Impact April 2016

UTMB Newsletter • April 2016

Risking life and paw to protect Medical students find their “match” Spotlight on Angleton Danbury Campus administrator

Documenting UTMB’s institutional memory

Rebecca Castro, LCSW, was named Social Worker of the Year by the Gulf Coast Branch of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The annual award honors a member who exemplifies the best of the profession’s values and achievements through specific accomplishments. Castro has been at UTMB for more than 20 years, spending 13 years in the Emergency Department before moving to the Community Health Program. She is currently working to reintegrate the practice of social work at UTMB, bringing together social workers from across the institution to promote and support interdisciplinary, coordinated patient care.

Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, vice president and chief medical officer, was recently named by Becker’s Hospital Review to its list of “100 Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know.”

The list comprises physician leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to improving and innovating patient safety and quality endeavors.

Since joining UTMB in 2014, Rogers has also served as assistant dean for clinical affairs in the School of Medicine. A surgeon and public health expert, he is a strong collaborator and advocate for patient-centered care and the elimination of health care disparities.

Two UTMB faculty members were honored by the Texas Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine at the group’s annual meeting at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Elena Volpi, MD, PhD, director of the Sealy Center on Aging, was presented with the Honor Award, given for her outstanding contributions to exercise and sports medicine. Elizabeth Protas, PhD, dean of the School of Health Professions, received the Service Award for her significant service to the Chapter. She has served as the group’s president and executive director.

Alan Barrett, PhD, professor of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology, and director of the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, has been elected to the 2016 American Academy of Microbiology Fellowship, a leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology. Fellows of the Academy are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Barrett will be recognized at the Fellows Reception in Boston this June.

UTMB recently achieved “2016 Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality” status from the Human Rights Campaign and will be featured as an Equality Leader in the Healthcare Equality Index 2016 report. The Healthcare Equality Index is the national LGBT benchmarking tool that evaluates health care facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBT patients, visitors and employees. The 2016 report evaluates more than 1,500 health care facilities nationwide. UTMB’s Diversity Council provides oversight and implementation accountability for the various aspects of our diversity and inclusion strategic plan.

Abbey Berenson, MD, MMS, PhD, has been awarded more than $1.4 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute to increase the number of teens and young adults vaccinated against HPV, which is linked with several cancers. The research team will use several strategies to achieve this goal, including counseling patients or their parents, providing vaccinations at no cost to the patient, conducting cervical cancer screening on women 21 years of age and older, educating providers to increase their knowledge and comfort level with recommending the HPV vaccine, and community outreach.

Partha Sarkar, PhD, has been awarded more than $2.3 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to investigate how the genetic mutations responsible for Huntington’s Disease drive the loss of muscle function and neurons characteristic of this degenerative, fatal disease. The mechanistic insights obtained from these studies may identify molecular targets to develop therapeutic strategies for Huntington’s.

APRIL 2016

impact

From the President

APRIL 2016

By the time this issue of Impact hits newsstands, UTMB will have safely transferred 185 patients from adult medical, surgical and intensive care units in John Sealy Hospital to their new rooms in Jennie Sealy Hospital. We have for many years looked forward to the day when Jennie Sealy would be open to patients, and we can now look forward to serving patients and their families there well into the future. You can read more about the hospital on page 11.

Risking life and paw to protect

But we aren’t done growing. Our hospital and emergency department on the League City Campus are set to open in early June. Check iUTMB for information on the May 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of this newest UTMB inpatient facility.

Page 4

In the meantime, this issue is full of stories about how our people are advancing our mission.

Among them: • A day in the life of UTMB’s archivist, Bobby Marlin • A profile of Katrina Lambrecht, vice president and administrator of our Angleton Danbury Campus

Day in the Life of a UTMB archivist

• The students who are helping make a difference at St. Vincent’s Clinic

Page 8

• GSBS student Chris Roundy and his backyard mosquito traps that are part of the fight against infectious diseases • UTMB Police Canine Officer Wesley Braunsdorf and his four-legged partner, Noey • A nurse and soon-to-be UTMB School of Medicine alumna who’s celebrating Match Day results • An overview of parking changes and a reminder to WEAR your badge for workplace security

Celebrating Match Day

• In the spirit of Earth Day, tips to “go green” by Ken Steblein

Page 10

• Numerous accomplishments and kudos in the Working Wonders column and throughout the newsletter Enjoy the articles, and be proud of all you make possible for those we serve.

Thank you!

Spotlight on ADC Administrator

Dr. David L. Callender UTMB President

Impact is for and about the people who fulfill UTMB’s mission to improve health in Texas and around the world. We hope you enjoy reading this issue. Let us know what you think!

ON THE COVER: UTMB archivist Bobby Marlin stands next to a table full of artifacts, rare books and drawings from the Truman G. Blocker Jr. History of Medicine Collections.

Housed in the Moody Medical Library on UTMB’s Galveston Campus, it’s the largest and most significant collection in the southern United States on the history of biomedical sciences.

P rinted by U T MB graphic design & P rinting S ervices

Page 12

Vice President Marketing & Communications Steve Campbell

Contact us Email: impact.newsletter@utmb.edu Phone: (409) 772-2618

Associate Vice President Marketing & Communications Mary Havard

Campus mail route: 0144 U.S. Postal address: UTMB Marketing & Communications

301 University Boulevard

Galveston, TX 77555-0144

Editors Kristen Hensley KirstiAnn Clifford Stephen Hadley Art Director Mark Navarro

c a m pus s a f e t y

B y K irsti A nn C lifford

You’ll never see one without the other.

