Blocker Burn Unit reverified
The American Burn Association Burn Center Verification Committee has approved the UTMB Blocker Burn Unit for reverification as an adult burn center. Burn Center Verification is a joint program of the ABA and the American College of Surgeons. To earn this distinction, a burn center must meet rigorous standards for organizational structure, personnel qualifications, facilities resources and medical care services. Burn Center Verification is a hallmark for a burn center and is an indicator to patients and their families that the center provides high-quality patient care from time of injury through rehabilitation.
Orthopaedic Residency
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education recently accredited UTMB’s orthopedic residency program for a period of five years. The board is the accrediting body for the American Physical Therapy Association for post-professional residency and fellowship programs in physical therapy. Accreditation is the process used by the therapy association to ensure the quality of the education that participants receive in residency and fellowship programs in physical therapy.
Graduate Fellowship
The American Society for Microbiology has selected UTMB’s Matthew Huante as a 2014-2017 award recipient of the group’s Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship. Each fellow is awarded up to $21,000 annual stipend for three years to conduct research. The program is aimed at highly competitive students who are enrolled in a Ph.D. program and have completed their graduate coursework in the microbiological sciences. Dr. Janice Endsley is Huante’s mentor. The title of his research is “Macrophage facilitated inflammation in HIV/TB co-infection.”
AHA Appointment
Donna Sollenberger, executive vice president and CEO of UTMB Health System, has been named a state delegate and member of Regional Policy Board 7 for the American Hospital Association for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1. In her role, Sollenberger will help foster communication between the AHA, its members and state hospital associations. The regional boards help identify needs unique to a region and assist in developing programs to meet those needs.
TEDx Talk
Joan Nichols presented “Bioengineered Human Lungs” at the annual TEDxVienna conference Nov. 1. The theme for this year’s event was “Brave New Space,” and Nichols was one of 20 speakers to talk about their ideas, concepts and inventions. For those suffering severe lung diseases, only transplantable lungs, which are always in short supply, can help. So, why not bioengineer them? Nichols, who has grown lungs in her UTMB lab, is a professor of infectious diseases and the associate director of research and operations for the Galveston National Laboratory.
Public Service Award
Jeff Temple, associate professor and director of behavioral health and research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, received statewide recognition with an Outstanding Contribution to Public Service Award from the Texas Psychological Association. This honor recognizes psychology practitioners who have made outstanding contributions on behalf of the public. Temple serves as vice chairman of the statewide Task Force on Domestic Violence and is a member of a standing review panel for the National Institute of Justice. He also serves as vice president of the Galveston Independent School District board of trustees and lends his expertise to boards of the Texas Psychological Foundation and the Galveston Sustainable Communities Alliance.