Report from the Executive Vice President,
Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine
For the Faculty Senate Meeting, 02/10/14
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 2
CONTENTS
Letter from the Provost
3
Faculty Recognition
4
Dr. Jeff Temple Named Vice Chair of New State Domestic Violence Task Force
Dr. Giulio Taglialatela Appointed Director of GSBS Neuroscience Graduate Program
Search Updates
6
Education
7
Graduate Medical Education News
Mr. Scott Boeh Joins University Student Services as New Executive Director & Registrar
Research
8
Recent Grant Highlights
Register Now: “Epidemiological & Statistical Methods in Translational Investigation” Course
Patient Care
Planning Under Way for Full Conversion to ICD-10 by Oct. 1, 2014 Deadline
10
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 3
Letter from the Provost
Dear Colleagues,
NIH rankings are just one of many indicators of research productivity. However, the latest NIH
rankings serve to remind us of the high-caliber research taking place at UTMB. Despite the challenges
of the current funding environment, our faculty members attracted more than $76 million in NIH
funding for federal fiscal year 2013. The School of Medicine actually moved up in rankings one spot.
The School of Health Professions ranked 8th among their 51 peer institutions.
On February 1st, we welcomed Dr. Jim Goodwin as our new Vice President and Chief Research Officer.
Dr. Goodwin is a longtime faculty member who has considerable experience assembling and
coordinating multidisciplinary teams and obtaining funding to address current health issues. He will
work with our research community to update our plans -- especially as regards translational research.
As a reminder, I am very interested in hearing from all members of our Academic Enterprise (AE), and
have been holding “Luncheons with the Provost” and “Fireside Chats” to discuss issues of importance
to our AE. I look forward to seeing you and hearing your thoughtful input at these events. I also
encourage you to visit the “Provost’s Blog” (categorized by School) to join ongoing discussions or to
introduce new topics for conversation and deliberation:
http://www.utmb.edu/provost/blogs/default.asp.
Finally, we will welcome back alumni to our campus from all four UTMB schools during Homecoming
on March 28-29, 2014. This year we will honor our 50-year graduates. Our alumni community, which is
more than 37,000 strong, supports UTMB in countless ways. Congratulations and best wishes to all of
our returning graduates! Click on the following link to view the event schedule:
http://alumni.utmb.edu/file/homecoming/2014.pdf.
Sincerely yours,
Danny O. Jacobs, MD, MPH, FACS
Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine
Thomas N. & Gleaves T. James Distinguished Chair
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 4
Faculty Recognition
Dr. Jeff Temple Named Vice Chair of New State Domestic Violence Task Force
Dr. Jeff Temple, Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and
Director of Behavioral Health and Research at UTMB, has been named
Vice Chair of a new State task force on domestic violence. Dr. Temple,
a psychologist, specializes in the study and treatment of intimate
partner violence.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission Task Force on
Domestic Violence was formed as a result of Texas House Bill 2620,
which was signed into law in June 2013. The bill calls for measures to
examine and address the impact of domestic violence on the health of
women and children during pregnancy through the first two years of
life, and to help health care providers identify signs of domestic abuse.
“I am so honored by this appointment,” said Dr. Temple. “The physical and emotional trauma caused
by domestic violence can have terrible ripple effects that permeate families and communities. This
task force is going to come up with concrete ways to make a difference. I am very excited about the
potential of our work to turn around thousands of families’ lives.”
Read full story here: http://www.utmb.edu/impact/article.aspx?IAID=1273.
Dr. Giulio Taglialatela Appointed Director of GSBS Neuroscience Graduate Program
Dr. Giulio Taglialatela, Professor in the Department of Neuroscience & Cell
Biology, was appointed Director of the Graduate School of Biomedical
Sciences (GSBS) Neuroscience Graduate Program on February 1st. Dr.
Taglialatela will fill the unexpired term of Dr. Volker Neugebauer.
Dr. Taglialatela has been a member of the UTMB faculty since 1993. He is a
highly-respected neuroscientist who has contributed significantly to
research in the fields of aging, apoptotic neuronal cell death and
Alzheimer’s Disease. An active graduate and medical educator, Dr.
Taglialatela has taught various courses, served on several dissertation
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 5
Faculty Recognition (cont’d)
committees, and co-directed the Summer Undergraduate Research Program and the School of
Medicine’s Molecules, Cells and Tissues course.
In recognition of his services to our educational mission, Dr. Taglialatela received the Neuroscience
Teaching Excellence Award in 2010 and 2013, was Mace Bearer at the 2012 GSBS Commencement,
and received both the 2013 GSBS Faculty Service Award and the Graduate Student Organization
Teaching Excellence Award, the two highest awards conferred upon GSBS faculty members.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 6
Search Updates
Here’s information on the status of searches for key leadership positions within our Academic
Enterprise:

Vice President & Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
The Search Committee concluded its second-round interviews of three candidates in January.
We are currently reviewing evaluations and interview documents to select a finalist.

Assistant Vice President, School of Medicine Administration
Four candidates have been invited for first-round interviews from December 2013-February
2014.

Chair, Pathology—School of Medicine
Two candidates were invited for third-round interviews in January.