Whether tracking a fleeing crime suspect at 3 a.m. or spending a quiet night at home with family, UTMB Police Canine Officer Wesley Braunsdorf and his four-legged partner, Noey, go everywhere together.

“I’m with Noey more than I’m with my family,” said Braunsdorf, who is married and has a 9-year-old daughter and two other dogs at home. “It’s an interesting dynamic.”

Growing up with dogs, Braunsdorf said it was a “dream come true” when he was selected as UTMB’s first canine officer three years ago. Since then, Noey and Braunsdorf have completed extensive training and certifications to help them protect UTMB and the greater community.

As one of a few police dogs in Galveston County trained to sniff out explosives, Noey is often called upon to help partnering law enforcement agencies.

“Pretty much every bomb threat or suspicious package, one of us is getting a phone call,” said Braunsdorf. “If it’s a school and the area is really large, we’ll tag-team it with another canine officer to knock it out quickly. Noey is patrol-certified, too, so she does tracking and apprehensions. Sometimes, we’ll get a call in the middle of the night to help the Galveston Police Department find a suspect. Or they are running a high-risk warrant and in case someone runs out the back, we’ll hold perimeter.”

Noey and Braunsdorf have even helped the Galveston PD successfully capture two murder suspects after a drug deal went bad.

“GPD set up a good perimeter and we tracked the suspects from yard to yard until they bailed and got in a vehicle—then we stopped them a block away,” said Braunsdorf. “If Noey hadn’t been there to track them, they probably would have been able to hide.”

A Belgian Malinois, Noey’s breed is a premier dog for law enforcement because it excels at patrol work, tracking and explosives detection.

The training never stops—every day, the duo will do something, whether it’s obedience or patrol work. Along with UTMB’s newest canine, Jay, who joined the force in February, they meet up with other canine officers from around the region regularly to go over different scenarios.

4

UTMB Police Canine Officer Wesley Braunsdorf and his partner, Noey.

To Noey, it’s a game. When she successfully alerts Braunsdorf to the scent of an explosive, she will receive her favorite reward, a tug toy. But game or not, Noey can be an intimidating addition to the police team. Hearing her bark from inside the police SUV can be enough for criminals to willingly give themselves up.

“I don’t see how anyone would run from a police dog,” said UTMB Police Lt. Ryan Erwin, who volunteered to wear a padded bite suit for one of Noey’s training sessions. “When she tagged me, I could just feel the pressure of her teeth. You never get used to it.”

The bond between Noey and Braunsdorf is evident when you watch them working together—and Noey does everything she can to protect him, whether in training or real life. It’s a dangerous but important job that requires a strong relationship between officer and canine, forged over countless hours of training, working and living together.

“I enjoy helping people and the adrenaline rush that comes with it,” said Braunsdorf. “For us to be able to either squash a threat or identify it immediately benefits everyone.”

APRIL 2016

impact

PAT IENT CARE

St. Vincent’s Student Clinic helps patients access medications they need but can’t afford

B y K irsti A nn C lifford

A team of student volunteers at St. Vincent’s Student-Run Free Clinic in Galveston are working to make sure patients don’t have to choose between filling their prescriptions or buying food.

With prescription drug costs higher than ever, many patients are left with few options for affordable medications. Even a $4 prescription can be too costly for many who seek care at St. Vincent’s, which is a collaborative effort between St. Vincent’s House and UTMB. The clinic provides medical care for more than 800 uninsured and underinsured people in the Galveston area each year—people who, without St. Vincent’s, would have no way to see a doctor.

“Our volunteers don’t just write a prescription and assume someone can get it,” said Amerisa Waters, a UTMB graduate student and clinic director at St. Vincent’s. “Many of our patients have no income, so four dollars is cost prohibitive. And if the most appropriate drug is brand-name only, it could cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.”

While the non-profit clinic has a pharmacy, not all medications are always available or in stock. That’s where patient assistance comes in. Patient assistance programs, or PAPs, are typically offered by pharmaceutical companies to provide free or low-cost prescription drugs to qualifying individuals. But it’s up the health care provider and patient to research and understand the eligibility criteria and application process.

St. Vincent’s Clinic has offered medication assistance for years, but Waters has been key in heightening awareness and educating others about the important program.

Very quickly, she found that patient assistance was more than a one-person job. The paperwork required for each application is extensive and requires Amerisa Waters shows Laura Muruato how to fill constant follow-up to out a patient assistance application. make sure no patient falls through the cracks.

“Each application for medication is different, but you have to show proof of income, or no income, and some require more formal documentation,” said Waters. “We have to follow up to make sure the fax was received and everything was filled out exactly right. It’s a multilayered process and we’ve worked to create educational tools for volunteers to teach them about patient assistance and develop a system to track each application.”

She’s recruited several students to help with the growth and development of the program and credits others with making the PAP what it is today.

The patient assistance team includes School of Medicine students Adriene Eastaway, Erin Dinehart, James Truong, Ashley Halbert, Atul Gupta, Russell Purpura and GSBS student Laura Muruato.

Whether it’s a prescription to clear a sinus infection or a medication for managing a potentially life-threatening condition such as diabetes or heart disease, the student volunteers at St. Vincent’s Clinic are committed to helping patients access needed drugs. It’s part of their mission to provide high-quality care to the whole person, while teaching students important practices and values that will be useful throughout their careers.

