Health Matters: School of Medicine news

July 2022

Here's a recap of all the School of Medicine events that recently took place!

School of Medicine

UT Health RGV

News and Events

SOM receives funding to study polymorphism in cancer patients

UTRGV researchers will receive $123,000 for a three-year project funded by the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia

The UTRGV School of Medicine has received funding to study genetic polymorphism in Ovarian Cancer patients from the Research and Development Office, Ministry of Education, in Saudi Arabia.

The International Collaboration Grant with King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia collaboration agreement has been recently finalized. UTRGV School of Medicine researchers will receive $123,000 for a three-year project funded by the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia, under grant number (1171).

The active grant will be funded by the KSA International Collaboration and the Research and Development Office, Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia.

The study's title will be "Genetic Polymorphism of IL-6, IL-8 and CRP genes as Prognostic Biomarkers for Chemotherapeutic Response in Saudi and American Ovarian Cancer patients".

The proposal is unique and has been developed after strikingly observing differential transcripts and SNPs in IL-6, IL-8, and CRP genes. The information on the genetic polymorphism of these critical genes will help establish authentic predictive biomarkers for a chemotherapeutic response for Saudi and American ovarian cancer patients. This proposal has the potential for developing a better and early prognostic marker for chemotherapeutic response in ovarian cancer for a better outcome.

The PIs from the UTRGV School of Medicine include Manish K. Tripathi, assistant professor for the Department of Immunology and Microbiology; Bilal B. Hafeez, assistant professor for the Department of Immunology and Microbiology; and Absarul Haque, principal grant investigator and associate professor for the King Fahd Medical Research Centre at the King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Breastfeeding Specialist

At UT Health RGV and the UTRGV School of Medicine, Dr. Keila Rodriguez knows the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby

"Breastfeeding is important for a multitude of reasons," she said. "For mothers, benefits include decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. There is less blood loss after delivery. And breastfeeding helps the uterus return to its normal size."

A board-certified pediatrician and an international board-certified lactation consultant, she sees mother-baby dyads who wish to establish or work on their breastfeeding relationship and hopefully increase breastfeeding rates in the community. She also helps with babies who have difficulty latching and transferring milk while breastfeeding.

Rodriguez is among a handful of lactation specialists in the country and the first at UT Health RGV to hold the certification.

Read More Here.

UTRGV medical student advocates for LGBTQIA+ Health

Third-year UTRGV medical student Isha Mittal and Dr. Hocker display Mittal’s recent U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award

Third-year UTRGV med student Isha Mittal is the most recent recipient of the U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award.

The award was established to recognize the contributions to public health from medical students across the country.

The UTRGV School of Medicine nominated Mittal for their commitment to meeting the Healthy People 2030 initiative established by the U.S. Public Health Service.

Mittal’s passion and work for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) health and advocacy stood out among the many nominees for the award. Mittal, who comes to UTRGV from Colombia University with a master’s degree in public health - said it has always been a goal to uplift those who identify as LGBTQIA+.