FOR RELEASE: Oct. 2, 2006

GALVESTON, Texas — Five University of Texas Medical Branch projects, ranging from a summer biomedical research program for college undergraduates to a telemedicine mental health services project, are benefiting from the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund’s recent $125,000 contribution to the academic health center. The funding is part of the $1 million pledge the Galveston foundation made to UTMB in 2003, the largest single commitment to the university in the Kempner Fund’s 60-year history.

The five UTMB programs receiving funding from the latest Kempner Fund contribution are:

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Early Admission Program ($10,000) — Students from underrepresented groups participating in this program arrive on the UTMB campus the summer prior to their first year at the university to give them time to adapt to the university’s research and academic culture. Paired with faculty mentors, the students work in laboratories and enroll in special coursework that reinforces their biochemistry and cell biology knowledge, ensuring their success in the graduate school’s first-year basic biomedical sciences curriculum. The students also participate in a class that helps them develop the skills they need to analyze and evaluate biomedical findings in scientific literature.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program ($20,000) — This is a 10-week research experience for college undergraduate students from Texas and across the country who are considering graduate studies in biomedical sciences. Mentored by Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences faculty members, the students learn the basic skills needed to contribute to research. UTMB provides research opportunities for students interested in immunology, biochemistry, physiology, virology, microbiology, pharmacology and genetics, among other biomedical sciences. The students also attend scientific seminars and journal clubs. All participants display the results of their research efforts at a poster session held at the end of the program.

Telehealth Outcomes Research Partnership with the Center for Information Technology Leadership ($10,000) — This collaborative study, “Identifying the Value of Telehealth,” pairing the AT&T Center for Telehealth Research and Policy at UTMB and the Boston-based Center for Information Technology Leadership, is assessing the value of telemedicine in today’s health care system. Telemedicine uses state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology, combined with such devices as digital stethoscopes, dermascopes and electronic medical records, to give the patient access to a health professional hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Delivering high-quality health care through such advanced technologies can help address the rising costs, limited access and countless other challenges plaguing the nation’s health care infrastructure. The AT&T Center for Telehealth Research and Policy at UTMB is a division of the UTMB Electronic Health Network, one of the world’s most experienced and largest telemedicine providers. Since 1994, EHN physicians have “traveled” the globe providing telemedicine services and now conduct more than 60,000 patient visits annually.
 
Mental Health Services for Teen Clinic Using Telepsychiatry ($45,000) — Via telemedicine technology linked to the Teen Health Clinic at Galveston’s Ball High School, UTMB psychiatrists provide specialized mental health evaluations and treatment to the school’s students. The addition of psychiatric evaluation and consultation to the Teen Health Clinic’s services allows students to receive appropriate mental health care while at school, without having to make off-campus appointments.

Program for Health Disparities, 3-Share Plan ($40,000) — Managed by UTMB’s Center to Eliminate Health Disparities, the 3-Share Plan is in the process of being introduced to Galveston County to provide a low-cost health benefit plan to the working uninsured. The cost of the plan will be split three ways, with the employer and employee each paying one-third and government or additional sources paying the final third. The Kempner Fund support will help cover the planning and implementation of a community-wide 3-Share marketing plan.

UTMB President John D. Stobo thanked members of the Kempner Fund’s board of directors for their continued support of the academic health center. “UTMB and the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund have maintained a longstanding relationship that’s been dedicated to the health and well-being of Galveston’s citizens,” Stobo said. “This latest contribution from the Kempner Fund reveals how fortunate we are to have a supporter so committed to our core mission of patient care, education and biomedical research.”

The Kempner Fund has been an avid supporter of UTMB for more than 50 years. Established by the family of Harris Kempner, a prominent late 19th-century Galveston businessman, the fund has committed more than $7 million to numerous programs and initiatives benefiting UTMB, including the establishment of four endowed faculty positions. Its latest contribution is part of the university’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery.

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Public Affairs Office
301 University Boulevard, Suite 3.102
Galveston, Texas 77555-0144
www.utmb.edu