Impact January 2016

UTMB NEWSLETTER • JANUARY 2016

Patient navigation at Angleton Danbury Campus UTMB Police help empower women Spotlight on President Callender’s chief of staff

Dishing up Dining on Call

Bridget Hawkins, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, received an Alzheimer’s disease research grant totaling $150,000 from the Darrell K Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer's Disease to test an intranasal spray’s effects on injured nerve cells. The DKR Fund, which provides education about Alzheimer’s as it seeks a cure for the disease, announced the award at the 90th birthday celebration of Edith Royal, the widow of legendary University of Texas Longhorns football coach Darrell Royal in Austin.

Dr. Tricia Elliott is president-elect of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians. Elliott, an associate professor, is the director of UTMB’s Family Medicine residency program. A graduate of UTMB, Elliott is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the Harris County Academy of Family Physicians. The TAFP is dedicated to uniting family doctors and empowering them to provide a medical home for patients.

election to the Board is a peer-review process that involves the seating Board, Emeritus Board and members of the organization. The ACHE is an international professional society of 40,000 health care executives who lead hospitals, health care systems and other health care organizations.

Amy Lussier was recently promoted to associate vice president, Health Systems Operations. Lussier’s responsibilities will include the League City Hospital and Perioperative and Endoscopy Services. She most recently was director of Health System Special Projects as the liaison between UTMB Health System and the construction design teams for League City Campus, Clinical Services Wing and Jennie Sealy Hospital. Lussier brings over 20 years of diverse, progressive experience in national program development, design and facilitation of new construction for health care facilities, change management, operation planning and implementation, patient experience and administrative management.

Anuka Das, a medical school student enrolled in Global Health track courses, has been appointed to a two-year term to the trainee advisory committee for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. The committee is the national organization for advancing global health through academic institutions. Das spent six weeks at the University of Nairobi in Kenya on a research rotation this summer.

Dr. Oscar “Skip” Brown, associate professor of Pediatrics and vice chair for Clinical Affairs, was recently elected to the District VII National Nominating Committee (comprising Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas) for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Brown is also the chairman of the Texas chapter of the AAP. The AAP is comprised of more than 62,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists.

Carlos Escobar, associate vice president of Business Operations and Facilities, was recently elected to be an officer for the Southeast Texas Chapter of the American College of Health Care Executive’s Board of Directors. The nomination and

A little piece of UTMB was represented at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day. Rose vials with notes signed by UTMB’s Dr. Wissam Khalife, associate professor of Cardiology; Chuck Machner, interim director Transplant Services; Deb McGrew, Health System chief operating officer; and John Riley, director of Pastoral Care, were used to hold flowers on the Donate Life Float. Sponsored by Donate Life America, the float is intended to educate people about organ donation and the more than 123,000 Americans awaiting a transplant, as well as to honor donors who have given the gift of life. The vials signed by UTMB members were among thousands that comprised the float’s Donate Life Dedication Garden. The parade is a New Year’s Day tradition leading up to college football’s Rose Bowl.

JANUARY 2016

impact

From the President

JANUARY 2016

Happy New Year, and welcome to the latest issue of Impact!

The beginning of a new year gives us a chance to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous months and look forward to the many opportunities ahead.

For UTMB, our opportunities and vision for the future are encapsulated in The Road Ahead, which has been updated for 2016–2018 and includes our institution’s goals and strategies for the coming years. The document, available from the Office of Strategic Management and online at www.utmb.edu/strategic_vision, ensures we are doing everything we can to achieve our shared mission of improving health for the people of Texas and around the world.

Patient Navigation at Angleton Danbury Page 4

You can learn more about The Road Ahead inside this issue, along with stories about our people. Among them:

A Day in the Life: Food and Nutrition Services

• A day in the life of Food and Nutrition Services employees Katrina Lightbourn and Rebecca Carson • How quick work by employees in Labor and Delivery helped one of their own

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• School of Health Professions students go above and beyond for one of their patients • A profile of my chief of staff, Sheila Lidstone • Rape Aggression Defense classes, taught by our UTMB police officers, help empower employees • Health tips to follow in the new year by Gerald Cleveland, director of Health Promotion and Wellness

Leader Spotlight: Sheila Lidstone

• Numerous accomplishments and kudos in the Working Wonders column and throughout the newsletter

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Enjoy the articles, and tell us what you think. I’m looking forward to working with you all in the coming year to improve health and improve lives. Thank you!

Dr. David L. Callender UTMB President

A Pretty RAD Class Page 14

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: As UTMB and Morrison Healthcare Food and Nutrition Services employees, Rebecca Carson and Katrina Lightbourn play a major role in helping patients stay healthy and recover from medical procedures and illnesses.

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

P R INT E D B Y U T MB G R A P H IC D ES IG N & P RIN TIN G S ERVICES

PATIENT CARE

Team at Angleton Danbury Campus helps patients navigate their way to good health

BY STEPHEN HADLEY

Each day, nurses Cheryl Vining and Darlene Carroll take their mission of improving health to community centers and into patient’s homes throughout Brazoria County.

