Upcoming Events
- Feb 4 Annual Cardiology Prevention Forum
The “Million Hearts” initiative will be featured at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston’s 22nd annual Preventive Cardiology Forum from 7:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, in Room 3.001, 6431 Fannin. UT Physicians experts in the field of preventive cardiology and neurology will present “Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the ‘Million Hearts’ Initiative” during the free event, which is aimed at healthcare professionals.
- Feb 9 Webinar – Brain Tumors and Meningiomas
Join Dong Kim, M.D., UT Physicians neurosurgeon and chief of neurosurgery at the Mischer Neuroscience Institute, on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 3 – 4 p.m., as he guides you through an online presentation about treating brain tumors. The free webinar will include information on meningioma tumors and how neurosurgeons use the Leksell Gamma Knife® to treat tumors. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
- Feb 11 Untangling ADHD and Bipolar Disorder Across the Age Spectrum
The Third Annual UT Psychiatry Update: “Untangling ADHD and Bipolar Disorder Across the Age Spectrum.” UT Physicians present conference targeting healthcare professions, including mental health professionals and other
clinicians.- Feb 14 UT Physicians Bariatric Surgery Information Session
UT Physicians Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas answer all of your questions about bariatric surgery. Meet our UT Physicians at our Bellaire location, 6700 West Loop South, Suite 500.
RSVP: 713.892.5500- Feb 21 UT Physicians Reflux Surgery Information Session
UT Physicians Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas answer all of your questions about reflux surgery. Meet our UT Physicians at our Bellaire location, 6700 West Loop South, Suite 500.
RSVP: 713.892.5500- Feb 22 UT Physicians Bariatric Surgery Information Session
UT Physicians Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas answer all of your questions about bariatric surgery. Meet our UT Physicians at our Bellaire location, 6700 West Loop South, Suite 500..
RSVP: 713.892.5500- Feb 29 Memorial Hermann Red Wine & Dark Chocolate Heart Event
Grab your friends for a fun evening and discover what makes your heart tick! Hosted by experts affiliated with Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center. Join us as we reveal how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle:
- Mar 25 Run for the Rose
The 10th Annual Run for the Rose, which directly benefits initiatives at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and funds brain cancer research, will take place Sunday, March 25 at Reliant Park.
News and Events
Study: Heart attack patients who call 911 are sicker
A retrospective study reveals that those who call 911 are most likely to have suffered a severe heart attack and despite receiving treatment quickly…
Surgeons implant first transcatheter artificial heart valve in Houston
Cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons at the Medical School and Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute are the first in Houston to implant the artificial heart valve …
Chronic reflux sufferers sought for study on innovative procedure
UT Physicians are recruiting adults with chronic reflux for a clinical trial on an innovative procedure designed to provide long-lasting relief…
Patients needed for clinical trials on colic, excessive crying
The wail of a colicky baby can send parents into near panic and cause sleepless nights for all. Now, two innovative research studies are being conducted …
Annual Cardiology Preventive Forum focuses on “Million Hearts”
The ‘Million Hearts” initiative will be featured at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston’s 22nd annual Preventive Cardiology Forum …
UT Physicians breaks ground in Cinco Ranch
UT Physicians officially broke ground on new construction with a groundbreaking ceremony for its newest health center Dec. 8 at 23923 Cinco Ranch Blvd…
Genetic counselor wins New Leader Award
Kate Wilson, UT Physicians genetic counselor, received the 2011 National Society of Genetic Counselors New Leader Award at the NSGC 2011 Annual Education Conference in October in San Diego. Nominated by her genetic counseling colleagues and awarded by the NSGC awards committee, Wilson was one of two winners of the national award, which recognizes a [...]
Researchers find heart muscle ‘sells the family silver’
UTHealth researchers have discovered that heart muscle cells eat their own proteins in order to stay alive. The original research paper by Kedryn Baskin, a student in the Program of Integrative and Regulatory Biology of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Heinrich Taegtmeyer, M.D., UT Physicians cardiologist, was recently published in Circulation Research, a [...]
End of film era — Radiology retires last of multiviewers
The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging ended the era of radiological film as the last of the multiviewers was retired from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Oct. 24. Standing over six-feet tall, the newest and sole remaining member of a fleet of 25 multiviewers was purchased in 1997. The machine held 50 back-lit film panels, [...]
Carotid artery stenting possible for high-risk patients with lesions
Patients who are not candidates for traditional surgery for severe carotid artery disease lesions could be treated with carotid artery stenting, according to results of a small feasibility study by UT Physicians cardiologists. The results were presented Nov. 9 by lead investigator Colin Barker, M.D., UT Physicians cardiologist, at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s annual scientific [...]
