Dr. Alan Peterson shares the spotlight with his family and President Henrich.

Greetings!

The new fiscal year has started with exciting news elevating the profile of our institution's research mission. In September, Dr. Peterson received the 2018 BioMed SA Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience at the annual dinner , and last week, we held the topping-out ceremony for the new Sam & Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies, one of the pinnacle research institutes in the nation. Our sponsored research programs have reached a new high totaling $79.8 million in NIH funding , a remarkable 30% increase compared to FY17. Naturally these achievements engender optimism, however, the biomedical research community is facing several challenges that require close monitoring, as well as, new approaches and solutions, several covered in this issue.

Dr. Wang, Vice Dean for Research of the School of Nursing, is leveraging mobile technologies to combine her passion for elderly patient care and their wish to stay in their own homes as they age. The new SMART Center will be launched in spring 2019 to offer students and faculty a collaborative space to design new technologies healthcare professionals can use to meet the needs of the growing senior population.

In the last year, we carried out a systematic review of the operations and services of the institutional core labs ( Core Labs ), and a new policy took effect September 1, factoring in recommendations from the Core Labs Directors, Council of Principal Investigators , and the Research Strategic Advisory Council. A new Institutional Core Committee will provide strategic advice, guide future investments, and guarantee transparency and accountability.

The journey to translate ideas from the " bench to bedside " and bridge the "v alley of death " is yielding early-stage results. Learn how the President’s Translational and Entrepreneurial Research Fund (PTEF), a key initiative sponsored by the President's and the VPR Offices, is making a difference.

Awarded $1.5 million by the Perry & Ruby Stevens Charitable Foundation last summer to establish a Parkinson’s Disease Center of Excellence strategic strides are being made to lay a solid foundation to obtain national distinction.

New and renewal research grants and institutional training awards, FY 2018



UT Health San Antonio physician-scientists are pioneering world-class research in diabetes and kidney diseases and other metabolic disorders .



Carolina Solis-Herrera, M.D.

2018 Voelcker Fund Young Investigator