Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine
For the Faculty Senate Meeting, 6/10/13
Contents:

UTMB HEALTH 2020 AND THE ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE
o Phase II of the CIRRA Engagement -- Planning For Our Future Together

EDUCATION
o School of Medicine Commencement held June 1st
o UTMB Welcome Weekend
o White Coat Ceremony

RESEARCH
o Spotlight on Research

PATIENT CARE
o Updated Faculty Group Practice (FGP) Physician Guidelines
o Hand Hygiene
UTMB HEALTH 2020 AND THE ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE
Phase II of the CIRRA engagement -- Planning For Our Future Together:
The UTMB community was invited to
participate in sessions on June 5th through June
7th and then online through June 2013 to help
create a picture of what the academic enterprise of
our Institution should look like in 2020 and then
determine steps necessary to get there. This process
is designed to celebrate the diversity of ideas and
capture the creative thinking of faculty members,
staff, students and the broader UTMB community.
This is an opportunity to clarify who we are today,
coalesce our recent planning efforts and reaffirm
our current strategic initiatives, in particular as they
contribute to our vision of UTMB Health 2020 and
the Academic Enterprise.
Our plan for the academic and clinical enterprise
will complement the thoughtful efforts of our
broader University, our strategic partners, ongoing
strategic planning processes, and the plans of our various schools, departments and units. They should be mutually
supportive – even synergistic. The perspective of the planning process is University wide – our schools, departments,
centers, institutes, community, hospital and institutional support. We are more than the sum of our parts; the refresh must
reflect and respect the parts but create synergy among them.
EDUCATION
School of Medicine Commencement:
The UTMB School of Medicine celebrated its 123rd commencement exercises on Saturday, June 1st, at 10 a.m. at the
Moody Gardens Convention Center. Crossing the stage were more than 200 graduates, including four members of the class
Report from EVP/Provost & Dean, SOM
Page 1
who received the Doctor of Philosophy degree concurrent with the MD degree. Their PhD degrees were recognized at the
Graduate School commencement exercises in May.
Our graduates have been offered residencies in 28 states with the majority in Texas. Most of the residencies are in urban
locations at major independent hospitals or university affiliated hospitals.
Below is a listing of our graduates’ chosen specialties. The top five are highlighted.
Specialty
#
Internal Medicine
Pediatrics
Family Medicine
Prelim/Transitional
Anesthesiology
Psychiatry
Surgery
Emergency Medicine
Ophthalmology
Radiology
Orthopedics
OB/GYN
Dermatology
Neurology
Pathology
Neurosurgery
Research Medicine
Plastic Surgery
Total
45
39
20
19
17
14
13
12
8
8
7
7
6
3
3
1
1
1
224
%
20.1%
17.4%
8.9%
8.5%
7.6%
6.3%
5.8%
5.4%
3.6%
3.6%
3.1%
3.1%
2.7%
1.3%
1.3%
0.4%
0.4%
0.4%
UTMB Welcome Weekend
Welcome Weekend is scheduled for Saturday, August 17, 2013 at the Moody Gardens Convention Center and the
Galveston Island Convention Center. The event is held each year to welcome and provide a brief orientation for our Fall
incoming students.
White Coat Ceremony
The School of Medicine will hold its annual White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2017 on Sunday, August 18, 2013,
10:00 a.m., William C. Levin Hall Clark W. Thompson Auditorium.
The White Coat Ceremony is the School's formal welcoming and introduction of incoming medical students to the profession
of medicine. The ceremony is a rite of passage for first-year medical students and a demonstration of the pride and tradition
associated with becoming a physician. During the ceremony, new medical students pledge to always do their best for their
patients. The white coats they receive are an outward sign of their commitment to compassion and excellence as well as their
entry into medical school.
RESEARCH
Spotlight on Research
Report from EVP/Provost & Dean, SOM
Page 2
UTMB is home to some of the nation’s most respected and recognized researchers. Below are three recent articles that
highlight some of the research being conducted at our University.
From trauma to tau: Researchers tie brain injury to toxic form of protein
UTMB researchers have uncovered what may be a key molecular mechanism behind the lasting damage
done by traumatic brain injury. The discovery centers on a particular form of a protein that neuroscientists
call tau, which has also been associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Dr. Bridget Hawkins, Assistant Director in the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development (SCVD), is lead