Helpline focuses on dangerous substances for pregnant women
A new toll-free helpline developed to help pregnant women avoid medications and other substances that can cause birth defects has been launched by the Medical School for the Texas Department of State Health Services. The free helpline for health care professionals and pregnant women, 1.855.884.7248, connects to bilingual counselors who can answer questions about substances [...]
Neurological study furthers understanding of major indicators of brain activity
Despite advances in neuroscience, much about how the brain functions remains a mystery. To figure out what is going on inside your head, doctors rely on a combination of indirect indicators, such as changes in blood flow or electrical activity of the brain. A new clinical study challenges a widely held belief about the relationship [...]
Hecht receives national recognition for MHE research
Jacqueline Hecht, Ph.D., UT Physicians medical geneticist, has received the 2011 REACH Research Award from the MHE Research Foundation in honor of her tireless dedication to Multiple Hereditary Exostoses (MHE), a genetic bone disorder. A board certified medical-geneticist specializing in disorders related to bone growth, Dr. Hecht provides diagnostic and genetic counseling to patients and [...]
Alzheimer’s disease transmission may be similar to infectious prion diseases
The brain damage that characterizes Alzheimer’s disease may originate in a form similar to that of infectious prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, according to newly published research by The University of Texas Medical School at Houston scientists. “Our findings open the possibility that some of the sporadic Alzheimer’s cases [...]
Study reveals common gene variant associated with aortic dissection
Richard Holbrooke, John Ritter, Lucille Ball, and Great Britain’s King George II were all taken by the same silent killer: an acute aortic dissection. Now, scientists led by researchers at The University of Texas Medical School, associated with UT Physicians, and Baylor College of Medicine have found an association with a common genetic variant in [...]
Genomic analysis of superbug provides clues to antibiotic resistance
An analysis of the genome of a superbug has yielded crucial, novel information that could aid efforts to counteract the bacterium’s resistance to an antibiotic of last resort. The results of the research led by scientists from the Division of Infectious Diseases are published in the Sept. 8 issue of the New England Journal of [...]
Bone marrow stem cell therapy safe for acute stroke
Using a patient’s own bone marrow stem cells to treat acute stroke is feasible and safe, according to the results of a ground-breaking Phase I trial conducted by Medical School researchers. The trial was the first ever to harvest an acute stroke patient’s own stem cells from the iliac crest of the leg, separate them, [...]
Study involves new medication for depression
A new medication to treat major depressive disorder in patients who have not responded to other antidepressants is being studied in a Phase II clinical trial by Medical School researchers. The drug, identified as BMS-820836 by its maker Bristol-Myers Squibb, affects the brain’s neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, says the study’s principal investigator Dr. Jair Soares, [...]
Scientists discover critical piece to puzzling form of arthritis of the spine
When a person starts complaining of acute back or pelvic pain, his or her doctor will sometimes order a blood test tied to a form of inflammatory arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis (AS). If the test comes back positive for the human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27), the patient’s likelihood of having AS increases. But, no one [...]
UT Physicians at Sienna Village celebrates 10,000th patient
Less than a year after it opened, UT Physicians at Sienna Village celebrated the arrival of its 10,000th patient when Mary Koehler recently stepped through the door. “Reaching the milestone of serving the 10,000th patient at UT Physicians at Sienna Village is amazing since we’re just now coming up on the first anniversary of opening the [...]
Study uses new stem cell therapy in patients up to 19 days after stroke
The first Texas patient has been enrolled by researchers at the Medical School in the country’s first double-blind clinical trial studying the safety and efficacy of an innovative stem cell therapy that can be given up to 19 days after an ischemic stroke. The Phase II study, cleared by the Federal Drug Administration, examines a [...]
Bynon to head immunology, organ transplant
Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo has announced J. Steve Bynon Jr., M.D., as the new director of the Division of Immunology and Organ Transplantation in the Department of Surgery. In his role, Dr. Bynon will be responsible for leading the programs in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation. He also will serve as Abdominal Organ Transplant Program director [...]
National quality committee recognizes UT Physicians family medicine clinic
The UT Physicians Family Medicine clinic in the Texas Medical Center has received a special designation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a model for patient-centered care. The Family Medicine clinic was designated a NCQA Recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home, a model of healthcare delivery that aims to improve quality and efficiency. “This [...]
Arnett Center for Autoimmunity, Immunobiology opens
UT Physicians is proud to announce the new Frank C. Arnett, M.D., Center for Autoimmunity and Immunobiology in the UT Professional Building, Suite 450. The new UT Physicians center is named in honor of Frank Arnett, M.D., recently retired UT Physicians rheumatologist and former chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. The facility incorporates the [...]
Clinical trial aimed at helping pregnant women stop smoking
A clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a medication that could help pregnant women stop smoking has begun enrolling patients at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The study targets pregnant women in their second and third trimesters when smoking can be quite harmful to the fetus, says Angela [...]



