By INSIDE UTMB
The annual concert to benefit the St. Vincent’s student free clinic is at 7 p.m. Thursday at the 1894 Grand Opera House, 2020 Postoffice St., in Galveston. The variety show features UTMB students and community members and the program raises money to operate the clinic which benefits the uninsured. Advance tickets are $10 and $12 at the door. Tickets are available at www.stvsc.org and Joe’s Café in the student center and the cafeteria in John Sealy Hospital. All money raised goes directly to help provide free medications, imaging and patient care.
Niesel new research officer
David Niesel, vice president and dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, is taking on additional duties as UTMB’s Chief Research Officer. Niesel, who will oversee all university wide, research-related activities, joined UTMB in 1983. With his new research responsibilities, Niesel will step down as chair of the department of microbiology and immunology, a position he has held since 2003. Under his leadership, the department rose to a top five ranking in National Institutes of Health funding and currently ranks third, having received more than $23 million in NIH funding in 2014.
Weaver named fellow
Scott Weaver, a professor in the departments of Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology, was elected as a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. Fellows are elected through a highly selective process based on their scientific contributions to the field.
Weaver is globally recognized for his expertise in mosquito-borne diseases. He was recently presented the 2014 Walter Reed Medal in recognition of his distinguished accomplishments in the field of tropical medicine. Weaver serves as the co-chairman for the Global Virus Network’s Chikungunya Task Force, the director of UTMB’s Institute for Human Infections and Immunity and the scientific director of UTMB’s Galveston National Laboratory.
Gutierrez speaking in Angleton
UTMB’s Jean L. Gutierrez will be the featured speaker at 6 p.m. today at the diabetic support group that will meet in the Professional Office Building, 146 Hospital Drive on the UTMB Health Angleton Danbury Campus. Gutierrez, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and metabolism, will speak about the best ways to manage Type 2 diabetes. Call 979-848-9109 for more information.
Murphy writes policy
Kathleen M. Murphy, an associate professor in the School of Nursing is co-author of a national policy to define and establish guidelines for schools to deal with heart attacks. Murphy, a member of the American Heart Association writing group, has co-authored a paper meant to greatly increase the chance of someone surviving sudden cardiac arrest and provides guidelines of what schools should train their personnel to do before the arrival of local emergency medical services.
It’s official
UTMB’s new pediatric clinic, Island Pediatrics West, 6416 Broadway, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to dedicate the clinic.
The clinic is patient and family-focused, with more exam rooms, on-site radiology and views of the water in the waiting area. In addition to general pediatric care, the clinic provides services for ADD/ADHD, school problems, developmental assessments, childhood infections and obesity.