Healthcare providers from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s National Disaster Medical System, including UTMB Health nurses Jill Bryant, a quality management specialist, Terri Benyi, UTMB retiree and PBL employee, and David Marshall, Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer, ,  provided first aid and basic medical care during the 57th Presidential Inauguration. Medical aid stations were set up around the National Mall, on Capitol Hill, along the parade route, and at various locations along the walking route from RFK stadium to the Capitol.

 

The City of Galveston recently honored the UTMB Center for Addiction Research in support of National Drug Facts Week, Jan. 28-Feb. 3. Pictured are: Emily Low (a senior at O'Connell Preparatory  High School who adopted National Drug Facts Week as her senior project); Jennifer Hart, Galveston County Community Coalition Liaison, BACODA (Bay Area Council on Drugs and Alcohol); Elizabeth Beeton, Galveston City Council Member for District 3; Kathryn Cunningham, Ph.D., Director, UTMB - Center for Addiction Research; and Mary Beth Trevino, Galveston County Community Coalition Coordinator, BACODA. 
 

Kudos to Suzi Castro and the entire HIM team for completing the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program and Annette Macias-Hoag and the Heart/Stroke Team for completion of application complete and securing a date for The Joint Commission survey for Stroke Certification.

 

UTMB’s 2012-2013 Ball High School Bench Science Research and Design students with their UTMB mentors after their first semester poster presentations.
First row from bottom reading from left to right: Ball Prep Rachel Mathers, Ball Prep Keziah Thomas, Ball High Maritza Villamil, Ball High Kate Dannenamaier, Ball Prep Mehrunisa Sohail, UTMB Mentor Tom Shelite, UTMB Mentor Andrea Garces. Middle row from left to right: Ball High Krystal Fuentes, Ball Prep Heather Yang, UTMB Mentor Kimberlee Burckart, Ball Prep Margarit Delaney, Ball Prep Hannah Hall, UTMB Bench Director Lauren Scott, Ball Prep Gabe Christensen. Back third row from left: Ball Prep R&D Instructor Michelle Puig, Ball High Jesse Zapata, Ball High Autumn Nolte, UTMB Mentor Brian Mann, UTMB Mentor Sarah Swinford, UTMB Mentor Dan Jackson, UTMB Mentor Paul Reidy. Not pictured are UTMB mentors Christie Hay, Christina van Lier, and Mary Ann Manavalan.
The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) has officially notified UTMB that the institution continues to merit full accreditation, with a limited site visit to occur next September, thus extending  accreditation to September 2017.
 
AAHRPP accreditation requires high ethical and professional standards to ensure the most comprehensive protections for research participants. Earning accreditation is a rigorous process.  It involves a detailed institutional self-assessment and an on-site visit by a team of experts who evaluate the program’s performance in meeting AAHRPP standards of quality and protection. Organizations must provide tangible evidence—through policies, procedures, and practices—of their commitment to scientifically and ethically sound research and to continuous improvement.
 
Thanks goes to the coordinating team comprised of Dr. Jim Mahon, Anne Clark, Craig Conway, Toni D’Agostino, Erin Pennington, Tobin Boenig and Brenda Boyko and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) chairs and vice Chairs: Drs. Aristides Koutrouvelis, Dwight Wolf, Michael Loeffelholz, and Janak Patel, as well as members of the IRB Board, IRB staff, and the more than 55 PIs and UTMB leaders who met with the site team last June.