As part of the Patient Navigation Team at UTMB’s Angleton Danbury Campus, the energetic duo might be attending a health fair, community event or working one-on-one with a patient who needs help in managing a chronic illness.

program manager. “In fact, studies have shown that 9 out of 10 adults may lack the skills needed to manage their health and prevent disease. That’s where we come in, by helping them obtain these skills that are so vital.”

“No matter where we’re working, I feel like we’re making an impact each day,” said Vining. “We’re focused on improving and promoting health awareness throughout our community.”

Carroll said that adults who struggle with health literacy are more likely to lack health insurance, suffer from poor health, have a higher rate of hospitalization and less frequently use preventive services.

As a result, these patients end up being re-admitted to hospitals or make frequent visits to emergency rooms, both of which lead to higher health care costs.

ADC’s Patient Navigation Team, funded for the past three years by a grant from the Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver, includes two nurses and a community health worker who visit patients in the hospital who have chronic diseases and anyone who has been re-admitted. The nurses assess patients and help them remove barriers that might be preventing them from improving their health.

Once patients are discharged from the hospital, the team continues working closely with them to ensure that they remain on a path to improved health. Team members provide patients with educational materials, disease-related equipment such as glucometers, scales and blood-pressure machines, and clear communication about their illness and treatment.

“We’ve found that the No. 1 barrier that our patients are facing is a lack of health literacy,” said Carroll, who is the Patient Navigation

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“Our goal is to help them obtain, process and understand basic health information so that they will be more informed and able to make future health decisions,” Carroll said.

Both Carroll and Vining said the team’s community health worker plays a significant role in helping ensure that patients in the program receive the assistance they need, whether that includes

“I’m a firm believer that we should be reaching out to the people who can’t come to us.”

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PATIENT CARE

lining up transportation so they can get to and from their physician appointments or helping them complete food stamp applications.

The community health worker’s role is to assist patients with resources, educate according to the care plan developed by the care manager and provide patient support.

“This team approach ensures the patient receives the necessary tools to self-manage their health care and chronic disease,” said Carroll.

Under the terms of the 1115 grant, the program is open to patients who live in Brazoria County, have a health-related barrier to care and have a major chronic illness.

In 2015, the team not only helped more than 400 patients through its program, it also interacted with more than 2,500 people during various community events held throughout the county. Often, at community health care events team members work from a 26-foot mobile medical unit purchased by the grant. The unit includes a private exam room, digital education station, lab station, plus a laptop documentation area for nurses and physicians.

Recently, the team conducted screenings at Memory Matters Mini Health Fair, an event held at assisted living centers where seniors are tested annually for warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, including memory loss.

“Memory Matters is an example of a partnership with various organizations reaching out to the community and providing them a service that they may go without or not be able to afford,” Carroll said.

Cheryl Vining, a nurse with the Patient Navigation Team at the Angleton Danbury Campus, checks a health fair participant’s blood pressure.

Vining said that while the program’s grant is up for renewal this year, she’s hopeful that it can be expanded so that the Patient Navigation Team can reach even more people in the coming years.

“My ultimate goal for the program would be to bring in another practitioner and a physician and take our mobile unit to the far reaches of Brazoria County,” she said. “I’m a firm believer that we should be reaching out to the people who can’t come to us.”

Transforming the Safety Net UTMB partnered with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to share 1115 Waiver progress at a national forum sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 6–9.

In its role as anchor for a region comprising 16 counties (representing 83 projects) under the Texas 1115 Transformation Waiver, UTMB presented a storyboard titled, “Transforming the Safety Net in Texas” at the 2015 National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care.

The annual event brought together thousands of health care professionals for the sharing of ideas and best practices.

UTMB and HHSC shared improvements to date implemented under the waiver that impact access to care and quality patient outcomes, as well as the effects of implementing innovative best practices in the

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UTMB partners with Texas Health and Human Services Commission to present at national conference

health care community. This was the first time HHSC has partnered with a regional anchor to present at a national conference on health care innovation.

“It was such a great feeling to showcase our regional work and statewide collaboration related to the Texas 1115 Waiver to an international audience at IHI’s annual conference,” said Craig Kovacevich, UTMB’s associate vice president for Waiver Operations and Community Health Plans. “True to IHI’s mission and philosophy, the work UTMB has done as an anchor and performing provider under the waiver has encouraged partnerships with visionaries, leaders and front-line practitioners to seek and implement inventive ways to improve the health of individuals and populations.”

UTMB’s Craig Kovacevich teams up with Jennifer Woodward, Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s director of Quality Analysis—1115 Transformation Waiver, at the IHI conference in Orlando, Florida.

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EDUCATION

School of Health Professions students make holidays bright for one patient

BY STEPHEN HADLEY

J

UST BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, members of the Student

Occupational Therapy Association in the School of Health Professions helped make the season a little brighter for one of their St. Vincent’s House Clinic clients.

The client, Emmanuel Ibarra, has depended on a wheelchair for mobility for more than a decade. But over the past few months, Ibarra’s only mode of transportation had not been working well and was leading to serious discomfort for him, said Susie Dezelle, a second-year student who is also the president of SOTA. “We were exploring avenues to get him a new wheelchair from organizations already in place that donate them, but those efforts didn’t pan out,” said Dezelle. “So, we decided to raise the money on our own to buy him a new wheelchair.”

