Acadmic
Programs Departments
A variety of interdisciplinary centers, institutes and programs have been created to enrich the primary programs of the schools of UT-Houston. In general, the centers focus on specific service and research efforts while the institutes provide opportunities for special multidisciplinary educational projects. These efforts reinforce UT-Houston’s commitment to providing a means through which the health professions may join with each other and with society to consider health-related issues. Inquiries about a specific entity should be directed to the appropriate school.
The Center for Academic & Reading Skills
Center on Aging
Center for Biosecurity & Public Health Preparedness
Center for Clinical Research & Evidence Based Medicine
Center for Computational Biomedicine
Center for Health Policy Studies
Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research
Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning & Education
Center for Infectious Diseases
Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine & Care
Center for Nursing Research
Center for Society & Population Health
Center for the Study of Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens
Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials
Gulf States Hemophilia & Thrombophilia Center/Pediatric AIDS Center
Houston Biomaterials Research Center
Human Genetics Center
Human Nutrition Center
Institute for Health Policy
Laboratory for Molecular Diagnosis of Inherited Eye Diseases
Mental Science Institute
Neuroscience Research Center
Office of Women's Health
Program on Humanities & Technology in Health Care
Southwest Center for Occupational & Environmental Health
Structural Biology Center
Trauma Research Center
University Clinical Research Center
The Center for Academic & Reading Skills
The Center for Academic & Reading Skills (CARS) is a research facility that studies the ways in which reading skills and other academic skills develop in young children, including those who are academically disabled or underachieving. The center examines the effects of concentrated early reading intervention for the prevention of reading difficulties, including an examination of the effects of different types of reading intervention on reading development. One research study looks at changes in brain activation as a function of reading intervention, using a Magnetic Source Imaging technique. CARS transfers research results into classrooms by disseminating information to school personnel, training teachers and educators, providing and implementing prototypes of new approaches to teacher training, monitoring programs, developing better ways to evaluate student performance and designing prevention programs. CARS’ research is supported mainly by grants from the National Institutes of Child Health and Development, the Inter-agency Educational Research Initiative, the Office of Educational Research Improvement and the Texas Education Agency. Additional funding sources include the AT&T Foundation, Meadows Foundation and Houston Endowment.
Source: Barbara Foorman, Medical School
Center on Aging
This center, established in 1987, advocates interdisciplinary activities, recognizing that the care of older persons requires the collaborative effort of physicians, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, physical and occupational therapists and other health professionals. The Center on Aging has taken the lead in responding to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s goals of articulating programs, coordinating services and sharing resources among the publicly funded educational institutions that offer gerontology or geriatric programs throughout the state. The primary mission of the center is to initiate, coordinate and facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary aging research, education, community service and institutional development within UT-Houston.
Specific interdisciplinary aging-related activities initiated by the center include: (1) research projects that aim at improving the well-being of older adults and their caregivers; (2) educational programs in collaboration with other academic institutions, and community agencies that provide professional development and continuing education; (3) community service programs that seek to improve access to accurate age-related information; (4) a consultation center that provides Aging Resources, Information, Support and Education (ARISE) services to individuals and families who are coping with aging changes and caregiving challenges; and (5) the Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program, an advocacy service for residents of LTC facilities in Harris County and their relatives.
Source: Sharon K. Ostwald, School of Nursing
Center for Biosecurity & Public Health Preparedness
The Center for Biosecurity and Public Health Preparedness is a new collaborative endeavor, based in the School of Public Health, that will bring together the expertise of faculty throughout UT-Houston as well as individuals and organizations statewide to focus on research, education and training, communication and public information, emergency resources and policy development in this critically important area for protection of the public’s health.
