By THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH
UTMB’s Academy of Master Clinicians recently inducted its inaugural members. They are Drs. Masood Ahmad, J. Sean Funston, Gloria Brandburg, Luis Pacheco, Jennifer R. Raley, Janak A. Patel, William Mileski, Carolyn Utsey, Michael M. Stone, Vinod Panchbhavi, Sunny Hatch and Michelle Mercatante. The AMC is an effort to recognize the contributions of clinicians from UTMB’s schools of medicine, nursing and health professors who epitomize the highest standards of clinical care in terms of skill, expertise, experience, compassion and efficiency. For details, visit www.utmb.edu/amc.
School of Medicine lauded and reaccredited
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education — the national, primary accreditation body for the UTMB School of Medicine and its educational programs — voted to continue full accreditation of the medical education program for a full 8-year term. The intense 18-month self-study involved examination of more than 100 LCME standards by more than 110 faculty and staff and extensive student input. The LCME singled out the school for strength in student diversity pipeline programs, strategic planning and education fund allocation system. The LCME citation for “strength” requires additional benchmarks that reflect “a truly distinctive activity or characteristic ... worthy of emulation.”
Webster receives award
UTMB School of Nursing assistant professor Bonnie Webster received a Faculty Teaching Award from the School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics for her role in teaching clinical skills to medical students when they rotate through pediatrics.
High school summer program
Ten students from the Houston region are currently working alongside mentors in the laboratory and clinical setting as part of the 2015 High School Biomedical Research Program. Overseen by Clifford Houston and Kathy Tiernan of the Office of Educational Outreach at UTMB, these students are selected from more than 100 applicants based on their interest in science and math, grades in those courses, and letters of recommendation from teachers. Program participants get to tour UTMB facilities, learn from guest speakers, and most importantly, work alongside UTMB faculty, graduate and postdoctoral students and contribute to innovative and important academic research studies.