Through bake sales, a profit-sharing event at frozen yogurt shop Orange Leaf and an adaptive Olympics event in which professors competed against each other in various challenges, the students collected enough money in just six weeks.

UTMB School of Health Professions student Susie Dezelle, left, helps adjust Emmanuel Ibarra’s new wheelchair.

On the last day of the fall semester, the students—including one dressed as Santa—surprised Ibarra with his new wheelchair, which had been decked out beforehand with colorful streamers to mark the occasion.

RESEARCH BRIEFS Compiled from press releases written by Donna Ramirez and Christopher Smith Gonzalez. Read more at www.utmb.edu/newsroom.

Jeff Temple, PhD, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has found that teens who are involved in dating abuse—as either the perpetrator or the victim—are more likely to also be involved in cyberdating abuse. Further, teens who commit cyberdating violence against their partners are more likely to later be victimized by it, and cyberviolence victims are more likely to later perpetrate this act. While researchers have explored teens’ use of technology to perpetrate dating violence, little is known about how traditional in-person and cyberabuse are linked, and this is the first study to examine their relationship over time. UTMB researchers collected information from 1,042 high school students as a part of an ongoing six-year study of teen health in several public schools in Texas. Researchers analyzed whether being involved in any form of

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dating abuse as either the perpetrator or the victim predicted involvement in cyberdating abuse over the following year. The study found that teens involved in cyberdating abuse both commit and fall victim to it.

The findings appear in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

A multidisciplinary research group led by Dr. Allan Brasier, director of UTMB’s Institute for Translational Sciences, in tandem with several collaborating research institutions, has discovered a new way for early detection of a potentially deadly Aspergillus fungus in patients with suppressed immune systems. The team studied patients undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, bone marrow transplants and lung transplants from several of the collaborating institutions and identified, confirmed and evaluated a new method of detecting the infectious mold in patients with leukemia. The team’s discovery could translate to refined diagnostics, earlier treatment and improved survival for patients affected by this infection. The findings were published in PLOS One.

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EDUCATION

“It means so much to me,” Ibarra said a few minutes after sitting in his new wheelchair for the first time. “I will be more comfortable now, and I’m so thankful.”

Karen Aranha, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, said students who had worked with Ibarra at St. Vincent’s recognized the need for his wheelchair during the course of his treatment there. St. Vincent’s is a student-run clinic operated in partnership with UTMB that provides medical care to those in the Galveston community who lack medical benefits and might otherwise go without treatment.

For Patricia Fingerhut, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, the students’ initiative in replacing Ibarra’s wheelchair is testament to their dedication and their passion in caring for others.

“It’s very impressive what they’ve done,” Fingerhut said.

“They’re very dedicated students who are here in a very intensive program so their time outside of class and studying is very, very limited. Yet they have taken on all of these projects and are really exemplifying what we’re trying to teach them.

“They’re seeing their clients as people, most importantly, and not as a condition. They’re looking at changing the quality of life for others, and I’m proud of them.”

Dr. Ana M. Rodriguez, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has found that survival rates for women younger than 50 with primary, invasive endometrial cancer are not improving, despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Endometrial cancer is the most commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer and is treated with surgery, radiation, hormones and/or chemotherapy, depending on the stage of the disease when diagnosed. The study involved 82,721 women diagnosed with endometrial cancer. They found stark differences in cancer-specific survival based on a woman’s age and the stage of her cancer at diagnosis. Survival was greatly improved for patients who received a combination of surgery (total hysterectomy with removal of fallopian tubes and ovaries) and radiation, especially for women with late-stage diagnosis. In contrast, survival was greatly decreased in patients treated with radiation only. While combination therapy improved survival for both younger and older women with late-stage disease, the researchers found it troubling that younger women with early-stage endometrial cancer were only half as likely to receive combination therapy as those who were older. Future studies should look at why treatments are not being applied equally between these groups. The study’s findings appear in the Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology.

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JANUARY 2016

From left: Sarah Vaky and Rachael Waldo, students in the School of Health Professions, help to decorate a new wheelchair that was given to Emmanuel Ibarra. Members of the Student Occupational Therapy Association organized fundraisers to collect the money to purchase Ibarra a new wheelchair, which the group presented to him on the last day of the fall semester.

Slobodan Paessler, DVM, PhD, professor of Pathology, and colleagues have identified ways to make the flu shot more effective. The influenza virus evolves and changes quickly, so each year the World Health Organization recommends the needed influenza vaccine to match the predominant strains of the virus in circulation. It takes about six months to produce the vaccine, but by the time it reaches the public, the vaccine may no longer be an effective match against the evolving influenza viruses. The current genetic analyses used to monitor virus evolution cannot distinguish and predict important mutations in the influenza virus that would have an impact on vaccine efficacy. Using the researchers’ proposed bioinformatics approach and focusing on the portion of the virus responsible for binding to cells, scientists could still identify the predominant strains as well as some outliers that would be “resistant” to a seasonal vaccine. The study’s findings appear in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

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BY KIRSTIANN CLIFFORD

Rebecca Carson and Katrina Lightbourn are the brightest parts of the day for many patients at UTMB’s John Sealy Hospital.