Source: Scott R. Lillibridge, School of Public Health
Center for Clinical Research & Evidence Based Medicine
The goal of this center is to augment population health – as measured by life expectancy without illness or disability – by promoting clinical research of the highest quality and by advancing the way that this research is applied by physicians in caring for their patients. Faculty of the center include 19 colleagues in an array of disciplines – epidemiology, economics, ethics, statistics and behavioral and social sciences – as well as physicians highly experienced in clinical research. The center has developed a master’s degree program in clinical research and an NIH-supported clinical research curriculum and mentorship program (for more information visit the center’s web site at ped1.med.uth.tmc.edu/neo/center-home.htm). These programs provide in-depth training in clinical research to fellows and faculty within any department. Mentorship is provided jointly by departmental faculty and center faculty to assist mentees in preparing major grant proposals and in obtaining career development awards. The center also provides a Design and Analysis Support Service to assist clinical investigators. The research of the center faculty has focused on problems in newborns, children or adults that cause a major loss of healthy life years. Last year, center faculty were authors on 105 published manuscripts, principal investigators for 17 funded grants and investigators for 48 funded grants.
Source: Jon Tyson, Medical School
Center for Computational Biomedicine
Over the past several years, computational issues for technology-driven biomedical research have proliferated. The Center for Computational Biomedicine (CBM) at UT-Houston’s School of Health Information Sciences pursues collaborative, interdisciplinary research and education within the broadly defined scientific area of computational biomedicine. This new discipline is defined by and indeed resides upon the interface between the computational sciences (i.e., signal analysis, data mining and computer science in general) and a wide variety of biomedical disciplines including neuroscience, genomics, cardiology and structural biology to name a few. Fundamentally, CBM addresses the modeling, acquisition, processing and long-term storage of the ever-increasing volume of biomedical information.
The Center for CBM encourages the development of collaborative relationships among faculty and others around research and education in CBM related to the mission of the university. The Center for CBM emphasizes the highly interdisciplinary nature of this emerging scientific discipline in health care and biomedical research. The Executive Committee of the center is composed of representatives from each of the other five UT-Houston schools.
Source: Michael Brandt, School of Health Information Sciences
Center for Health Policy Studies
The Center for Health Policy Studies provides a focal point for health policy analysis for faculty and students of the School of Public Health, UT-Houston schools and other University of Texas components. Research and technical services carried out by the center assist national, state and local governments, community organizations, universities and other entities by constructing factual information bases, analyzing the effects of alternative proposals to solve problems, assessing program impacts and providing expert consultation.
Source: Virginia C. Kennedy, School of Public Health
Center for Health Promotion & Prevention Research
The mission of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR) is to conduct research to develop, evaluate and disseminate health promotion and disease prevention programs in diverse settings and populations. The CHPPR is a CDC Prevention Research Center and a World Health Organization Collaborating Center. The CHPPR has formal collaborative agreements with the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands and Queensland University of Technology in Australia. The CHPPR trains pre- and post-doctoral fellows in behavioral science cancer prevention and control through funding from the National Cancer Institute. The center’s Continuing Education Network offers professional development for public health practitioners.
In 2001 the CHPPR had $9,394,435 in external funding for over 50 research projects focusing on: cancer prevention and control, tobacco use prevention and smoking cessation, drug abuse, sexual risk behaviors, asthma management, physical activity, alcohol abuse, cardiovascular health in children, youth health behaviors, diabetes prevention in children, women’s health, injury prevention, comprehensive school health and obesity prevention in youth.
Source: Steven H. Kelder, School of Public Health
The Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning & Education
The Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning & Education (CIRCLE) is actively involved in numerous research and training activities related to the goal of promoting quality learning environments for young children. The child development faculty colleagues and research and training staff of CIRCLE have developed a large research database on early childhood from numerous research programs supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Development, numerous foundations, as well as seed grants from UT-Houston. Translation of the findings of CIRCLE research have resulted in the development and delivery of several ongoing training and service programs in Texas. Most recently, a collaboration with the Episcopal Health Charities has resulted in a community-based early childhood program with neighborhood mentors, parents and childcare agencies. Also, through funding from the US Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Children & Families, the Texas Education Agency, the Bank of America and the Meadows Foundation, CIRCLE conducts demonstration teacher training projects across Texas and the United States.
