Okhuysen receives national award

As a result of his early achievement in the area of infectious disease, Dr. Pablo Okhuysen has received the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Oswald Avery Award.

Okhuysen, professor of internal medicine and co-director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, was nominated for this national award by Dr. Herbert DuPont, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the School of Public Health.

“Dr. Okhuysen is a rare breed in medicine today,” DuPont said. “He is an excellent clinician, a very good teacher, and a marvelous investigator. He has all the tools to be among the very best in academic medicine.”

The Oswald Avery Award for early achievement (formerly the Squibb Award) is granted in recognition of outstanding achievement in an area of infectious diseases by an individual member or fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) who is 45 or younger. The award is based on overall achievement and has been granted annually since 1968.

DuPont’s nomination highlighted Okhuysen’s scientific orientation and successful experience with translational research, including his special interest in Cryptosporidium; his leadership in medicine; and his personal qualities, such as his work ethic and effective problem-solving skills.

“I am delighted to have been selected for this award; I’ve been at UT-Houston since my residency in internal medicine. Receiving this award also speaks to the nurturing environment and effective mentorship available here at UT,” Okhuysen said.

Okhuysen will receive the award at the IDSA annual meeting in October in San Diego.


-D. Brown

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Conference focuses on stress, health of faculty

With a focus on the mental, physical, and spiritual health of faculty clinicians and researchers, academicians are gathering in the Texas Medical Center for an innovative interdisciplinary conference jointly sponsored by the UT Health Science Center and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center July 19-21.

The “Faculty Health Conference” includes presenters from around the nation, as well as local experts and will be kicked off by a welcome from Dr. James T. Willerson, president of the health science center.

The conference is a collaborative endeavor undertaken by Dr. Tom Cole, director of the John P. McGovern, M.D. Center for Health, Humanities, and the Human Spirit and Dr. Thelma Jean Goodrich, director of M. D. Anderson’s Faculty Development Program.

“The role of medical humanities in faculty health is on a continuum with medical education and residency education,” Cole said. “We want to nurture, support, and educate well rounded, humane, reflective, and emotionally connected professionals. Workshops, lectures, and retreats help faculty reflect on their priorities, their values, and their difficulties. We aim for a vitality in which their inner life is well integrated with their professional life.”

Physicians and those in the health professions are under high stress, and as a result have special needs to be addressed.

“Physicians are socialized to keep things to themselves and handle difficult problems day in and day out,” Cole said. And they tend not to turn to colleagues or other professionals, and I think that contributes to levels of stress and burnout.

Dr. Henry Strobel, associate dean for faculty affairs, and Cole have been leading a Medical School faculty renewal group on a monthly basis to help faculty share and support each other.

“Formalized faculty health programs are springing up in areas of the country, Vanderbilt, University of Virginia, M. D. Anderson all have them. As the McGovern Center director, I thought we could look into it as a research project; we will be submitting a book manuscript based on revised papers from the conference,” Cole added.

-D. Brown


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Matthews Medical Bookstores to manage UT Bookstores

Auxiliary Enterprises has decided to outsource the management of the UT Bookstores to Matthews Medical Bookstores (MMB), effective July 30. The Medical School bookstore is currently having an 80 percent off sale of selected merchandise.

Matthews, a retailer of health science books since 1889, will close all university bookstores July 30- Aug. 3 to perform inventory transfer. Once the bookstores re-open, Monday, Aug. 6, the regular numbers will be available: Medical School – 713-500-5860; Dental School – 713-500-4450; Nursing School – 713-500-9561.

Individual contacts for each of these stores and their e-mail addresses will be announced at a later date. Matthews representative is Dan Schlesinger, dans@mattmccoy.com

Auxiliary Enterprises and the bookstore staff thank you for your past support and hope that you will help welcome Matthews as a new partner with the health science center.

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