Report from the Executive Vice President,
Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine
For the Faculty Senate Meeting, 10/14/13
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 2
CONTENTS
Letter from the Provost
3
Cirra, Inc. Engagement Update
4
Education
5
Medical School Graduates 2000-2012 Ranking by Race/Ethnicity Versus U.S. Medical Schools
Research
6
Recent Grant Highlights
Texas Schools NIH Prime Award Comparison as of 09/09/2013
Patient Care
Results of MyChart Physician/Provider Survey
11
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 3
Letter from the Provost
October has been a very busy month as regards our recruitment activities (see below):

Vice President of Research and Chief Research Officer – The search committee has
conducted second round interviews and evaluations are being collected;

Chair of Pathology – The search committee will invite candidates for second round visits
starting October 22; and

Vice President and Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences - The search
committee will reconvene to identify candidates for second round visits.
Several important events are scheduled in October including The Henry F. Epstein Memorial
Symposium on October 14 dedicated to the memory and legacy of Dr. Epstein who passed away
earlier this year. Dr. Epstein served as Professor and Chair of our Department of Neuroscience and Cell
Biology for nearly ten years. An influential leader and distinguished physician-scientist, his study of
protein structure paved the way for translational approaches to treat cancer and heart disease. The
Symposium will be held at the Galveston Island Convention Center and will include talks from his
trainees and colleagues from around the country.
We will recognize our outstanding educators at our Academy of Master Teachers’ New Member
Induction Ceremony on October 18 and Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award Recipients Reception
on October 24. In addition, we will honor our student scholarship recipients and benefactors during
our School of Medicine Award and Scholarship Luncheon on October 25 and School of Health
Professions Scholarship Luncheon on October 29.
Finally, President David Callender will host the next Town Hall on Thursday, October 31, noon to 1
p.m., in Levin Hall Main Auditorium. Please save the date and watch for additional details coming
soon.
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
Cirra, Inc.
Engagement
Update
As part of our strategic
refresh, the entire
Academic Enterprise
community was invited to
participate in two
collaborative planning
processes to help create a
picture of what our
Institution should look like
in 2020.
In June, we held interactive
sessions designed to
celebrate the diversity of
ideas and capture the creative thinking of faculty members, staff, students and the broader UTMB
community. In September, we created an online dialogue to identify trends, seek input and determine
our best course of action. This process yielded a less than average response number with 4,000 plus
votes on IdeaScale, however, the data was of very high quality.
The above graphic depicts our timeline. For our next steps, the Strategic Management Task Force
representing the Academic Enterprise, Finances and Hospital Leadership, is meeting to consolidate
ideas which will be made broadly available.
Designing our future picture and then engineering our plans to achieve it will make us a stronger
Institution – one better aligned to collaborate in service to others.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 5
Education
Medical School Graduates
2000-2012
Ranking by Race/Ethnicity
versus U.S. Medical
Schools
UTMB continues to be among the most
successful institutions nationally in its
efforts to enroll a talented and diverse
class of students. According to the
Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System, which has released its 2000-2012 ranking by race and ethnicity among U.S. medical
schools, our School of Medicine:
•
has moved up four spots from #8 to #4 nationally in number of African-American
graduates;
•
has retained its #1 position nationally in number of Hispanic graduates; and
•
is #2 nationally in percent of underrepresented minority graduates.
This excludes medical schools at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and in Puerto Rico.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 6
Research
Recent Grant Highlights
The following is a list of grant recipients for the months of August & September 2013. Compared to
this same time last year, we are close in the number of awards and dollar amounts:
Period
One Year Award Amount
Total All Years Award
Amount
Number of Awards
Aug – Sep, 2012
$6,068,615
$17,879,558
21
Aug – Sep, 2013
$4,332,337
$18,169,400
20
Principal Investigator/Project
Director
Dr. Lemuel Aigbivbalu,
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Title
Safety and
Pharmacokinetics of
Multiple-Dose Intravenous
and Oral Clindamycin in
Pediatric Subjects with BMI
85th > Percentile
Sponsor
Duke University
(NICHD flow
through)
Amount
$18,750
(Federal
Contract, Task
Order for the
Rapid Start
Network)
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 7
Principal Investigator/Project