Source: Susan Landry, Medical School
Center for Infectious Diseases
The Center for Infectious Diseases (CID) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1989. It is housed in the UT-Houston School of Public Health and consists of offices and research laboratories. The center’s mission is to address the problems of emerging infectious diseases in Texas, especially HIV-related issues, and to develop fundable and sustaining research programs. Current programs include studies in hepatitis viruses, parasitic infections, traveler’s diarrhea, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, zoonotic diseases and respiratory diseases. Although the research program is of primary importance, the center is also dedicated to educating and training public health professionals by involving students and trainees in laboratory research projects. CID members consist of public health and medical researchers brought together for a multidisciplinary approach to infectious disease problems. Center investigators are also involved in a number of international studies and collaborations in the US/Mexico border area and at other non-US sites with the recognition that immigration and travel have introduced a variety of non-endemic diseases into the state. In this respect, the AIDS Research and Control Center located in Mumbai, India, provides an important and valuable site for HIV-related studies, such as heterosexual transmission, an increasing problem in the Texas population. Through a strong program of research and education, CID scientists are working to find ways in which to identify, control and prevent infectious diseases that threaten the public health.
Source: Cynthia Chappell, School of Public Health
Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine & Care
The Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine and Care (CLAMC) provides laboratory animals and support to more than $25 million in biomedical research projects. The accredited facilities and programs provide professional veterinary, surgical and animal care services in support of principal investigators’ animal use studies. CLAMC staff includes four veterinarians, seven veterinary technicians and over 30 animal care and support personnel. The physical facilities include vivaria in four UT-Houston buildings, a modern experimental surgery suite and an off-site satellite facility. The CLAMC is an integral part of UT-Houston’s research and teaching mission and provides the highest standards possible for ensuring the health and well-being of laboratory animals used in biomedical research.
Source: Brad Goodwin, Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine & Care
Center for Nursing Research
Developed in 1986, the Center for Nursing Research (CNR) in the School of Nursing is dedicated to advancing nursing science and improving the evidence-based practice of nursing through support of the School of Nursing. CNR supports faculty and students in the development and implementation of clinical intervention and outcomes research. The CNR staff provides methodological, statistical and editorial consultations; supports an extensive proposal review process; and facilitates the preparation and submission of research proposals for extramural funding and protocol approval forms to institutional review boards. Other CNR initiatives include a competitive, peer-reviewed intramural grants program, a faculty research internship, an annual Visiting Research Scholar series and faculty development seminars. The CNR also maintains an electronic Research Bulletin Board.
Source: Sandra K. Hanneman, School of Nursing
Center for Society & Population Health
This center was created to study those factors beyond the biological that influence the health of individuals and populations. Its purpose is to explore and understand the social, economic, political and cultural determinants of health and the ways in which society can intervene to improve the health of all citizens. A fundamental goal of the center is to understand the mechanisms by which these different, yet equally important determinants, interact to influence population health. To achieve this, the center works to integrate the significant theories and methods from various disciplines to develop new synergies for deepening the understanding of the fundamental causes of health and illness. The center is a component of the School of Public Health, drawing on the resources and knowledge of its faculty as well as those from other schools within the university. The center has active and collaborative relationships with faculty and colleagues from other Houston institutions, notably Rice University and the Baker Institute for Public Policy, and from around the world.
Source: M. David Low, School of Public Health
Center for the Study of Emerging & Reemerging Pathogens
The Center for the Study of Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens (CSERP) is a university-based inter-departmental collaborative unit, which targets molecular biology, genetics and therapeutics of infectious diseases. The scientific goals of CSERP are to determine how microorganisms cause disease, how they resist host defenses and what microbial targets are crucial for survival in the infected host. The long-range goal is to use this information to develop strategies for preventing or treating these diseases. Educational activities include the Molecular Basis for Infectious Diseases data club (an interdisciplinary monthly seminar with presentations from clinical and basic scientists), an annual retreat with nationally recognized speakers and poster representations from schools in the south Texas area, and, co-sponsored with the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, a new course, Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response. The center provides graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and other trainees with a day-to-day exposure to clinical disciplines as well as the basic sciences in order to establish a broad-based foundation in bacterial virulence and its consequences. Major projects of CSERP investigators include enterococcal virulence, pathogenesis mechanism of B anthracis, antibiotic resistance, lyme disease and syphilis projects, microbial genome analysis, host immune response, immune evasion by microbes, mycology research, new antimicrobial targets, cryptosporidia and HIV clinical trials.