“I have a background in retail pharmacy, so helping out on the non-clinical side with patient assistance was a natural fit,” said Waters, who is a PhD student in Medical Humanities. “I worked for years as a full-time pharmacy technician, so I’m familiar with the various medications and engaging with insurance companies. Working in a pharmacy really opened my eyes to how people struggle to get medication and all the things that can prevent it from happening. So as I started at St. Vincent’s two years ago, it went from having everybody working on juggling all their roles and patient assistance, The patient assistance team (left-right): Laura Muruato, Ashley to having a more central person Halbert, Amerisa Waters, James Truong and Erin Dinehart. Not pictured: Adriene Eastaway, Atul Gupta and Russell Purpura. where this is their role.”

impact

APRIL 2016

“We are able to sit down with patients and take the time to listen to them, and if they have a problem like they can’t get their medications, we’ll say ‘Let’s try to figure out a way to solve that,’” said Truong, a medical student and clinic director. “That’s really powerful for the patient. They are absolutely grateful that you care so much and are willing to go the extra mile to help them. And as a student, seeing people suffer like that is not right and helping them troubleshoot and solve their issues is just awesome.”

5

RESEARCH

B y stephen hadley

I

t’s early morning as Chris Roundy methodically checks the small black traps in a Galveston backyard, looking intently for the tiny treasures that might help scientists researching arboviruses, including Zika and dengue fever.

“Collecting local species of mosquitoes for use in lab testing is vitally important,” says Roundy, a second-year graduate student in UTMB’s Human Pathophysiology and Translational Medicine Program.

“It’s critical that we have mosquito populations in our lab that are as fresh from the field as possible. If you bring mosquitoes into a lab and breed them through many generations, they may become different from the mosquitoes in the

In this case, the treasures are mosquito eggs that Roundy hopes will line the textured paper that’s inside the traps. If he finds them, the eggs will be brought back to Graduate student Chris Roundy checks one of the 20 mosquito traps located on Galveston Island. the Keiller Building lab where they will eventually hatch into mosquitoes to be used in experiments that field in their ability to transmit viruses. researchers are conducting into the deadly viruses.

“If we really want to determine how these species transmit Zika, then we need to be looking at field-fresh mosquito populations.”

RESEAR C H B RIEF S Compiled from press releases written by Donna Ramirez.

Find out more at www.utmb.edu/newsroom.

Ramkumar Menon, PhD, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has found that higher concentrations of Bisphenol A, or BPA, the common plastics chemical and environmental pollutant, in a pregnant woman’s blood may be a contributing factor in preterm births.

The UTMB study found that pregnant women with higher levels of BPA in their blood are more likely to deliver their babies early compared to women with lower levels of BPA. The investigators analyzed blood samples from pregnant women and from the amniotic fluid of the fetus. BPA is used in the construction and coatings of food containers, and its release into food is increased by microwave or other heat sources. It is structurally similar to the female hormone estrogen and binds to estrogen receptors within the body, including those responsible for inflam-

6

mation. Abnormal inflammation increases the risk of a number of pregnancy complications, including water breaking early and preterm birth. This is the first study to investigate the role of BPA blood levels on risk of preterm birth and suggests that a better understanding of how BPA may alter maternal physiology is needed to minimize the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The team is currently conducting studies using cells from pregnant women’s uteruses and fetal membranes to document these molecular pathways and identify potential targets for intervention. The study was published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.

MD/PhD student Aaron Gray has found that women who take birth control pills, which lessen and stabilize estrogen levels, are less likely to suffer serious knee injuries. The study found that young women between 15 and 19 with an anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, knee injury who were taking birth control pills were less likely to need corrective surgery than women of the same age with ACL injuries who did not use birth control pills. Damage to this ligament is a serious athletic injury that can be career altering and

APRIL 2016

impact

RESEARCH

Since February, Roundy and his colleagues have placed 20 different types of mosquito traps near apartments and homes in Galveston to collect local mosquitoes that can be studied in the lab. While it’s still early in the season, as the temperature and humidity levels increase in the coming months, Roundy says they plan to have as many as 100 traps in operation across the island.

believed the traps will help them determine which of the Aedes mosquito is more prevalent in Galveston.

“We’d like to use satellite images of the island to determine different kinds of land use, whether it’s developed for housing or downtown centers or if it’s rural marshland,” Roundy said.

“Then, we’ll survey each of those specific land uses and see what kinds of mosquito populations are there and determine if there’s a difference in those populations based on land use here in Galveston.”

Determining which species is more common is significant, Roundy says, because it is believed that aegypti is better at transmitting viruses including Zika and dengue fever.

Chris Roundy checks a mosquito trap in a Brazilian neighborhood. Roundy traveled to Brazil recently as part of a team of researchers studying the Zika virus.

Roundy said researchers are looking specifically at two urban species of the Aedes mosquito: aegypti and albopictus. It is

lead to lifelong issues with knee instability, altered walking gait and early-onset arthritis. Researchers have proposed that the female hormone estrogen makes women more vulnerable to ACL injury by weakening this ligament. A previous investigation found that more ACL injuries in women occur during the points of their menstrual cycle when estrogen levels are high. Birth control pills help maintain lower and more consistent levels of estrogen, which may prevent periodic ACL weakness. UTMB researchers questioned whether oral contraceptive use protected against ACL injuries that require surgery in women.

They found that women between 15 and 19 in need of ACL reconstructive surgery were 22 percent less likely to be using the birth control pill than non-injured women of the same age. The findings are available in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

impact

APRIL 2016

“It’s usually presumed that aegypti has a stronger presence but that is only true in the U.S. along the Gulf Coast,” Roundy says.

“If you were in the Midwest or further up on the East Coast, albopictus is more prevalent.”

Roundy says that back in the lab, researchers are infecting the trapped mosquitoes with Zika to determine how long it takes for them to start transmitting the virus and how good they are transmitting the virus and then comparing those outcomes with the same species from different countries, including Brazil and Thailand.

