Medical School SECC kicks off

The Medical School kicked off the State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) Oct. 8 in the Leather Lounge with guest speakers and representatives from charities associated with the campaign.

The annual campaign lasts through Oct. 30. More than 500 charities are available to donate to through the campaign – either by payroll deduction or a one-time check.

The easiest way to support the SECC is through payroll deduction. For as little as $2 a pay period, you can provide two days of food and shelter for a homeless person, underwrite two days of mentoring for at-risk youth, provide meals for a homebound senior citizen for four weeks, cover the cost of planting 200 tree saplings, or hundreds of other worthwhile activities. Think about what a difference a small amount can make. Because your pledge is spread out over a year, such a generous donation is almost painless.

For more information, see http://www.secchouston.org/.

Communications sets spooktacular open house

The Medical School’s Office of Communications invites all faculty, staff, and students to a spooktacular open house 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Oct. 22 in MSB B.340.

Come for some treats and learn how the Office of Communications can help you and your department with its next creative project, be it a Web site, graphic design, photography, or poster printing.

The office is located in the basement, across from the green elevators. Call 713.500.5530 for more information.

 

 

Medical School to participate in child health study

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston will play a key role in local recruitment for the largest child health study in the United States.

The National Children’s Study will follow 100,000 children across the United States from before birth through age 21 to identify genetic and environmental factors that contribute to health disorders and conditions of childhood and adulthood. Across Harris County, 2,000 women will be recruited during pregnancy. In all, there are 105 study locations across the nation.

“This is a landmark study. It will be the largest study of women and children that will take place in our lifetime. It should provide valuable information that can help us better understand such conditions as autism, childhood obesity, and prematurity,” said Dr. Sean Blackwell, principal investigator for the Medical School and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences.

“This is a groundbreaking study to assess the influence of gene-environment interactions on the origins of the most important health problems that affect both children and adults. In this respect, this work has the potential to be one of the most informative and useful clinical studies ever conducted,” Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo said.

Blackwell, director of Pregnancy and Birth Assessment for the UT portion of the study, and Dr. Chris Greeley, director of the pediatric component, will lead the effort in assessing women and children in Harris County. Both the Medical School and the School of Public Health will participate in the study.

By studying children through their different phases of growth and development, researchers will be better able to understand the role genetic and environmental factors have on health and disease.

According to a statement by the National Children’s Study, “Findings from the study will be made available as the research progresses, making potential benefits known to the public as soon as possible. Ultimately, the National Children’s Study will be one of the richest research efforts geared towards studying children’s health and development and will form the basis of child health guidance, interventions, and policy for generations to come.”

“Researchers at the UT School of Public Health will be able to assess children and pregnant women in Harris Country for exposure to diverse environmental agents in the area, which is home to a number of large petrochemical and port facilities. This information will provide us with a better understanding of how these environmental conditions interact with other factors to influence health outcomes,” said Dr. Guy Parcel, dean of the School of Public Health.

Dr. Ken Sexton, professor and director of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Dr. Beatrice Selwyn, associate professor of epidemiology, will lead the School of Public Health effort to study the impact of the environment on Harris County children.

The UT Health Science Center at Houston will receive $3.5 million from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to fund its efforts.

“Due to the strengths of our clinical research programs in obstetrics and neonatology, with the leadership of Drs. Susan Ramin and Kathleen Kennedy and our strong partnerships with the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and Harris County Hospital District, we are able to be key players in the National Children’s Study for Harris County,” Blackwell said. “This is a unique opportunity for collaborations among investigators from different disciplines. We are very fortunate to have such an infrastructure as the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, which I hope will facilitate these efforts.”

To conduct the research, the UT Medical School at Houston and the UT School of Public Health will be working with Baylor College of Medicine, which is the lead institution for Harris County, and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

“Being awarded the NCS grant is a wonderful opportunity for the Houston community. It is absolutely terrific to have joint collaboration among the various medical institutions,” said Dr. Susan Ramin, Emma Sue Hightower Professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.

The National Children’s Study is led by a consortium of federal partners including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

-M. McDonald

 

Drive under way for UTMB students

The Medical School’s chapter of the Texas Medical Association/American Medical Association is sponsoring a book and medical equipment drive for University of Texas Medical Branch medical students affected by Hurricane Ike.

Basic science textbooks, USMLE review books, notecards, and basic medical equipment, such as stethoscopes and tuning forks, will be collected in the Leather Lounge, in front of MSB 1.006 and MSB 2.006, and in the Learning Resource Center throughout the month.

For more information or to make a monetary contribution, please contact Beth McKinnon: elizabeth.a.mckinnon@uth.tmc.edu

 

We all scream

Faculty, staff, and students enjoyed an ice cream break last Friday in celebration of a return to normalcy following Hurricane Ike.

 

 

 

Location & Contact

6431 Fannin Street,
Houston, Texas 77030

PO Box 20708,
Houston, Texas 77225

713.500.4472