Source: Barbara E. Murray, Medical School
Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials
The Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials, established in 1971 and located in the School of Public Health, provides individual investigators in biostatistics, epidemiology, biological sciences, management and other disciplines with the expertise and personnel to coordinate the design, analysis and interpretation of multi-center, randomized, controlled clinical trials. The center includes experts who supervise protocol design and operation, manual development, study forms design, randomization and quality-control procedures, data processing, central and remote data entry, computer software development and maintenance, report generation, analysis and interpretation and fiscal management. The center has obtained over $250 million in research funding since its inception.
Source: Barry R. Davis & Robert J. Hardy, School of Public Health
Gulf States Hemophilia & Thrombophilia Center/Pediatric AIDS Center
The Gulf States Hemophilia and Thrombophilia Center, affiliated with the Medical School, provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment services for children and adults with Hemophilia, Thrombophilia, Von Willebrand’s disease and other bleeding disorders. These services include medical, nursing, social services, physical therapy, dental, orthopaedic, genetic counseling, psychosocial and laboratory.
An annual outreach clinic is conducted in El Paso and a satellite clinic has been established in Galveston. The Center conducts research in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital coagulation disorders and HIV and its complications. Research on the impact of changing health care reimbursement on the provision of services to children with rare chronic diseases is conducted on an ongoing basis. The center also provides educational sessions locally and through the Lone Star Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation.
The Pediatric AIDS Center conducts valuable research for the future treatment of HIV disease. In addition, this center provides prenatal care, nursing, medical care, social services and HIV counseling and education to HIV-exposed and -infected children (and, perinatally, their mothers) at little or no cost. The majority of children and mothers receiving care from the Pediatric AIDS Center are from low-income,ethnically diverse backgrounds. For many, the center provides the only source of comprehensive medical and psychosocial services.
Source: Joan Wasserman, Hemophilia Center/Memorial Hermann Hospital
Houston Biomaterials Research Center
The mission of the Houston Biomaterials Research Center, established in 1995 and housed at the Dental Branch, is to support and develop research, education and training in biomaterials at UT-Houston. Its members investigate applied and fundamental biological, clinical, mechanical, chemical and physical properties of biomaterials for dental, orthopaedic, craniofacial and other applications. Scientists and advisory board members affiliated with the center include faculty from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Texas A&M University, Texas Heart Institute, UT-San Antonio Dental School, UT-Houston Dental Branch and Medical School, as well as representatives from the dental industry. The center supports the specialized master’s program in oral biomaterials at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and continuing dental education program at the Dental Branch. For more information, refer to the center’s web site at www.db.uth.tmc.edu/Biomaterials/default.htm or contact John.M.Powers@uth.tmc.edu.
Source: John M. Powers, Dental Branch
Human Genetics Center
Originally organized in 1972, the Human Genetics Center is a research and teaching facility which aims to better understand the nature and extent of man’s burden of hereditary disease and disability. Research interests of the faculty involve the study of the mechanisms and forces, which contribute to the distribution of genotypes and traits among individuals, families and populations. Implementation of these interests requires both analytic and laboratory approaches in addition to field work in Texas and elsewhere. Currently, major efforts are underway in the center to localize and characterize genes contributing to the common chronic diseases including blindness, coronary heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Faculty in the center also are actively engaged in studying the fundamental evolutionary mechanisms underlying human genetic variation. In order to accomplish these objectives, high through-put DNA typing and analysis are a major focus of the center’s efforts. The center maintains a field office in Starr County, Texas, as part of efforts to study the major contributions to ill health in the Mexican-American community.