“We’re also testing different strains of the virus,” he says. “We have strains from the American outbreak, and we also have strains from older outbreaks in Cambodia and Dakar to see if there’s any combination of viral strain and mosquito strain that either hinders viral replication in the mosquito or enhances it.

“We’re not at the point to where we’ve seen that because we’re still ramping up these studies. But if we do see that, the obvious question would be, ‘Why?’” Roundy believes the mosquito traps provide a valuable addition to researchers’ work with arboviruses by providing a fresh batch of field specimens for experiments.

“Ultimately, the work we’re doing is very relevant to problems in global health,” Roundy says. “Both chikungunya and Zika in recent years have shown how quickly an arbovirus can emerge into a naïve region and then just spread like wildfire.”

Dr. Tasnee Chonmaitree, professor of Pediatrics, has found that rates of ear infections during a baby’s first year have declined from the late 1980s and 1990s; the research suggests that higher rates of breastfeeding, use of vaccinations and lower rates of smoking may be the major contributors. The rates of ear infection dropped from 18 percent to 6 percent in 3-month-olds, from 39 percent to 23 percent in 6-month-olds and from 62 percent to 46 percent in 1-year-olds. The research showed that frequent upper respiratory infections, presence of bacteria in the nose, and lack of breastfeeding are major risk factors for ear infections. In addition, prolonged breastfeeding was associated with significant reductions in both colds and ear infections, which are a common complication of the cold. It is likely that medical interventions in the past few decades, such as the use of pneumonia and flu vaccines and decreased smoking, helped reduce ear infection incidences. The study was recently published in the journal Pediatrics.

7

B y K irsti A nn C lifford

“Ever wondered what it would be like to live on the Moon?” Bobby Marlin asks, as he points to an oversized drawing from the 1950s. It was made by Dr. James Gaume, who was charged with designing the first house in outer space—before man had even left the atmosphere.

It’s still early on a Thursday morning, but UTMB archivist Bobby Marlin is a ball of energy, showing me one rare artifact after the next from the Truman G. Blocker Jr. History of Medicine Collections. Housed in the Moody Medical Library on UTMB’s Galveston Campus, it’s the largest and most significant collection in the southern United States on the history of biomedical sciences.

Harvey’s book is part of the Rare Book Collection, which has over 20,000 titles dating back to the 1300s. As a certified archivist, Marlin is really a jack-of-all-trades. Not only is he responsible for making sure million-dollar books are kept in good shape for future generations, he also helps researchers from Texas and around the world access materials they need; accepts and supervises the processing of incoming collections; answers reference questions; and manages the University Archives, which chronicle UTMB’s 125-year history through its collection of papers of UTMB faculty, staff and students, as well as the records of UTMB departments.

Several times a week, Marlin is called to a department to look at records that no longer need to be kept. In fact, he went through 133 boxes at Records Management the week before.

“And this is the million-dollar book you were asking about,” said Marlin, as he carefully picks up an original copy of William Harvey’s “De Motu Cordis,” circa 1628. “Harvey was the physician to the English King James I and was the first to demonstrate that blood is pumped by the heart and moves in a circular fashion. There are only 48 original copies in the world. Whenever I pull this book out to show anyone, I will check Marlin stands next to a microscope once used by French chemist and microbiologist Louis at least three times to Pasteur. It is one of more than 100 antique microscopes in the Truman G. Blocker Jr History make sure I put it back!” of Medicine Collections.

8

“A large part of my job is to document the institutional memory of UTMB, and it’s important to do that without making judgments, because none of us can be certain what will be important in 50 years,” said Marlin. “But you can’t keep everything, either, so it can be challenging. Once I throw something out, it’s gone. A lot of times, I’m the last person to see documents before they go in the shredder.”

APRIL 2016

impact

Marlin is also in the midst of processing a collection by Dr. Thomas Cronin, a 1932 graduate of UTMB who developed the first silicone breast implant and performed the first breast implant surgery.

As we talk about some of the recent treasures he’s found, a small team of library staff arrives to discuss a current project with the Texas Digital Library, a consortium of higher education institutions in Texas that provides shared services in support of research, teaching and the advancement of scholarship. Marlin and his staff have been working closely with Dr. William Thornton, a former NASA astronaut, medical doctor and UTMB professor, to scan and upload his papers to the digital library.

“His cutting-edge work documented the changes in body size and shape, including increase in height and loss of body mass in space flight,” said Marlin. “This is timely, especially with the news that NASA astronaut Scott Kelly grew two inches after spending a year in space, so we want to get this online and accessible to researchers and the public.”

Thornton’s collection is massive. More than 200 boxes have been donated so far, and Marlin and his team are working as quickly and efficiently as they can to process it all.

“I received a call from Dr. Cronin’s nephew, who was a 1971 UTMB graduate,” said Marlin, picking up a prototype of an original Cronin implant from the 1960s. “At first, I didn’t know who he was, but when I began to research, I realized this was going to be a major addition to our collections. It’s pretty cool.”

“There’s no shortage of rich history to document and share at UTMB.”

“Sometimes donated materials come in really good shape and are already largely organized; other times, it looks like it was just thrown in a box in no particular order,” said Marlin. “It makes a huge difference in time and energy and effort.”

We walk into the rare book vault on the third floor of the library, where Marlin and his team have begun “gross sorting” Thornton’s papers by placing them into like-piles on a large table. The next steps involve putting them into labeled folders and creating a finding aid that is searchable. impact

APRIL 2016

In order to preserve materials as long as possible, the Rare Book Vault is kept at a constant 68 degrees, with relative humidity of 45 percent.

