Medical School ranked fifth best for Hispanics

Hispanic Business magazine ranked the Medical School among the top 10 for Hispanic students for the fifth year in a row.

The Medical School was ranked fifth in the magazine’s recent “2010 Top 10 Medical Schools for Hispanic Students” listing.

“This ranking is a testament to our Medical School’s commitment to educating a diverse student body that will be prepared to meet the health needs of our state,” said Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo.

Institutions were ranked using data points from variables including enrollment, faculty diversity, student services, recruiting, retention rate, and reputation. According to Hispanic Business, the ranked schools embrace diversity as a means of educational enrichment.

Hispanic students make up 14 percent of the enrollment at the UTHealth Medical School, and Hispanics comprise 9 percent of the faculty.

“We are delighted to continue to be one of the top 10 medical schools for Hispanic students. Our mission is to educate physicians to serve the citizens of our state, and our goal is to have a student body that mirrors the diversity of the population of Texas,” said Dr. Margaret McNeese, associate dean of Admissions and Student Affairs.

Joining the UT Medical School at Houston in the magazine's listing are three other institutions in The University of Texas System: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

For information on the rankings, visit Hispanic Business online.

— Robert Cahill, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Goldschmidt wins prestigious ASM award

Known nationally for her research into single-cell organisms that affect oral health, Dr. Millicent “Mimi” Goldschmidt, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, has been selected to receive the 2011 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Founders Distinguished Service Award.

The award honors members who have made significant contributions to the society. Goldschmidt joined the ASM in 1949 and has served as Texas branch president, newsletter editor, and member of the national ASM Board of Directors. The award will be presented at the ASM General Meeting Awards Banquet and Dinner in New Orleans May 22.

“Dr. Goldschmidt has furthered the understanding of the basic microbiology of the mouth,” said President Larry Kaiser. “She has done an exemplary job of serving her professional community, her scientific community and her teaching community.”

Microbiology is the study of cells that are invisible to the naked eye. These tiny cells include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Goldschmidt studies microbes involved with dental decay, gum disease and oral cancer, as well as rapid methods of detection (biosensors, microarrays, and nanoparticles).

Before joining the faculty in the early 1970s, Goldschmidt was the coordinator of the protocol to plan the biological tests that would be employed in the lunar receiving laboratory on the first returned moon rocks. She also was instrumental in developing isolation protocols for Apollo astronauts returning from the moon, which ensured that infectious organisms would be detected and contained.

When she started her professional career in Texas five decades ago, Goldschmidt said there were really no rapid methods to detect microorganisms. Her research contributed to the development of rapid immunological and biosensor types of detection methods to pinpoint salmonellae, Escherichia coli (E. Coli) and oral microbes.

“Throughout her illustrious career, Mimi has received several prestigious awards, and this ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award confirms what we have known all along, that Mimi has been a true leader in the field of microbiology,” said Dr. Sam Kaplan, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

Noting that there were not many female faculty members when she started her academic career, Kaplan said Goldschmidt is active in organizations that promote science careers for women, including the Association for Women in Science. She is on the ASM Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology and helped fund the Purdue University Women in Science Programs.

Goldschmidt is also on the faculty of the Dental Branch, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and M. D. Anderson. She received her doctorate from Purdue University and completed postdoctoral fellowships at The University of Texas at Austin and the Dental Branch.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Society for Microbiology is the largest single biological membership organization, with over 40,000 members.

— Robert Cahill, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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New test aimed at preventing overuse
of antibiotics in pregnant women

A more rapid laboratory test for pregnant women to detect Group B strep (GBS), the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns, is being studied by clinical researchers in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.

“Typically, if a patient comes into the emergency room in labor and you don’t know if she carries GBS, you have to treat her with antibiotics,” said Dr. Jonathan Faro, chief resident in the department. “Everyone is concerned that the overuse of antibiotics is leading to greater resistance to them. A more rapid test could transform this practice, allowing us to cut down on the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, which saves money and avoids any potential adverse reactions that patients may have to them.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), GBS is the most common cause of sepsis (blood infection) and meningitis and a frequent cause of pneumonia in newborns. The CDC estimates the bacterium, which is passed from mother to child through the birth canal, is carried by 25 to 30 percent of women at any one time. Because GBS has few symptoms, many women do not know they are carriers. In 2001, 1,700 babies less than one week old contracted GBS, which can lead to disability and death.

Pregnant women are typically screened for GBS at 35 to 37 weeks gestation, and antibiotics can be administered at the time of delivery to kill the bacteria. But nearly 13 percent of patients experience pre-term labor before they are screened, and up to 15 percent of pregnant women who arrive for full-term delivery have not been screened. Because the current test takes 48 to 72 hours for results, obstetricians must determine whether to give these women intravenous antibiotics automatically or use risk factors, shown to be only half as effective as laboratory tests, to assess whether the patient has the bacteria.

Faro said he hopes that the new test by NanoLogix, which in UTHealth studies last spring delivered results in just four hours, would give obstetricians a better solution through timely, accurate knowledge.

The study will enroll 300 pregnant patients during their regular GBS screening at UT Physicians offices in collaboration with Dr. Allan Katz, the Robert K. Creasy Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, which is sponsoring the project with resident research funds. Results of the new test will be compared to standard tests.

— Deborah Mann Lake, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

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Houston Rockets Dribble-A-Thon to benefit HEARTS

The Houston Rockets will host the first Rockets Dribble-A-Thon event at Toyota Center prior to the Rockets vs. Cavaliers Kids Day game Dec. 11. Dribble-A-Thon invites kids to raise money for HEARTS by collecting pledges to dribble a basketball at Toyota Center during the two-and-a-half hour event. Estimated start time is 12:30 p.m.

The $15 registration fee includes:

• Commemorative Houston Rockets Basketball
• Official Rockets Dribble-A-Thon T-shirt
• One ticket to the Rockets vs. Cavaliers game Dec. 11
• Specially priced tickets for friends and family to attend the game

The beneficiary of the event is Houston Early Age Risk Testing and Screening (HEARTS), a joint program/research study between UTHealth and the Memorial Hermann Sports Institute, which is designed to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in teens through early detection.

Please visit the website to register for the event.

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Concentrating on Concentrations

 

 

 

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