“For the past five years, we’ve been building an orthopedic program the community can trust, and we’re excited to bring our program to The Woodlands,” said Walt Lowe, M.D., UT Physicians orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute. “This new location will bring residents of The Woodlands the same level of comprehensive orthopedic care available in the Texas Medical Center and Memorial City Medical Center.”

“We are excited to see the launch of the third Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute location,” said Andrew Messick, chief executive officer of World Triathlon Corporation (d/b/a IRONMAN). “We embrace our relationship with Memorial Hermann and are thrilled that there is now another incredible facility to push the frontiers of sport medicine.”

The 20,000-square-foot facility, located directly across from the hospital at 9305 Pinecroft Drive, Suite 450, is a collaboration between Memorial Hermann and UT Physicians. Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute in The Woodlands offers physician services, physical therapy, human performance testing, strength and conditioning, and sports nutrition counseling under one roof.

“Patients can expect high-quality, sport-specific care for athletes of all abilities and ages, from teens to active seniors,” said A. Brant Lipscomb, M.D., UT Physicians orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of The Woodlands location. “Memorial Hermann’s vast resources, state-of-the-art facilities and leading-edge technology enable us to provide the complete spectrum of care that athletes need to stay active in the sports they enjoy.”

Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute in The Woodlands is affiliated with UT Physicians—fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons who also serve on the faculty of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Dr. Lipscomb specializes in sports medicine with special interests in arthroscopic and open surgery of the shoulder and knee. He is joined by Kelly Blevins, M.D., UT Physicians orthopaedic surgeon, who specializes in sports related injuries and foot and ankle disorders as well as joint replacement, and Kevin Coupe, M.D., UT Physicians orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician whose interests include shoulder and knee arthroscopy.

“We are proud to welcome Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute to The Woodlands,” said Josh Urban, COO of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. “This Institute and the services provided will further enhance our relationships with our sports partners, including several local school districts, professional select and recreational sports teams, and many local running and multi-sport clubs, and bring top-notch sports medicine services to weekend warriors.”

The Institute is an extension of Memorial Hermann’s long-term partnership with IRONMAN. For more information about Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute and its locations in the Texas Medical Center, Memorial City, and The Woodlands, visit ironman.memorialhermann.org or call 713.242.2270.

The medical group practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston (a part of UTHealth), UT Physicians offers the most advanced technologies with a personalized touch from its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at a growing number of clinics throughout the greater Houston area.

—Lindsey Klingensmith, Memorial Hermann

The $2.2 million, five-year study will compare a more in-depth program to reduce infant secondhand smoke exposure with conventional care practices currently used in the Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
“People have a lot of misinformation,” says Angela Stotts, Ph.D., associate professor of family and community medicine at the UTHealth Medical School. “They know that smoking is bad but not why. Secondhand smoke exposure leads to longer hospital stays, asthma, ear infections, respiratory infections, and sudden infant death syndrome.”

Dr. Stotts and fellow researchers will enroll a total of 396 low-income families who report a household smoker and have an infant at high respiratory risk in the NICU.

“Because smoking remains concentrated in less educated and impoverished communities, NICU families with household smokers are at significant risk for tobacco-related health disparities—a substantial burden to families with limited resources and the communities in which they reside,” Dr. Stotts wrote in the study’s abstract.

Study participants are randomized to one of two groups and both receive the standard educational information about the dangers of secondhand smoke. Families in the more intensive program also have four one-hour counseling sessions—two at the hospital and two at their home after discharge—and incentives for attendance and establishing a home smoking ban. Infant urine cotinine tests and household air nicotine monitors will be used to assess secondhand smoke exposure.

“This will be the first study of an innovative combination of motivational strategies to discourage household secondhand smoke within the context of a NICU to improve the health of vulnerable infants and their families, potentially saving health care dollars,” Dr. Stotts says.

The study is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (R01HL107404), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The medical group practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston (a part of UTHealth), UT Physicians offers the most advanced technologies with a personalized touch from its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at a growing number of clinics throughout the greater Houston area.

—Deborah Mann Lake, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

The conference will focus on the differences between the nosology of ASDs provided in the DSM-IV and new DSM-V, current research on the behavioral manifestations of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in infants and toddlers, and action pathways for appropriate screening, referrals, interventions and advocacy for ASDs, particularly in populations that are underrepresented in healthcare.

Keynote Speaker Dr. Fred Volkmar will present, “From DSM-IV to DSM-5—Progress or Problems?”

The daylong conference will be held 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The program will be of interest to primary care physicians, psychologists, residents, fellows, medical students, nurses, OT/PTs, LCSWs, speech language pathologists, educators, ECI and child care providers.

The LoneStar LEND is a collaborative effort between UTHealth, University of Houston, Texas Women’s University, University of Houston Clear Lake and Baylor College of Medicine. Its purpose is to improve global service delivery, including increased identification and diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum and other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (ASD/ND), to children with ASD/ND across the state of Texas in the Core Disciplines by providing training not only in the Texas Medical Center, but also across the entire state through a Distance Learning Initiative and annual conference.

To register and for more information, please visit www.utcme.net.

The medical group practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston (a part of UTHealth), UT Physicians offers the most advanced technologies with a personalized touch from its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at a growing number of clinics throughout the greater Houston area.