Director
Title
Sponsor
Amount
Dr. Nigel Bourne, Professor,
Pediatrics
Therapeutic immunization
to impact HSV-2 latency
and associated
pathogenesis
National Institute
of Allergy and
Infectious
Diseases
Total of
414,038 over
two years
Dr. Alexander Bukreyev,
Professor, Pathology
Human Monoclonal
Antibodies Against Ebola
and Marburg Viruses
Vanderbilt
University (DTRA
flow through)
Total of
$2,090,355
over five
years
Dr. Susan Carlton, Professor,
Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Scaffolding the Transition
to Chronic Pain
University of
Texas Health
Science Center
San Antonio
(flow through
from NINDS)
$63,731 (One
year; new NIH
Subaward fed
flow-through
from UTHSCSA on new
R01)
Dr. Kathryn Cunningham,
Professor, Pharmacology &
Toxicology
Translational Addiction
Sciences Center
National Institute
on Drug Abuse
Total of
$6,665,838
over five years
Dr. Alexander Freiberg,
Associate Professor, Pathology
Comprehensive Panel for
Viruses -- NIH/NIAID Task
Order B09
Utah State
University (NIAID
Flow Through)
$101,877 (one
year)
Dr. Thomas Geisbert,
Professor, Microbiology &
Immunology
Antibody
Immunotherapeutics for
Biodefense against Lassa
Virus
Tulane University
Medical Center
(NIAID Flow
Through)
Total of
$2,046,884
over five years
Dr. Yashoda Hosakote
Madaiah, Research Scientist III,
Biomolecular Resource Facility
Tobacco Smoke and
HMGB1 Release in RSV
Bronchiolitis
Flight Attendant
Medical Research
Institute
Total of
$325,500 over
three years
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 8
Principal Investigator/Project
Director
Title
Sponsor
Amount
Anne Howard, Reference
Librarian, Moody Medical
Library
The Key to Trusted Health
Information for Galveston
and Brazoria Counties
Houston Academy
of Medicine-Texas
Medical Center
Library (National
Library of
Medicine flow
through)
$10,197 (one
year)
Dr. Balaji Krishnan, Research
Scientist I, Center for Addiction
Research
Relapse and 5-HT2CR-PLD
signaling in rat amygdala
National Institute
on Drug Abuse
$115,875 (one
year)
Dr. Sathish Kumar, Assistant
Professor, Obstetrics &
Gynecology
Sex-specific fetal
programming of adult
vascular dysfunction and
hypertension
National Heart,
Lung and Blood
Institute
Total of
1,917,398 over
five years
Dr. James LeDuc, Professor,
Microbiology & Immunology
UNM Sub-Panel of Experts
in support of RLCPH
Reference Lab in Tbilisi,
Georgia
University of New
Mexico (DTRA
Flow Through)
$54,961 (six
months)
Dr. David Niesel, Professor &
Chair, Microbiology &
Immunology
Testing of Sandia’s
Microfluidics Devices
Sandia National
Laboratories
$220,332 (one
award for a
two year
period)
Dr. Jai Simha Rudra, Assistant
Professor, Pharmacology &
Toxicology
Synthetic Nanofiber
Vaccines for Cocaine
Addiction
National Institute
on Drug Abuse
Total of
$465,625 over
two years
Dr. Robert Seymour,
Postdoctoral Fellow IV,
Pathology
The role of indolamine2,3dioxygenase in the host
response/pathogenesis of
Venezuelan equine
encephalitis and eastern
equine encephalitis virus
National
Institute of
Allergy and
Infectious
Diseases
Total of
$522,300 over
three years
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 9
Principal Investigator/Project
Director
Title
Sponsor
Amount
Dr. Karen Shattuck, Professor,
Pediatrics
Pharmacokinetics of antistaphylococcal antibiotics in
Infants
Duke University
(NICHD flow
through)
$22,000
(Federal
Contract, Task
Order for the
Rapid Start
Network)
Dr. Giulio Taglialatela,
Professor, Neuroscience & Cell
Biology
Mechanisms of resistance to
cognitive decline in AD
National
Institute on
Aging
Total of
$1,549,000
over five years
Dr. Shao-Jun Tang, Assistant
Professor, Neuroscience & Cell
Biology
Interplay of HIV gp 120 and
opioids in regulation of
astrocyte activation in the
spinal cord horn
National
Institute on Drug
Abuse
Total of
$2,286,433
over five years
Dr. Ronald Tilton, Professor,
Internal Medicine
IL-6-STAT3-Th17
Lymphocyte Signaling in
Aortic Inflammation
American Heart
AssociationSouth Central
Total of
$140,000 over
two years
Dr. Scott Weaver, Professor,
Pathology
Development of a
multivalen
chikungunya/dengue virus
vaccine
Yale University
(NIAID flow
through)
Total of
$1,278,855
over five years
Texas Schools NIH Prime Award Comparison
as of 09/09/2013
Below is an NIH funding comparison of Texas schools. Without question these are difficult times for
research programs. Our ability to compete is a testament to the quality of our investigators and the
resiliency of their programs.
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 10
Report from the Executive Vice President, Provost and
Dean of the School of Medicine | 11
Patient Care
Results of MyChart Surveys
To improve provider-patient interaction, UTMB recently
conducted two surveys to assess our patients’ perceptions of
MyChart as well as our clinical care teams’ experience regarding
use of this online tool.
In our patient survey, we learned that they feel more in control
of their health utilizing MyChart, prefer physicians who use
MyChart, and would recommend MyChart to a friend.
A summary of our physician/provider survey is enclosed. These
responses have been very helpful in identifying where we have
opportunities to improve MyChart for our clinical users and
patients.