2022 UTHealth Houston President's Awards for Leadership Recognize Outstanding EHGES Faculty | |
The 2022 President’s Awards for Leadership recognize exceptional people from across campus in three categories: classified staff, management/administrative and professional, and faculty. With two awardees in each category, this year’s cohort is the largest to date, speaking to the quality of leadership within the university. Recipients are nominated by co-workers.
"It is a distinct honor to count each of these professionals as part of the many faces who help this university improve health outcomes for our community while educating the next generation of health professionals,” said Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, president of UTHealth Houston and the Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair.
The 2022 honorees for the President's Award for Leadership: Outstanding Faculty were both awarded to the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences faculty this year.
Established in 2006, the annual award honors the late Michael J. Jimenez, former vice president, and chief human resources officer at UTHealth Houston.
Other 2022 honorees include Julie Page, CPA, senior associate dean for Clinical Business Affairs at McGovern Medical School, Sujatha Sridhar, MBBS, MCE, associate vice president of Research Compliance at UTHealth Houston, Rachel Neave, MPH, senior project manager for the Center for Health Care Data at the School of Public Health and Martha “Kathy” Rodgers, associate director of Academic Administration in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at UTHealth Houston.
Read more about the President's Awards for Oustanding Management/Administrative Professional and Classified Staff in the UTHealth Houston News.
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UTHealth Researchers Link Less Shade with Less Outdoor Play for Children | |
Lead author Kevin Lanza, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology, human genetics, and environmental sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and his team partnered with three elementary schools and the Parks and Recreation Department in Austin, Texas, for the Green Schoolyards Project, a study looking at the impact of green features in schoolyards (trees, gardens, nature trails, etc.) on the physical activity of children.
A strong body of research indicates adequate access to greenspace is associated with health benefits. The researchers advocated for adding more shade and shifting schedules to include outdoor time during cooler hours.
The study is the subject of a new paper published in December in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
You can read more about the new study here.
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Researchers Find Women with Heart Disease are More Likely to Suffer Cardiovascular Issues due to Mental Stress Than Men | |
“We found that women and men with heart disease react differently to stress,” said Samaah Sullivan, PhD, first author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
“Particularly, women had a more severe microvascular response or constriction of the small vessels, so their risk of a cardiovascular outcome was greater. Men were not really impacted.”
Sullivan said. “This research really shows that there is a female-specific mechanism that links psychologic stress to cardiovascular outcomes. These findings can help physicians recognize that stress is a risk factor for women and to address it so they can minimize that risk.”
Read more at the UTHealth News.
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Bright Nighttime Lights Connected to Poorer Health Outcomes, Disadvantaged Neighborhoods More at Risk | |
EHGES Associate Professor Qian Xiao, PhD, and team found that the bright lights of U.S. cities at night are connected to poorer human health. While this artificial light affects the population's health, Xiao found that poorer, non-white neighborhoods are brighter in this article by NASA Applied Sciences.
Read the full story here.
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UTHealth Houston Faculty Awarded New Grant to Improve TB Tests | |
EHGES Associate Professor Blanca Restrepo, PhD, at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville,
was recently awarded an R01 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases aimed at improving rapid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing for drug-resistant tuberculosis in high-burden areas.
The group's goal is to optimize the development of a simple test for drug susceptibility testing of new TB cases that is affordable and does not require any equipment. This new test will provide information on drug resistance to new second-line antibiotics for TB. Field testing will be conducted in TB-endemic areas in Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jordi Torrelles, PhD, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, will be the Contact PI for this new project. Marcel Yotebieng, MD, PhD, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, and Restrepo, will serve as MPIs as well.
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UTHealth Houston’s 'Many Faces. One Mission.' Campaign Raises $534.4M to Improve the Health of Individuals and Communities | |
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Join us in celebrating the successful completion of the "Many Faces. One Mission." campaign. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have surpassed the original $500 million fundraising goal, raising $534.4 million to support education, research, and community initiatives across our six schools.
We celebrated this accomplishment with our students, faculty, and staff, who all played a part in reaching this milestone—whether by advocating for the university, dedicating time to improving the health of our communities or making a donation to advance our shared vision of a healthier future. The campaign's impact on UTHealth Houston School of Public Health includes $22.1 million raised in research funding and the establishment of 24 new endowments, 16 of which are scholarships, to support the school in perpetuity.
"Every penny helps make a difference in the lives of students and to those within our community because the focus of our graduates and their education is to help make the world a better, more equitable place," said Elizabeth Leass, PhD student at the School of Public Health.
Read more to see how the success of this campaign will make a lasting impact on the health of our communities. #ManyFacesOneMission
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EHGES Professor and Vice Chair Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN is part of the research planning group; the Food Is Medicine Initiative, a collaboration between the American Heart Association and the Rockefeller Foundation.
The Food is Medicine Initiative will generate definitive evidence, comprehensive tools, and momentum to help the health sector design and scale programs that increase access to nutritious foods and improve health and health equity for all.
Sharma recently spoke on the panel "Accelerating the Future of Food is Medicine" in Washington, D.C., where she shared more about Brighter Bites, a non-profit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families' hands.
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Pandemic Preparedness Communication by TEPHI
TEPHI has partnered with the Center for Health Communication at The University of Texas at Austin to create an online course that deals with communication before, during, and after a pandemic. The course covers the fundamental aspects of communication for pandemic preparedness and response at an organizational level. This new online course is asynchronous and offered free of charge.
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Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza:
A Diagnostician's Perspective
May 10, 2023
4 p.m. via Zoom
Dr. Ficken, Resident Director at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory – Gonzales, will cover the clinical signs, pathological changes, diagnosis, and response after detection on-premises, as well as mammal infections in the United States (and beyond), including geographical distribution, clinical signs, and gross and microscopic pathological changes.
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Summer 2023 Schedule Now Available | |
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You can now view the Summer 2023 schedule on the interactive Class Schedule webpage. Registration is now open for the summer semester, so get signed up for your courses now!
Summer courses are condensed versions of courses taught during fall and spring terms. Students enrolled in summer courses should prepare for a more intensive course experience.
Also, students can now request a permission code through our permission code portal. Watch our ‘How to request a permission code’ tutorial for a demo!
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The Texas Medical Center Library and the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health library offer many student and faculty services, including Canvas training, navigating the SPH library website, writing services, and much more. Contact Kelsey Koym for assistance and more information. Email Kelsey Koym here or visit the TMC Library website for more details. | |
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health receives ASPPH Harrison C. Spencer Award for Community Service. UTHealth Houston School of Public Health received the 2023 Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Harrison C. Spencer Award for Outstanding Community Service. The distinguished award recognizes UTHealth Houston School of Public Health’s commitment to prioritizing both a healthy Texas population and a strong Texas economy through the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (TEPHI). Read more here. | |
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Calling all EHGES alums! EHGES in the News would like to include alum updates and news to feature in our monthly spotlight! Please email Jana Satterwhite, Communications Specialist, to be considered for our upcoming newsletters. | Reminder: For more information on how to handle media requests, see the UTHealth Houston HOOP policy here. If you are contacted by the media, please call the UTHealth Houston Media Relations team on the hotline, 713-500-3030 - someone is available 24/7. Deb Lake is the designated School of Public Health contact. Always choose to call the hotline for immediate assistance. | |
SUBMISSIONS AND NEWSLETTER DEADLINE | |
All campuses are encouraged to submit items for consideration for the monthly EHGES newsletter. Please feel free to submit your items to sphehges@uth.tmc.edu. | | | | |