They don’t provide direct patient care, but what they do as UTMB and Morrison Healthcare Food and Nutrition Services employees plays a major role in helping patients—from children to seniors—stay healthy and recover from medical procedures and illnesses.

I meet up with the two women on the sixth floor of the Clinical Services Wing, where the hospital’s kitchen recently relocated. I feel like I’ve just entered through the back door of a popular restaurant.

There’s nonstop hustle and bustle as tickets with food requests shoot out of little printers, and chefs at three different pods grab them quickly to fulfill the orders. Small teams of workers form an assembly line to load each patient’s tray with diet-appropriate items before putting them onto a cart for delivery. About 550 trays go out each day, depending on the hospital’s census.

“We start a timer for 13 minutes once the first tray is loaded onto the cart, and when the timer goes off, I take the cart out to deliver the patient meals, otherwise you risk the food going cold,” said Carson, whose pedometer shows she walks nine to 10 miles a day delivering trays to all parts of the hospital.

“It’s a constant race to get the meals to patients in less than 45 minutes. But I love it, and I’m getting the exercise I need as a diabetic. When I started here, I was on three shots of insulin a day—and now I’m not taking insulin anymore.”

While I listen in awe of the distance Carson covers each day and the health benefits she’s received as a result, Lightbourn passes by on her way to take bedside food orders from patients who need assistance or are critically ill.

Rebecca Carson walks nine to 10 miles a day delivering trays to all parts of John Sealy Hospital.

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impact

It’s hard not to like Lightbourn,

who is a senior at Texas A&M University at Galveston double majoring in marine biology and marine fisheries. She has an infectious smile and makes patients laugh easily—some patients even expect Lightbourn to say “awesomesauce” each time she takes their order. She is clearly customer focused and takes extra care to ensure that her patients’ orders are taken correctly.

You’ll always see a tablet computer in one of Lightbourn’s hands. She uses the portable device to take breakfast, lunch and dinner orders without having to run back to the kitchen. The high-tech tablets tie into the call center software (myDining) for ordering. Lightbourn can even see what the call center agents see while she is on the floors.

“Today, I’ll see about 58 patients (on average, depending on census), twice each to get their breakfast, lunch and dinner requests,” said Lightbourn. “The tablet I keep with me has software containing the menu and will let me know if a patient has any special dietary restrictions or needs. If I have further questions, I work with the nursing staff to make sure the patient receives proper nutrients.”

Back in the kitchen with Carson, my eyes and nose wander to a nearby meal prep area. I take a peek over one of the chef ’s shoulders and can’t believe my eyes—it’s pan-seared Mahi Mahi and it looks delicious.

Carson explains that the gourmet fish is one of the menu items for “Dining on Call,” a new program launched in October that is comparable to hotel room service. Instead of three scheduled meals delivered to patients whether they are hungry or not, the new program aims to put the patient in charge of their meals, allowing them to order what they want

when they want by providing them a restaurant-style menu and talking to a call-center agent who can assist in placing meal orders.

I scan the room-service menu and my prior beliefs about hospital food fly right out the window. I make a note to self that hospital food is not just Jell-O and comfort foods—and regret not eating lunch before I arrived.

Once the cart is full, Carson, who is part of a team of eight wait staff who deliver trays, heads back out to make deliveries. I follow her as she pushes the cart to the cardiac care and pediatric units, and we pass Lightbourn again.

The ladies joke that they see each other “about 40 times a day,” as one takes orders and the other delivers food.

“She’s awesome,” Lightbourn said referring to Carson. “I see her on every floor that I’m on, and I’m like, ‘I’m tired of seeing you!’ [laughs]. She’s always right behind me.”

Although the job can be tiring by the end of the day— they work 12-hour shifts from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and sometimes feel like slumping over a cart while they wait for the elevator—they both say they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I absolutely love my job,” said Carson. “I’m 63, and I finally feel like I’ve found my niche. I love interacting with patients and doing whatever I can to help them. Sometimes just bending your ear a little bit and listening goes a long way.

We’re the highlight of the day for a lot of people.”

Lightbourn agrees. “I try to be the bright part of our patients’ days and make them laugh or smile. Sometimes they may not be doing very well or aren’t super excited to see me, but we try our best and that’s all we can do.”

Katrina Lightbourn uses a tablet computer to take breakfast, lunch and dinner orders.

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PEOPLE

Online Toolkit Promotes Diversity & Inclusion UTMB’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion recently launched the Strategic Diversity and Compliance Toolkit, a Web-based library of resources designed to provide UTMB employees with support tools and strategies for addressing workforce diversity and inclusion.

Using an online delivery format, the guide integrates multiple diversity strategies in one centralized location to provide a complete picture of institutional efforts to advance a culture of inclusion.

