Houston Chronicle, Jan. 6, 2009 This weekly compilation of UTMB news is published in the Bay Area News section of the Houston Chronicle on Thursdays. Included in this week's coverage is Dr. Courtney Townsend being named the medical director for the physician assistant studies program; Anand Bhat, a third-year medical student at UTMB, is the 2008 winner of the Hector P. Garcia M.D. Cultural Competency Essay Competition; and UTMB students recently led a community forum on health care solutions for the Houston-Galveston area. The brief quotes Dr. Victor Sierpina and medical student Janice Tyler. The forum was one of hundreds organized across the nation to solicit input on health care issues and solutions for President-elect Barack Obama.