author of a paper on the research now online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dr. Rakez Kayed,
Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and SCVD, is senior author on the paper.
Read news release at: http://www.utmb.edu/newsroom/article8596.aspx.
Research shows mindless eating associated with complex TV plots
Researchers have proved what has long been suspected by couch potatoes: the more engaging the TV show,
the more calories are consumed while watching.
Dr. Elizabeth Lyons, Assistant Professor in the Institute for Translational Sciences, is lead author of the
study which currently appears in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Read news release at: http://www.utmb.edu/newsroom/article8594.aspx.
Testosterone therapy increased threefold in 10 years; one quarter took the therapy without being tested for
testosterone levels
Prescriptions for testosterone therapy have increased significantly during the last 10 years, according to a
study in the current issue of JAMA Internal Medicine conducted by researchers at UTMB.
About 50 percent of the men in the study who had received testosterone therapy had been diagnosed as
having hypogonadism, a condition where a man is unable to produce the normal levels of testosterone. But
the study also found that, among new users of a prescription androgen product, about 25 percent did not have
their testosterone levels tested before starting the treatment. In addition, it’s unclear what proportion of the
75 percent who were tested had a low level of testosterone.
Dr. Jacques Baillargeon, Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community
Health, is lead author of the study.
Read news release at: http://www.utmb.edu/newsroom/article8611.aspx.
PATIENT CARE
Updated Faculty Group Practice (FGP) Physician Guidelines
FGP Physician Guideline have been changed and approved by the FGP Clinical Operations Committee. A summary of the
approved changes follows:
1. Inpatient emergency consultations now require requesting and consulting faculty attending interaction. The
new language states, “An emergent consultation is defined as a consult for a condition that is considered
immediately life or limb threatening. When a consult is considered emergent the requesting service’s faculty
attending should contact the consulting service’s attending directly. The consulting service should see the
patient in an expedited manner, ideally within 30 minutes of the request. At the completion of the evaluation the
Report from EVP/Provost & Dean, SOM
Page 3
consulting service attending should immediately speak with the requesting service attending, and document their
consult in the medical record in a timely manner.”
2. Also, inpatient urgent consultations now require requesting and consulting faculty attending interaction.
The new language states, “An urgent consultation is defined as a consult for a condition that is considered
potentially life or limb threatening by the requesting service faculty. The consulting faculty should immediately
contact the consulted service faculty directly and describe the patient’s condition and discuss management
options. The patient should personally be seen by the consulting service attending, in a time frame agreed upon by
the two faculty (six hours if both agree urgent). At the completion of the evaluation the consulting attending should
speak directly with the requesting service attending and document their consultation in the medical record, within
six hours of the request for consultation or the time frame agreed upon by the faculty.”
Hand Hygiene
Excellent hand hygiene is a critical component of optimal patient care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, “In the United States, hospital patients get nearly 2 million infections each year. That’s about 1 infection for
every 20 patients. Infections that patients get in the hospital can be life-threatening and hard to treat. Hand hygiene is one
of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infections.” The evidence to support the effectiveness of hand
hygiene in preventing the spread of infection is overwhelming.
Hand hygiene with alcohol gel or soap and water should be practiced before and after every patient encounter.
Only soap and water can be used effectively with C. difficile infections. We have been monitoring hand hygiene
compliance to these criteria for a number of months (see chart below).
We appreciate our health care workers’ diligence to hand hygiene to help make UTMB Hospital and clinics the safest
place for our patients.
Report from EVP/Provost & Dean, SOM
Page 4