The online resource offers decision-support tools, such as UTMB’s affirmative action plan results, workforce diversity profiles by department, diversity-related recruitment policies and a recruitment plan to develop multicultural pipelines and widen the net for qualified talent. The toolkit also provides supporting documents for understanding the difference between affirmative action, diversity and equal opportunity.

Currently, the foundational elements of the guide are focused on UTMB’s legal requirements as a federal contractor. However, the greater goal extends beyond legal compliance to include advancing a culture of inclusion to best support and drive our mission, vision and core values. For example, the guide provides information on current inclusive climate programs and initiatives, such as the baseline results of the institution’s first-ever diversity climate assessment and the veterans resource group.

Future additions to the toolkit will include an analysis of the demographic composition of talent pools at each stage in the selection process for underutilized job groups, access to diversity enrichment opportunities and cultural awareness education, as well as the provision of internal business

consulting for departments and divisions that want to go a step further and create diversity action plans.

Altogether, the toolkit can help departments incorporate diversity into their recruitment goals, develop a level of cultural sensitivity in the recruitment and selection process and effectively articulate UTMB’s commitment to diversity.

Visit the site at www.utmb.edu/diversitytools. Please feel free to send questions or comments to culture@utmb.edu. The toolkit will be updated as we continue to identify opportunities to promote diversity and advance a culture of inclusion here at UTMB.

VetsRG Receives ERG Leadership Excellence Award The National Diversity Council recently recognized UTMB’s Veterans Resource Group (VetsRG) as one of the top Employee Resource Groups in Texas.

“We are very excited by this accolade and the great work that has been accomplished on behalf of the institution,” said Adeola Oduwole, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “Diversity is a core value and this recognition supports a strong tradition of commitment to advancing a culture of inclusion at UTMB.” The VetsRG is open to everyone—regardless of veteran status—with the primary goals of assisting veterans with their transition to the workplace, educating non-veterans on the importance of inclusion and supporting the hiring and development of former and current service members.

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From left: Lori Blackwell, vice chair of the VetsRG and co-chair of the Diversity Council; Adeola Oduwole, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; and Toni Griffin, co-chair of the VetsRG and the Diversity Council.

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PROFESSIONALISM

What pushes your button?

Professionalism Committee discusses ways to recognize and deal with emotional triggers

BY KIRSTIANN CLIFFORD

W

e all have our own unique emotional triggers.

Maybe it’s lack of punctuality, sarcasm or inappropriate language that pushes your buttons. But how do you deal with those situations when they arise? Do you let anger take over and derail the rest of the day?

If so, you’re not alone. But there are ways to train your brain to better manage which emotions surface and for how long.

UTMB’s Professionalism Committee held the first of two seminars called “What Pushes Your Button? How to Recognize and Deal with Emotional Triggers” on Dec. 1 in the Levin Hall Dining Room on the Galveston Campus. About 100 employees attended the lunchtime discussion, led by Dr. Mark Holden, Joan Nichols, PhD, Rebecca Saavedra, EdD, and Dr. Karen Szauter.

“Our goal is to provide strategies on how to make the work environment a more respectful place—starting with how to keep your cool in highpressure and high-stress moments,” said Saavedra, who co-chairs the Professionalism Committee along with Holden.

Along with identifying triggers, the discussion focused on 10 different tools for dealing with triggers, such as taking time out to rationalize your feelings before jumping to initial reactions.

“Irrational anger is never beneficial, so it’s so important to stop,

reflect and then act,” said Nichols, associate professor of research and operations at the Galveston National Laboratory. “Over the years, I’ve conditioned myself to step into others shoes and think: ‘What is the baggage they are dragging behind them? Today, I may have a little thing behind me and I’m happy it’s not heavy, but someone else may be dragging 50 heavy bags behind them.’ Thinking about how others feel and having empathy is a great tool for managing your own emotions and overcoming adversity.”

Kaitlin Ashmore, a coordinator with the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, attended the seminar as someone who is relatively new to the professional workforce.

“I recently got married and finished grad school, so I look at these seminars as a way to develop myself and figure out how I want to act as a professional,” said Ashmore. “Everything we talked about can also be applied to personal situations, so it’s good information.”

From left: Joan Nichols, PhD, Dr. Mark Holden, Dr. Karen Szauter and Rebecca Saavedra, EdD, led the discussion.

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The next “What Pushes Your Button?” seminar will take place on Feb. 23.

For more information on the seminars and the Professionalism Committee, the Professionalism Charter (a living document that defines the elements of professionalism for all UTMB faculty, staff and students) or to report disrespectful behavior, visit www.utmb.edu/ professionalism.

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LEADER SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight on Sheila Lidstone, Chief of Staff Sheila Lidstone serves as chief of staff to UTMB President David L. Callender. A fifth-generation BOI, she graduated from Ball High School and completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Houston—the first in her family to complete college. Her 35-year career in communications and executive-level administration has spanned various aspects of business, from the offshore drilling industry to public education and not-for-profit sectors as well as health care. She joined UTMB’s Cancer Center in 2007, later moving into the chief of staff role in Business and Finance. She assumed her current role in the Office of the President in 2013. She has served in volunteer leadership roles for numerous community organizations including the Galveston County Food Bank, the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, the Galveston Historical Foundation, the Advocacy Center for Children and Galveston County Children’s Protective Services.