Marlin checks his hygrothermograph, an instrument that measures and records humidity and temperature, religiously to make sure nothing changes.

I leave Marlin as he starts pulling material to answer a few reference questions that have come in since I arrived. Depending on the complexity of the question, it could take Marlin half a day or more to find the answers. But he’s up for the challenge.

“We are here to serve the university and get people the information they need to accomplish their goals—whether that’s writing an article, publishing a book or finding out information about a relative who went to UTMB,” said Marlin. “I work with a fabulous group of people to make that happen. There’s no shortage of rich history to document and share at UTMB. To be a small part of that is awesome.”

9

e d uc at i o n

B y K irsti A nn C lifford

F

ourth-year medical student Agnes Usoro looked calm as she waited to receive the envelope that would reveal her fate for the next three to seven years.

of me is a really big part of why I like emergency medicine, because you don’t have to worry about a lot of red tape or a patient’s insurance situation.”

“I was more nervous last night,” said Usoro. “But today, I’m pretty calm.

It’s all in God’s hands—I’m just really excited to find out where I’m headed!”

As her siblings and best friend watched with anticipation, Usoro’s mother opened her daughter’s envelope, pulled out the piece of paper and read where she matched: the Emergency Medicine department at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Usoro was one of 218 students at UTMB—more than 30,000 students nationally—to learn on March 18 where they would continue their medical training. During UTMB’s annual Match Day Ceremony, students, faculty, family and friends gathered in the main auditorium of Levin Hall as students were called randomly to pick up their “match” envelopes.

“It’s my top choice!” said Usoro, who will be the first doctor in her family. “I did 16 interviews across the country, from California to Tennessee to Maryland. I really loved the program and curriculum at Johns Hopkins, so I’m just really excited to to start there this summer.”

It was a celebratory atmosphere with music, signs and even a cash jackpot for two lucky students. But the main focus was on the envelopes that conAfter years of training and months tained the location where each student Fourth-year medical student Agnes Usoro holds up the piece of of nervous waiting to see where would be participating in residency paper showing where she matched for residency training. they’d begin the next phase of their training. lives as physicians, Usoro and many of her classmates had short-term plans that didn’t involve school Usoro took the road less traveled to get to where she is today. or studying.

Originally from Sugar Land, she got her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and started working in the Texas Medical Center as an ICU nurse before deciding to make a career change.

“I asked doctors a lot of questions about my patients and was just really curious,” said Usoro. “I had a resident friend who told me I should seriously consider medical school. After toying around with the idea, I went for it.”

Once at UTMB, she knew she wanted to do emergency medicine after her first rotation.

“I love the fast pace—you could call me an adrenaline junky,” said Usoro. “I just like caring for acute pathologies, so emergency care is the best fit. I’ve also been very active at the student-run St. Vincent’s Clinic and work to understand the social determinants of health and bring that into my practice as a physician. Caring for the patient as a whole rather than just the disease in front

10

“I’m probably going to party tonight.”

2016 Class Highlights: • 218 total match participants • Students from 29 states, Palestine, Nigeria, Rwanda, Venezuela, Peru, Ghana, India and United Kingdom

• 54.5% matched in Texas • 15% matched at UTMB • 33% matched elsewhere within UT System

• 41% matched in primary care

APRIL 2016

impact

Good new s

Open for business April 9 patient move ushers in opening of state-of-the-art Jennie Sealy Hospital B y stephen hadley

Nearly a decade of planning, years of construction and many months of preparation, culminated with the opening of Jennie Sealy Hospital on April 9.

Jennie Sealy Hospital includes several new amenities to make it easier for nursing staff to provide patient care efficiently while enhancing safety.

On that day, UTMB safely moved 185 patients from John Sealy Hospital to the new 765,000-square-foot facility that includes 12 floors and 252 patient rooms.

Part of the new equipment includes patient lifts in 20 percent of the rooms as well as beds that help nurses turn patients; these features are aimed at providing optimal care while reducing the risk of injury to nursing staff while caring for patients.

“Everyone here has been so excited for this to happen for so long,” said Meredith Hartzog, a nurse clinician in Adult Patient Care Services. “Everything is going to be different, but it’s a good different because everything is new and open and inviting, both for patients and for the people who are going to be working here. It’s a great environment for care.”

That new environment includes patient rooms with sweeping views of either the Gulf of Mexico or Galveston Harbor and amenities such as a refrigerator, a locking drawer for personal items and a sleeper sofa and TV for overnight guests.

The design of Jennie Sealy Hospital was guided by evidence-based principles intended to create a soothing, healing environment for patients and a state-ofthe-art training facility for future generations of health care professionals.

The April 9 transportation of patients to Jennie Sealy Hospital included all adult medical/surgical and adult intensive care unit (Left-right): Meredith Hartzog and Dora Kuntz (ICU) patients. Meanwhile, the Mother & Baby Unit and Labor & Delivery services, along with the Blocker Burn Unit, Pediatric Unit and Cardiac Catheterization Lab, will remain in modernized spaces in John Sealy Hospital.

Dora Kuntz, clinical educator for Nursing Administration in Adult Patient Care Services, said months-long preparation for the move included several mock events as well as “Day in the Life” scenarios that helped clinicians become better familiarized with the new hospital.

“We did scavenger hunts that allowed our nursing staff to follow their workflow throughout the building such as going to the OR, the CT scanner and the Cath lab,” Kuntz said. “Because we had practiced the patient move every Wednesday since January, we were all very prepared for any possibilities that came up during the move itself.”

“The lifts are going to help so much. There is also just great accessibility to everything at the new hospital,” Hartzog said. “There are computers for the care team at the bedside, there are computers right outside the door, there are printers between every other patient room so nurses don’t have to walk so far away from their patients.”

