prevention for this story on brain development. “We may not learn as easily as we did when we were kids, but we can still learn,” says Limon.

  • Did I get the measles vaccine? Should I get a booster?

    Vaccine Smarts writers Dr. Megan Berman and Dr. Richard Rupp answer questions about measles vaccines in their latest column. Should you get a booster if you can’t remember if you had the measles vaccine? Can a 3-year-old get their second MMR vaccine ahead of schedule? Should I get a booster if traveling to West Texas? Berman and Rupp answer these and other questions.

  • Removing the obstacles to joy

    Dr. Victor Sierpina continues his series on cultivating joy in life. Sierpina draws from wisdom shared by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Viktor E. Frankl and others.

  • The sense of smell is still a mystery

    Of all our senses, smell is probably the least understood, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discovery News column. Norbert and Niesel dive into what science does and does not know about how we smell.

  • No, a vaccine campaign did not cause the Gaines County, Texas, measles case spike

    UTMB’s Dr. Philip Keiser helped PolitiFact debunk the idea that the West Texas measles outbreak was started by vaccinated individuals shedding measles virus. Keiser told PolitiFact there’s no scientific literature supporting the notion that a vaccine virus shed from someone who is vaccinated would be transmissible. This news was also shared by Poynter and the Austin American-Statesman.

  • New Study Links Herpes Simplex Virus Infections to Increased Risk of Dementia

    A new study from researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch has found that individuals with a history of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections face a significantly higher risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, highlight a critical link between HSV-1, which primarily causes oral herpes, and HSV-2 infections, which cause genital herpes, and neurodegenerative disease progression.

  • teal background with headshots of two women in round frames - both are smiling. the woman on the left is African American wearing a white coat the the woman on the right is caucasian.

    Women's heart health - a conversation with Houston Moms

    Did you know that women are statistically more likely to die from a heart-related issue than men? Cardiologist Dr. Esosa Odigie-Okon elaborates on why that is and shares other tips, tricks and insight into women's heart health.

  • Measles is one of the world’s most contagious viruses. Here’s what to know and how to avoid it

    “On average, one infected person may infect about 15 other people,” UTMB’s Dr. Scott Weaver tells the AP about measles, a disease that was rare in the U.S. but is making a comeback. An unvaccinated child died in the West Texas outbreak this week. “Any of these outbreaks we’re seeing can easily be prevented by increasing the rate of vaccination in the community,” Weaver said. This news was shared nationally and internationally in outlets such as The Independent, Brietbart, Toronto Sun, MSN and many others.