Sheila Lidstone (second from left) with her daughter, Faith; husband, Chris Webber; and son, Austin. Sheila and her family are renovating a 1906 abandoned cottage in Galveston’s midtown, saving what can be saved, and bringing new life to the 700-squarefoot bungalow.

She is married to Chris Webber, a member of UTMB’s Revenue Cycle team, and they have two grown children and a pair of bad cats.

What does the Road Ahead look like for you?

the time he needs to make the best possible decisions for all of us at UTMB.

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

Age has certainly altered how I view life and work.

The ambition, goals and five-year plans of my youth have been replaced by a very simple desire to serve and contribute. I hope My Road Ahead is a path of good health, high energy, continued curiosity and an enduring desire to be in the thick of things here at UTMB and in our wonderful community.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I worked in the oil industry during the heyday of the 1980s. I spent many nights on offshore rigs out in the middle of nowhere, and I flew on helicopters, in seaplanes and even once on a cargo plane carrying drilling equipment to the Pacific Ocean. Women were quite the novelty in the offshore drilling business back then. I learned some valuable lessons about earning trust and acceptance in a workplace where you didn’t initially fit in or feel welcome. It was an amazing adventure for a 20-something.

What is your role as chief of staff to President David Callender?

Dr. Callender’s job is extraordinarily complex, encompassing all aspects of UTMB’s mission in education, research and patient care. Add to that finance, legislative and policy concerns, UT System directives, goal setting and growth strategies, construction, communications, fundraising, community responsiveness and a myriad of other issues, and you begin to understand the weight of his responsibilities at UTMB. He views the chief of staff role as an “extender” of the president, and I do my best to stay current and to provide support for the issues he’s navigating. Some days, the job feels like “air traffic control” because of the sheer volume of information and requests flying in and out our door! Ultimately, we, in the President’s Office, consider it our job to provide Dr. Callender the information, the resources, the support and 12

Interacting with all the diverse and fascinating people is the best part of the job. We have it all at UTMB: hard workers, bright leaders, ambitious students, brilliant scientists, competent and caring health care providers, and some of the most dedicated employees I’ve met in my career. As aide to the president, I get to meet so many of them. That is truly my good fortune.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

“Junking” is a favorite pasttime I share with my daughter and some of my friends. We’ve found everything from fabulous vintage jewelry to one-of-a-kind art to antique furniture in need of repair. It’s all about the hunt and the reward of turning something old into something fresh and cherished.

I’ve expanded this hobby recently with the purchase of two sad and dilapidated cottages in Galveston. One of the houses had neither electricity nor plumbing when my husband and I bought it, but it is shaping into a very cozy little bungalow; the other had Christmas lights burning brightly over the holiday season!

What’s something you always wanted to do but have not done yet?

My kids and I have been batting around the idea of starting a small, nonprofit organization, but we just haven’t brought any of our ideas to fruition yet.

Nonprofits are a powerful way to fill gaps and meet needs in a community, without a lot bureaucracy.

They are genuinely important to a community.

What is your favorite book?

If the goal of literature is to move its readers, then Mark Twain’s final work, “The Mysterious Stranger,” tops my list. Both mysterious and strange, it awakened thoughts and emotions in me, at age 17, that I was not really prepared to have. I’ve read it twice since then, and its themes remain transcendent for me.

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PEOPLE

Quick work by UTMB Labor and Delivery and Neonatal teams help one of their own, save baby’s life

BY KIRSTIANN CLIFFORD

“The best laid plans often go astray.”

Erin Lindsey would know. As a midwife at UTMB, she’s seen carefully thought-out birth plans turn into emergency cesarean sections and “Plan Bs,” but she never expected that to happen during her own pregnancy.

Up until 38 weeks, Lindsey’s pregnancy was pretty uneventful, with no complications.

But on the night of Sept. 3, something just didn’t feel right. She had arrived for her shift in Labor and Delivery on a busy night, with all the patient rooms full and a jam-packed waiting and triage area.

“I finished a delivery around 4 a.m. and just happened to walk by a triage room that was open for the first time that night,” said Lindsey, recalling the events of the night. “I wandered over just to check in on the baby with the Doppler, and I didn’t like what I heard. He wasn’t moving. Fortunately, three of the best nurses were sitting outside and didn’t like what they heard either. In no time,

I had the whole team ready and waiting for an emergency C-section. Not quite the way we had planned.”

Within 20 minutes from her placement on the monitor, Lindsey was in the OR. In less than five minutes—one minute from incision—they had baby Jackson out. The entire case took 15 minutes.

Jackson spent seven days in the Infant Special Care Unit before going home. The entire time, Lindsey never doubted the hands she was in.

“As I have seen from the other side for years, the entire Labor and Delivery and Neonatal teams came together and worked in harmony to ensure that Jackson and I came through safely,” said Lindsey.

“While I was pregnant, people would often ask where I planned to deliver, but for me, there was never another option. I planned on delivering at UTMB precisely because I

knew what we could do. And on Sept.

4, I experienced firsthand just how good we are.