Kuntz explains that the decentralized nurse stations between patient rooms in Jennie Sealy Hospital are intended to improve visibility of the patient for clinicians by creating a direct line of sight, improving patient safety and enhancing the ability of nurses to care for patients.

“The focus is always on providing the best care possible and Jennie Sealy Hospital helps us do that,” Kuntz said.

Phone System in New Hospital A new phone system in Jennie Sealy Hospital may change contact numbers for individuals you call regularly. (Most main phone numbers, such as for patient units, will remain the same.) We offer the following tips to ease the transition: • If you are calling someone who works in Jennie Sealy Hospital, check the online directory for the new number first. If you dial the old extension, you should get a recording with the person’s new phone number. If you do not get the recording, and still need the new number, please call the UTMB Operator at (409) 772-1011, or if you are on a UTMB campus, please dial “0.”

• If you are making a call from within Jennie Sealy Hospital, be aware that Avaya-brand phones in the building will require 10-digit dialing, including phone numbers that could previously be reached by dialing a 5-digit extension. (NEC-brand phones will continue to have 5-digit dialing.)

• A critical list of numbers will remain 5-digit dialing for all UTMB phones, even within Jennie Sealy Hospital. This list includes the phone extensions for Campus Police, Campus Fire Department, Sodexo Service Response Center, Kronos and Patient Services.

• In addition, the Clinical Operations Associates’ (COA) pager number will not change.

impact

APRIL 2016

11

lea d e r s pot l i gh t

Spotlight on Katrina Lambrecht, Angleton Danbury Campus and Institutional Strategic Initiatives Since joining UTMB in 2010, Katrina Lambrecht has overseen a host of missioncritical initiatives, including the university’s involvement in the Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program (1115 Waiver) and the integration of the Angleton Danbury Campus with UTMB. In addition to her role as vice president of Institutional Strategic Initiatives, Lambrecht was named vice president and administrator of the Angleton Danbury Campus in January.

Lambrecht’s past experience includes leadership positions at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

What does the Road Ahead look like for you?

The Road Ahead for me is about utilizing my talents and abilities in a way that has the greatest impact on our institutional vision. That includes continuing to grow not only our services, but the UTMB Health brand in the Brazoria County service area to assure that we become the provider of choice for the community.

It also means continuing our leadership role in the Medicaid 1115 Waiver on a regional and state level, working to extend the waiver for another three to five years. We want to continue the great work we have begun to increase access to care and expand innovative care delivery models in the state with our delivery system reform (DSRIP) projects.

Whether it’s working with staff on our multi-share plan, the waiver, or the Angleton Danbury Campus, my goal as a leader is to assure that people have the resources they need to do their job and feel empowered to make decisions in the best interest of our patients. If we can create that environment for our employees and physicians, then the patient experience that we provide will always be second to none.

I believe that the Road Ahead for UTMB is one of growth in all mission areas and the impact of our work can be seen not only statewide, but nationally. This makes it a very exciting time to be at UTMB.

You oversaw the integration of the Angleton Danbury Campus with UTMB. What are your hopes for continuing to grow ADC? We have experienced a tremendous amount of growth and change at the Angleton Danbury Campus. The staff, volunteers and physicians have been nothing short of amazing in their unwavering commitment to 12

“My goal as a leader is to assure that people have the resources they need to do their job and feel empowered to make decisions in the best interest of our patients.”

Lambrecht and her daughter, Keyanna, with Balinese dancers after a performance in 2009.

excellence in patient care throughout the journey of integrating our two organizations.

Growth in the market has included the welcoming of several community physicians into the UTMB family.

In addition, we have recruited new providers or extended existing UTMB providers to the market in primary care, OB-GYN, general surgery, cardiology, endocrinology and sleep medicine. We continue to seek providers to fill additional specialty care needs identified in the southern Brazoria County market.

As we grow our services, we envision a robust community hospital and clinics that serve patients’ primary, specialty and acute care needs in their own neighborhood.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to read and spend time outdoors and with friends and family. I also love to travel and occasionally get the opportunity to explore new cities, find my own “local” coffee shop wherever I am, visit museums and soak in local events. I live in Houston and my favorite place in the city for a long walk is Hermann Park, which recently had significant renovations that added beautiful new facilities and walking paths.

What was your first job?

I grew up on a family-run dairy farm, so I was working from a very early age, mostly feeding animals every day. However, my first paid job was at a local food canning factory. I worked quality control on third shift. This meant that every hour, I pulled a can of vegetables off the production line and ran a variety of tests, such as taking measurements of the can to assure it met all required specifications, assuring that the cans were sealing and, of course,

tasting the vegetables to make sure the product itself met the quality standards. Since there were always multiple production lines running around the factory, I was busy tasting the vegetables all night.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I enjoy creative arts and making things with my hands.

I’m consistently surprised by how many of my friends can’t mend or put a simple hem in their own clothes.

My mom was an extremely talented woman who could do anything from sewing a riding habit for horseback riding, to knitting sweaters, to making quilts. I’d like to think some of her creativity and artistic talent was passed along to me. I don’t always have a lot of time to work on projects, but I recently made a baby quilt for a good friend.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

The list of places I want to travel to is very long, so I’ll focus on a place I would love to return to: Bali, Indonesia. It’s wonderful for all the obvious reasons, like great weather and beautiful beaches, but what I really loved about Bali is that, while it’s a very popular tourist destination, the island still retains so much of its rich culture and customs. The island itself is beautiful, with mountains, an active volcano, lush rice terraces and beautiful beaches. But even more enchanting is that you can watch traditional Balinese dance performances, watch textile artists make batik fabrics, eat delicious local food and visit small temples nearly everywhere you go, most with small offerings of food or flowers outside. Part of what made my visit to Bali so rich was that I had one of my best friends that served as my tour guide and interpreter. I find that traveling anywhere with someone from that country makes every travel experience more enriching.