Chair, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology—School of Medicine
Three candidates were invited for second-round interviews in January.

Chair, Surgery—School of Medicine
The search committee conducted 18 “airport style” interviews over a two-day period last
month.

Chair, Physician Assistant Studies—School of Health Professions
A job offer to the finalist is being completed.

Chair, Respiratory Care—School of Health Professions
Three candidates (two external and one internal) have been invited for first-round interviews
from February-March 2014.

Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Innovative Practice—School of Nursing
The search process began mid-January.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 7
Education
Graduate Medical Education News
We have received formal approval from
the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education (ACGME) to increase
the number of slots in our Neurology
Residency Training Program from three
to four positions per year for a total of nine to twelve residents in the Program. This is very timely as
we continue to enhance residency training programs and the scope of our programs in the clinical
neurosciences at UTMB.
In addition, UTMB has received accreditation from the ACGME to conduct a Vascular Surgery
fellowship. The Program begins July 1, 2014 and accepts one fellow each year.
Congratulations and our thanks to everyone involved in the success of these training programs.
Mr. Scott Boeh Joins University Student Services as New Executive Director &
Registrar
Mr. Scott Boeh was recently appointed Executive Director of
Enrollment Services and University Registrar at UTMB. In this position,
he will be responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of
Admissions, Records and Registration, Financial Aid, Scholarships, and
Student Financials. Mr. Boeh has extensive experience in admissions
and student services. Most recently, he was the Assistant Vice Provost
for Academic Affairs at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center where he provided executive leadership for academic affairs and
oversight of enrollment services for seven colleges and more than sixty
undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 8
Research
Recent Grant Highlights
The following is a list of grant recipients for the month of January 2014.
Principal
Investigator/Project
Director
Title
Sponsor
Amount
Dr. David Beasley, Associate
Professor, Microbiology &
Immunology
Development of a West Nile
Virus Vaccine Using a Novel
Nanofiber Platform
Kleberg
Foundation
$500,000 for
two years
Dr. Dennis Bente, Assistant
Professor, Microbiology &
Immunology
Genomic Characterization of
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic
Fever Virus and Other
Nairoviruses
A Novel Role of NF-kB in ViralInduced Airway Oxidative
Stress
Army Medical
Research &
Material
Command
National Institute
of Allergy &
Infectious
Diseases
Washington
University in St.
Louis (flow
through from
NINDS)
$185,400 for
one year
Dr. Antonella Casola,
Professor, Pediatrics
Dr. Rakez Kayed, Associate
Professor, Neurology
Mechanisms Underlying
Tauopathy Following
Traumatic Brain Injury
$383,119 for
two years
$109,466 for
five years
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 9
Principal
Investigator/Project
Director
Title
Sponsor
Amount
Dr. Carol Nilsson, Professor,
Pharmacology & Toxicology
Phosphoproteomic
Measurements
Naurex, Inc.
$50,000 for
one year
Dr. Csaba Szabo, Professor,
Anesthesiology
Regulation of Cellular
Bioenergetics by Hydrogen
Sulfide
National Institute
of General
Medical Science
$1,177,367 for
five years
Corey Theriot, Research
Scientist II, Preventive Medicine
& Community Health
Development of Microwave
Radiation Technology for Use
in Removal of Dental Caries
and Biofilms Decontamination
Capturing Global Biodiversity
of Pathogens by Whole
Genome Sequencing
Guidelines for Integrating
Safety and Cost-Effectiveness
into Resurfacing, Restoration,
and Rehabilitation Projects
Universities
Space Research
Association
$27,546 for
one year
MRI Global
(Midwest
Research
Institute; flow
through from
Department of
Homeland
Security)
$363,765 for
one year
Dr. Scott Weaver, Professor,
Pathology
Register Now: “Epidemiological & Statistical Methods in Translational Investigation”
Course
“Epidemiological & Statistical Methods in Translational Investigation” is a modular component of the
Institute for Translational Sciences Education Program titled, “Translational Research: Tools and
Techniques.” The module is a series of 12 weekly sessions that will begin Monday, February 24, 2014
at 5:15 p.m. in Research Building 6, Room 2.312. For detailed information about registration and a
description of the sessions, click on the following link:
http://www.its.utmb.edu/documents/EpideStatsBrochure.pdf.
If you have questions, please contact Shelly A. Matejka, BBA, 2-1484 or email samatejk@UTMB.EDU.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 10
Patient Care
Planning Under Way for Full Conversion to ICD-10
By Oct. 1, 2014 Deadline
We recently announced that UTMB has launched a vital
project related to the International Classification of Disease–
Tenth Revision, or ICD-10 — a new coding system mandated
by the federal government to determine payments by more accurately capturing health care data. All
UTMB providers must fully convert to using ICD-10 codes to describe diagnosis and treatment by Oct.
1, 2014. ICD-10 is designed to improve health care outcomes. The conversion to ICD-10 will involve
multiple areas—from our hospitals and clinics to billing and finance to the faculty group practice. It will
significantly change how we document the care we provide and help ensure the continued financial
health of our University.
To learn more about ICD-10, visit the Mission Possible web site. Look for periodic updates on iUTMB,
Impact and other internal channels.