What’s so great about this place is that people can choose to have a midwife—someone who will spend more time with you and give you that model of care—but also have this great backup system that moves so incredibly fast when it needs to. My son would not be here today if it weren’t for everyone who came together that night.”

Today, Jack is happy and healthy, and “growing like crazy.” Lindsey and her husband, Eric Trout, who is a nurse practitioner with UTMB’s Regional Maternal and Child Health Program, recently brought their son back to Labor and Delivery to see some of the nursing staff who were there the night Jackson decided to make his dramatic debut.

Mallory Fulmer, a Labor and Delivery nurse, said everyone went into autopilot as soon as they realized something was wrong.

“There were some scary moments, definitely,” said Fulmer. “But seeing how well Jackson is doing today, it’s awesome. It makes what we do all worth it.”

As brand new parents, Lindsey and her husband say they are eternally grateful to the UTMB team.

Erin Lindsey and her husband, Eric Trout, bring baby Jackson to visit with some of the Labor and Delivery and Neonatal nursing staff who helped save his life. From left: Amelia Mohammed, Cindy Minton-Marshall, Mallory Fulmer, Tomeka Washington, Erin Lindsey, baby Jackson, Eric Trout, Betsy Peterson and Loretta Diffee.

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“I firmly believe people are where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there,” said Lindsey. “If things hadn’t gone the way they had, Jackson wouldn’t be here.

Everything lined up the way it was meant to and, for that, I’m forever grateful.”

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PEOPLE

BY KIRSTIANN CLIFFORD

“Run!” “Get away!” “Hit him!” “Give him a hammer fist!”

It’s a Thursday night, and more than a dozen women fill a UTMB police training room, shouting encouragement and suggesting ways to fight back as one of the women gets “attacked” by two men.

It’s hard to keep in mind that the simulations aren’t real. The two aggressors are actually UTMB police officers in padded suits who are also instructors for the Rape Aggression Defense course, known as RAD. The 12-hour basic self-defense class is designed for women and provides personal safety education through a blend of threat-avoidance strategies and real-world assault-resistance tactics. RAD is taught nationally and endorsed by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. In Galveston, the UTMB Police Department provides the classes free of charge to all women ages 12 and up.

“I’ll be sore tomorrow,” smiles Sgt. Chris Fultz, who acted as a “RAD Aggressor” on the third and final day of class. “Many women don’t realize their own physical power. In the scenarios in which we pose as attackers, the students use the techniques they’ve learned and oftentimes surprise themselves with how effective they are at defending themselves in a confrontational situation.”

The physical self-defense techniques were new to Connie Holubar, director of operations at the Galveston National Laboratory, who was encouraged by her college-aged sons to take the class.

“I was a little nervous beforehand because I had never made a fist and punched anyone in my life, but it turned out to be a lot of fun,” said Holubar. “I RAD class participants practice ground defense techniques. wanted to have some confidence that if anything happened to me, I’d have some idea of what to do. I hope I never have to use these techniques, but it’s really empowering to have them. I told everyone at work that they should take this class. It makes you more aware.”

Even those who have a background in martial arts found the class to be empowering. Ashley West, a Web designer in Information Services, has practiced martial arts for 17 years and has taken the RAD course four times.

“It’s great to augment my skills, and I usually bring a friend with me who has never done the class before,” said West. “It’s awesome that UTMB offers this class for free—it costs a couple hundred dollars at other places. Since it’s provided as a community service, it gives a lot of 14

women who may not have the resources otherwise the opportunity to learn some great skills.”

While RAD teaches some physical selfdefense skills, it’s not to be confused with your typical martial arts class.

“The goal is not to inflict damage—it’s to survive and get away,” said Sgt. Shawn Carr, a RAD instructor.

“Risk reduction and avoidance are two main themes throughout the course.

UTMB Police and RAD instructors from left: The first part of the Officers James Carr and Terry White-Pettersen, class goes over and Sgt. Chris Fultz. various topics, from cybercrime to personal safety while driving. For example, we talk about parking in well-lit areas, paying attention to your surroundings, watching your ‘six,’ which means watching behind you and out to the sides.”

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, there were more than 19,800 sexual assault victims in Texas in 2014—and the U.S. Justice Department estimates that nearly 70 percent of rape/sexual assaults go unreported.

Carr and his colleagues have trained hundreds of women in the community, and say that if they can help prevent one person from getting into a bad situation or give her the skills to get out of a bad situation, then it’s worth it.

“The greatest part of any class is seeing the transformation from a nervous and scared person to a confident individual who has important tools to protect themselves,” said Carr. “Sexual assaults and attacks don’t happen here at UTMB often, but there are no guarantees. To think otherwise is naïve and to count on it never happening is not a good bet.”

All students who complete RAD receive a lifetime return and practice policy at any RAD Basic Physical Defense Program offered anywhere, regardless of instructor, free of charge.

For more information on the RAD program or to sign up for a future class, email utpdrad@utmb.edu or visit www.utmb.edu/police/RAD.asp.

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VALUES

The Road Ahead for 2016–2018

UTMB’s institutional vision, The Road Ahead, has been updated for 2016–2018.