APRIL 2016

impact

AN GL ETON DANBURY CAM PUS

Angleton Danbury Campus open house introduces women’s health care team to the community B y K irsti A nn C lifford

Members of the Angleton Danbury community had the opportunity to tour the Peklo Women’s Pavilion on the UTMB Angleton Danbury Campus and meet its physicians and staff during an open house on March 17.

“We want people to know that UTMB is in town and we are happy to be here,” said Susan Nilsen, nurse manager of the Mother-Baby Unit.

The Peklo Women’s Pavilion has 11 spacious birthing rooms that allow for labor, delivery and post-partum care in the same room with the same health care professional.

“We provide a beautiful, quiet environment and excellent care with access to the main campus, if needed,” said Nilsen. “We want to deliver healthy babies and take care of healthy moms, but if we have women with complications, we know exactly what to do.”

Drs. Courtney Gray Wiese and Vien Cam Lam joined the women’s health team at ADC last August. They both recently completed their OB-GYN residencies at UTMB and have small children of their own.

To see more photos from the open house, visit www.flickr.com/photos/utmb/.

impact

APRIL 2016

13

SAFETY

Stay A-WEAR to promote workplace security Wearing a UTMB identification badge is not just a matter of pride for all university employees— it’s an issue of security and safety, as well as a requirement of UTMB policy.

B y K risten H ensley

UTMB President David Callender first announced the WEAR initiative in January, to ensure all university faculty, staff, students and contractors consistently display proper identification while on UTMB property.

“UTMB has grown to three campuses and with new buildings coming online in Galveston and League City, the executive leadership team felt it was a good time to emphasize the importance of wearing university ID badges. This simple act can enhance the security of our campuses and clinics while also letting patients and visitors know who they can go to if they need help,” Callender said.

You can personally be a-WEAR by remembering to wear your UTMB ID badge properly—visible from a distance, with your photo facing outward—at all times while on UTMB property. Encourage your co-workers to do the same. This will help us to identify ourselves to each other, as well as to patients and visitors who may need our assistance.

When entering and exiting secured areas, be aware of others attempting to gain entry when the doors are open. If they are not displaying UTMB ID, ask if you can assist them. They may be lost or may not realize they need access for a particular area.

If you “badge in” through a door, resist the temptation to hold the door for the person behind you. It’s important that we each badge ourselves in to ensure we aren’t inadvertently giving access to someone who shouldn’t have it.

So what should you do if you see someone in a UTMB staff area who isn’t wearing a UTMB ID badge?

According to UTMB Police, if you see unfamiliar people in your work area without visible ID, be customer-service friendly and ask if you can help.

“If they are lost, you can assist them in finding their way. If they have criminal intentions, they have just been alerted that someone is aware of them,” said UTMB Police Chief Thomas Engells.

Chief Engells suggests these tips for approaching someone who isn’t wearing a UTMB badge, whether on the Galveston, League City or Angleton Danbury campuses:

1. Determine if the person has a link to UTMB. The innocuous, “Can I help you?” often works and will help break the ice. We have several large and dynamic campuses, and many times the person in question may be a lost patient, visitor, vendor, or prospective employee or student.

2. Tell them why you asked. “I don’t see a UTMB ID badge and thought you might need assistance.”

3. Give them space. If they do produce an ID badge or a credible explanation, wish them a nice day and move on.

4. Help them out. If they don’t have an ID badge but need one, direct them to the Badging Office and/or file a missing/lost ID Badge Report with University Police.

5. Call for help. If they don’t have a credible explanation—or if you just feel more comfortable—contact University Police at 409-772-1111.

Executive leadership was A-WEAR at a recent Mondays in March presentation. (Left-right) Donna Sollenberger, Dr. Danny Jacobs, Cheryl Sadro and Dr. David Callender.

14

Remember: It’s everyone’s responsibility to wear their UTMB ID badge and to help keep our campuses and clinics safe. Always pay attention to your surroundings and immediately report a suspicious person or activity.

APRIL 2016

impact

PARKI NG

B y S tephen H adley

UTMB’s executive leadership team approved changes to the university’s parking management plan for its three campuses in early March.

The changes, which take effect with the start of Fiscal Year 2017 on Sept. 1, include a new web-based validation system for public parking areas on the Galveston and League City campuses, as well as increased rates for some employee, student and patient/visitor parking in Galveston. The rate increases will be the first since before 2008.

“We put off—for about as long as we could—raising the parking rates,” Dr. David Callender, president of UTMB, said during a panel discussion at the final Mondays in March event on March 29. “We’ve used (Hurricane) Ike reconstruction funds to the extent that we could to try and restore the function of our parking lots, but we really haven’t been able to invest in more modern technology.”

In addition, Callender said UTMB Parking Operations is considered an auxiliary service and as such is required by the state of Texas to be self-sufficient without relying on state funding or other institutional funding.

Neil Hart, director of Auxiliary Services, said the rate increases would ensure that the parking garages and lots continue to be properly operated and maintained, including continued daily cleaning, maintenance of striping and signage, monitoring and repairing of lighting, and adding routine power washing and scrubbing of facilities.

“The focus is on continually improving the parking experience for everyone who works, attends or visits our campuses,” Hart said.

