By UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH

Dr. Karen D. Wagner, chair of the psychiatry/behavioral science department, is this year’s recipient of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Edward A. Strecker Award. The award is named after Dr. Strecker, a clinician, researcher and prolific author. Wagner holds the Titus Harris, M.D., Endowed Chair in Psychiatry at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

School of Medicine leader in diversity

According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, UTMB’s School of Medicine remains a national leader in recruitment, retention and graduation of students from ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine.

For the 16-year period 2000-2015, UTMB was No. 1 in the number of Hispanic graduations. The school ranks fourth nationally in the number of African-American graduates. And in the total of underrepresented minority graduates, it was second nationally. The rankings do not include historically black schools or Puerto Rico.

One-thousand new students

Approximately 1,000 students from all four schools attended orientation at UTMB’s Galveston Campus on Monday. The students will be attending one of the following: the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Health Professions or the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Blood bank reaccredited

The UTMB Blood Bank Laboratory was recently reaccredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and the College of American Pathologists.

The accreditation survey takes place every two years and is designed to ensure labs meet Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments requirements and promote the highest standards of care for patients and donors in all aspects of blood banking, transfusion medicine, testing and other cellular therapies