It outlines UTMB’s goals and strategies among four essential, strategic priorities: People, Value, Strategic Management and Growth, Resources.

The Road Ahead illustrates how UTMB plans to remain a worthy investment in a dynamic and challenging health care environment. The goals and strategies are linked directly to operational and departmental plans, and they will ensure that all of us are doing what we can to achieve our shared mission: improving health for the people of Texas and around the world.

Hard copies of The Road Ahead are available from the Office of Strategic Management or online at www.utmb.edu/strategic_vision.

If you’d like to check out the latest UTMB facts and figures, the FY15 Data Reference Card is available online at www.utmb.edu/business or email Business.Finance@utmb.edu.

The Sealy & Smith Foundation contributes $1 million to honor Dr. Courtney M. Townsend Jr.

BY KURT KOOPMANN

The Sealy & Smith Foundation recently contributed $1 million to establish an endowed chair in honor of Dr. Courtney M. Townsend Jr.

Townsend, who earned his medical degree and completed his internship and residency in surgery at UTMB, recently was named the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons at its recent 2015 clinical conference in Chicago. He served as UTMB’s Chair of Surgery from 1995 to 2014.

The new Sealy & Smith endowment is named the Courtney M. Townsend Jr., M.D., Distinguished Chair in General Surgery.

“This new distinguished chair is a most fitting tribute to Dr. Townsend, who brings the UTMB mission to life with his long service to health sciences education, discovery and compassionate care,” Dr. David L. Callender, UTMB president, said. “We are grateful to The Sealy & Smith Foundation for this generous gift to the future of health care.”

Townsend has served as editor-in-chief of the “Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice” since 2000 and was the editor of “Surgical Oncology.” He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the journal impact

JANUARY 2016

From left: UTMB President David Callender, Dr. Courtney Townsend, and John Kelso, president of The Sealy & Smith Foundation.

Surgery and The American Journal of Surgery.

Upon graduation, Townsend completed a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of California–Los Angeles and spent two years at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He joined UTMB as an associate professor, department of surgery in 1978 before rising to the position of department chair.

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New Year, healthier you

By Gerald Cleveland, director of UTMB’s Health Promotion and Wellness Consider these 10 strategies to help you get 2016 off to a healthy start. Once you review our list, make your own and share it with us at hr.wellnessforlife@utmb.edu.

1. Realize you’re in control. Lifestyle and daily habits rule. Only you can make the choices that have positive effects on your health. The recipe is simple: Make good life choices, live, repeat.

2. Stop dwelling on the negative. We all know that life happens—it’s how we choose to deal with disappointment that affects our quality of life. Celebrate life, lean on your support system and enjoy the experience. People who have a positive attitude not only live longer but enjoy life more fully, too.

3. Move often and keep track. You don’t have with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. to be a marathon runner to get exercise. Try Your body will thank you for taking the time to simple things such as taking the stairs instead prepare meals at home. of the elevator. Creating a daily goal or using an activity tracker may be the motivation you need 5. Brush and floss your teeth regularly. It’s to get moving. People who wear a device that your first line of defense against tooth decay tracks the number of steps they’ve taken each and gum disease. Because diseases of the day are more active than those who don’t. mouth can affect other parts of your body and lead to health problems such as heart disease, 4. Cook more at home. People who live to it’s especially important to maintain good oral 100 and beyond eat at home more than in health. restaurants, where the menu is generally higher in fat, salt and sugar, plus food is often served 6. Wet, lather, scrub, rinse, dry, repeat. in larger portions. Find new recipes that feature Using good ’ol soap and water to wash your colorful fruits and vegetables, which are packed hands is one of the best ways to keep from

getting sick and avoid spreading germs. It’s helpful to carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are unavailable.

7. Have healthy hobbies. They add structure and meaning to your daily routine. Plant a garden, play golf or card games with friends and family.

8. Practice mindfulness. Being mindful means paying attention to the present moment, exactly as it is. Meditation and deep breathing can add calm to the stress of the day. Don’t forget to take time to laugh—it can be one of the best ways to relieve stress, improve mood and boost self-esteem.

9. Make water the drink of choice. About 60 percent of a person’s body weight is made up of water and it’s essential for almost every function, from flushing out toxins to digestion. So drink up before you start feeling parched. Replace sodas and juice with clean, pure water and you could lose several pounds this year.

10. Regroup after setbacks. See your health goals as ongoing and flexible, not as allor-nothing commitments, which can be an automatic set-up for failure. If you get off track for a few days, don’t consider your resolution failed. Remind yourself of all the progress you’ve already made and regroup. Recommitting and restarting is better than giving up.

PA RTI N G S HOT

New recognition for Old Red Bob Brown, UTMB’s program director for Facilities Planning, holds an honorary landmark designation from the city of Galveston in front of the Ashbel Smith Building. Old Red, as it is also known, and the Open Gates Carriage House on Broadway, two UTMB properties designed by Nicholas Clayton, were designated Galveston Landmarks as part of a city program to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Nicholas Clayton’s birthday. Both buildings, completed around 1891, are also on the National Register of Historic Places.

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