Here's a look at what the UTRGV School of Medicine has been working on for the month of November as we continue our mission to transform the healthcare and educational landscape of the Rio Grande Valley.
Our clinical arm, UT Health RGV began administering COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5-11. This is part of our continued efforts of fighting COVID-19 and keeping our communities safe.
The School of Medicine hosted our annual, "Purple Night" an event dedicated to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer. We thank Dr. Subhash Chauhan, Chair for Immunology and Microbiology, and Director of the South Texas Center of Excellence for Cancer Research and his team for hosting these informative events for the RGV Community.
Purple Night is a critical component of teaching the community about cancer awareness, improved science around early detection, and improved treatments for pancreatic and other cancers.
Our faculty and staff also participated in the, "Walk to End Epilepsy" as part of National Epilepsy Awareness Month. The event, organized by the Epilepsy Foundation for Central & South Texas, helps to provide resources and support to help those affected by epilepsy.
In addition, this month we welcomed new faculty members, Dr. Ney M. Alley Rodriguez and Dr. Alan Francis. We wish them great success within our institution.
Please take a moment to read these and other great School of Medicine developments that took place recently.
Our UTRGV School of Medicine will continue to make progress on our goals of transforming the health of the RGV through innovative education, life changing research and discoveries, high quality patient-centered care, serving our community, and developing a culture of entrepreneurship.
Sincerely,
Michael B. Hocker, MD, MHS
Dean, School of Medicine
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UT Health RGV begins administering COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5-11 |
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Nine-year-old RJ Valdez and his mother, Jennifer, were among the first to arrive at 9:30 a.m. to get his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the UT Health RGV pop-up vaccine site in Brownsville.
UT Health RGV began offering the pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 through 11 at UTRGV’s Casa Bella Apartments.
“It was pretty cool,” RJ said. “I am happy to get the vaccine so I can see my friends because right now I only see them on my iPad. It’s very hard. I am feeling very happy now.”
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School of Medicine hosts "Purple Night" for pancreatic cancer awareness |
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The UTRGV School of Medicine hosted the annual "Purple Night" in order to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer.
The event took place both online and in-person and featured discussions on pancreatic cancer and how it has become the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.
According to Dr. Anupam Dhasmana, assistant research scientist with the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, by 2030, this condition is going to secure the second position for causes of death by cancer.
That is why events like purple night are critical to teaching the community about cancer awareness and possibly saving lives by reversing this trend.
Thank you to those who were able to attend this year's Purple Night.
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UTRGV SOM
takes part in
"Walk to End Epilepsy"
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As part of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, the UTRGV SOM together with UT Health RGV took part in the Walk to End Epilepsy event, November 13th.
In attendance were UT Health RGV physicians Dr. Michael Dobbs, Dr. Frank Gilliam, and Dr. Dustin Paul, from our Department of Neurology.
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November's Incoming Faculty |
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Below is a list of our new faculty members. We welcome our new faculty members and thank them for joining us as we work to increase access to high-quality clinical care and education in our community:
Incoming Faculty
- Dr. Ney M. Alley Rodriguez - Neuroscience
- Dr. Alan Francis - Neuroscience
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UTRGV faculty studying role of pharmacists in opioid treatment |
Two UTRGV faculty are researching why pharmacists haven’t played a much bigger role in federal efforts to combat nationwide misuse of opioids.
Dr. Tamara Al Rawwad, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor in the UTRGV School of Social Work, said that is changing, however, and the national strategy recommends that pharmacists – who are trained in medication management – be included on opioid abuse care teams.
“Pharmacists are highly accessible medication experts who play a critical role in medication management, even if they don’t administer or prescribe it,” Al Rawwad said. “That’s so important with opioids because each case is unique, and the pharmacist has the best training to monitor side effects and educate patients. They have to be part of the team.”
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Fourth-year medical student,
Sahar Panjwani excited to begin career in medicine
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Meet UTRGV fourth-year medical student, Sahar Panjwani.
Panjwani, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona attended Emory University for her undergraduate degree and majored in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology with a minor in Economics.
Panjwani, explains what inspired her to pursue a career in medicine:
"My parents are both healthcare professionals and after seeing their passion and dedication for the field, I further explored medicine through shadowing and volunteering opportunities," she said. "I loved hearing the physicians talk about patient cases and found myself enjoying every patient interaction I had. Medicine combines all of my favorite things: helping people, collaboration, algorithms, problem-solving, and making people smile."
Good luck to Sahar Panjwani in her journey to becoming a medical professional.
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Your gift to the School of Medicine supports our mission to educate a diverse group of medical students and future scientists to benefit the Rio Grande Valley and the world.
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The University of Texas
Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
Phone: (956) 296-1900
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