In addition to the rate increase, a new web-based ticketing system will take effect soon to replace the tokens used for Galveston campus garages where patients and other visitors have parked.

The Galveston Campus has had a parking management plan—and associated fees—for employees, students and patients for many years. However, as UTMB has grown, the plan was revised this year to include information on how parking is being managed at the League City and Angleton Danbury campuses.

At the League City Campus, parking management equipment will be installed this summer so departments can begin validating patient and visitor parking to provide data for future planning, Hart said. However, these validations will not include an associated charge at this time.

Parking Operations also plans to work with UTMB staff members at the Angleton Danbury Campus to ensure surface lots there are well-marked and well-maintained as part of the parking plan. New parking management equipment will not be installed on that campus at this time.

Approval of the parking management plan by UTMB leadership comes on the heels of other parking changes on the Galveston campus related to Jennie Sealy Hospital, which opened on April 9.

The Plaza Parking Garage (Garage 8), now renamed Hospital Garage, was transitioned to patient and visitor parking only earlier this month, while the Administration Garage (Garage 1) became contract-only when patient parking was transitioned to the Hospital Garage. impact

APRIL 2016

In addition to the proposed changes to the Hospital and Administration garages, other new parking services are set to launch over the next few months. New gates with a ticketing system and a cashier booth will be added to the patient lot of the Primary Care Pavilion on Harborside Drive. Parking in the patient lot will still be free with validations, similar to UTMB’s other public parking areas. Behind the Primary Care Pavilion will be paid, employee contract parking using hangtags.

Parking Plan Changes for Galveston Campus At-A-Glance Employee Contract Parking Effective, Sept. 1, 2016, rates for many of UTMB’s garages will increase, as indicated in the chart below. Surface lot contracts will remain $40 per month. UTMB will continue to offer the free-of-charge shuttle lot on Holiday Drive just south of Seawall.

Employee Contract Parking

FY16 FY17 GARAGE MONTHLY RATE MONTHLY RATE Garage 1 (Administration Garage) $62.50 $75.00 Garage 2 (UHC Garage) $62.50 $65.00 Garage 3 (Library Garage) $62.50 $65.00 Garage 4 (SON Garage) $62.50 $62.50 Garage 6 (Rebecca Sealy Garage) $62.50 $65.00 Garage 9 (Sealy & Smith Garage) $50.00* $65.00 Employee Surface Lots $40.00 $40.00 *Rate will remain the same until elevators are repaired in Garage 9 (expected completion to be communicated to contract holders once it is available) Student Contract Parking Student parking rates will increase on Sept. 1, 2016. Curbside parking will increase from $70 per year to $80 per year; Garage 4 rooftop parking will increase from $160 per year to $180 per year.

Visitor Parking Rates (without validation) Visitor parking rates at the Galveston Campus will increase from $1.75 per hour to $2 per hour on Sept. 1, 2016, with a maximum of $14 charged per day—the same maximum that is currently in place.

Validation Rates To help departments and clinics better manage validations, a new ticketing system has replaced the use of tokens for Galveston Campus garages where patients and other visitors can park. An increase in the cost per validation for patients, from $0.95 per patient per day to $2 per patient per day, will be effective Sept. 1. The price for non-patient visitor validation will remain at $6 per validation.

15

Eight ways to live a greener life

By Ken Steblein, UTMB recycling coordinator 4. Don’t let your car idle. Letting your engine idle for more than 10 seconds is worse than just shutting it off and restarting—it uses more gas and lets off more harmful pollution. Look for opportunities to stop an idling engine. Park your car and walk in for fast food instead of going through the drive-thru.

5. Change a light bulb. Installing a compact fluorescent bulb is one of the quickest, easiest ways to save energy—and money. They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

6. Adjust your thermostat. For every degree you set back your thermostat (warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter), you can save about 3 percent on your energy bill.

Earth Day 2016 is April 22. Lessen your impact on the environment with these eight tips.

1. Skip the bottled water. More than 17 million barrels of oil are required to produce enough plastic water bottles to meet America’s annual demand for bottled water. In addition, less than 20 percent of the bottles are recycled. Sure, water is good for you, so keep drinking it—from the tap, that is. Use a water filter to purify tap water and bring a reusable water bottle with you when traveling or at work.

2. Go paperless. Pay bills online or set up automatic online bill pay with your bank.

Besides saving trees, you won’t need to worry about late fees or buying stamps. Get off junk mail lists while you’re at it by canceling weekly shopping fliers and catalogs.

3. Eliminate “phantom” energy use.

Shut down and unplug idle electronics. Your computer might be asleep, but if there’s a light on, it’s still using energy. By using a surge protector, one click can turn off all electronics at once.

7. Plant a tree. It seems simple, but just one tree can offset more than a ton of carbon over its lifetime. If planted around homes or buildings, it also will provide shade on a sunny day and may reduce the use of energy for air conditioning.

8. Start grasscycling. Reduce the amount of yard trimmings disposed of in landfills by leaving the grass clippings on the lawn when you mow your yard. Grass clippings add valuable nutrients and organic matter to the soil and produce healthy, green lawns. Bonus: It takes less time and energy than bagging and dragging the grass to the curb.

Part i ng Shot

What pushes your button?

Students from the School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences visited the Professionalism Committee student table on April 6 to talk about what unprofessional behaviors “push their button,” as well as share positive examples of professional behavior. The event led up to UTMB’s fifth biennial Professionalism Summit on April 8, titled “Managing a Respectful Intergenerational and Interprofessional Workforce.”

Remember: All UTMB employees and students can always anonymously report professionalism concerns using the online “Professionalism Button” at www.utmb.edu/professionalism.

APRIL 2016

impact