Source: Eric Boerwinkle, School of Public Health
Human Nutrition Center
The Human Nutrition Center (HNC) was established in 1977 to develop a multidisciplinary approach to the solution of nutrition problems and to contribute to the nutrition education of health professionals and the public. The center serves as a resource for individuals and institutions in the Texas Medical Center with common interests in the relationship of food intake and nutritional health status.
Because of the emphasis on disease prevention and nutrition education of public and health professionals, the center is located in the School of Public Health. The center’s faculty and staff are particularly concerned with local, national and international nutritional health issues and with the graduate education of students who plan careers in the fields of public health or community nutrition. A Dietetic Internship program is supported by the HNC with accreditation from the American Dietetic Association. The center promotes public and professional awareness and utilization of the nutritional resources available at the Health Science Center. The faculty and staff are also involved in a wide range of educational, research and service activities related to nutritional health issues, and maintain cooperative relationships with a number of academic, health and public health institutions in Houston, the State and throughout the country. The staff of the center are actively involved in the development of methods for assessing the dietary intake of individuals and population groups, public health nutrition education and research in the etiology and prevention of disease.
Source: R. Sue Day, School of Public Health
Institute for Health Policy
The Institute for Health Policy is a new UT-Houston initiative based in the School of Public Health that will provide leadership for UT-Houston to develop and implement research and academic programs in public policy areas related to health. The institute will also guide public policy formation related to health by applying UT-Houston research and academic resources, in collaboration with other Texas Medical Center institutions in the Houston area and national organizations, to identify and analyze critical health issues leading to proposed recommendations or options for health policies.
Source: Guy Parcel, School of Public Health
Laboratory for Molecular Diagnosis of Inherited Eye Diseases
The Laboratory for Molecular Diagnosis of Inherited Eye Diseases was inaugurated on September 1, 1994, and is a joint project of the Hermann Eye Center, the Medical School Department of Ophthalmology and the Human Genetics Center at the School of Public Health. The purpose of the laboratory is to provide genetic testing as a service for patients with inherited eye diseases and for ophthalmologists treating those patients. At present, the principal diseases tested are inherited forms of retinal degeneration such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular dystrophy. The laboratory also conducts research in the molecular causes of inherited eye diseases and has a role in training students and faculty in molecular techniques.
Source: Stephen Daiger, School of Public Health
Mental Sciences Institute
The Mental Sciences Institute was founded in 1961 as the Houston State Psychiatric Institute. Its name was changed to the Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences (TRIMS) in 1967, and in 1985 it became The University of Texas Mental Sciences Institute (MSI) in association with the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical School. The MSI offers comprehensive outpatient services to children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, the mentally disabled and substance abusers. Besides its clinical services, MSI also operates a series of research programs that are highly recognized locally and nationally. MSI also houses a comprehensive psychiatric- and behaviorally-oriented library.
Source: Pedro Ruiz, Medical School
Neuroscience Research Center
The Neuroscience Research Center is engaged in interdisciplinary and interinstitutional research in the neurobehavioral sciences. More than 180 faculty members from UT-Houston schools and departments engage in multidisciplinary investigations of a broad spectrum of issues that comprehensively address all aspects of the neurosciences from the molecular to the clinical. These studies may hold the key to understanding, preventing and treating chronically debilitating neural and behavioral disorders, such as dementia resulting from Alzheimer’s disease; mental retardation, learning and developmental disabilities; mental illnesses; alcoholism and other substance-abuse problems; and loss of cognitive functions due to factors such as the aging process and head trauma. The Neuroscience Research Center publishes a quarterly newsletter and a monthly news sheet identifying ongoing research efforts and activities in the neurosciences; organizes various neuroscience lectures, including a Distinguished Lectureship Series and seminars; sponsors a course in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; hosts an annual Neuroscience poster session; and fosters the exchange of information and discussion of new initiatives.
Source: Jack Byrne, Medical School
Office of Women’s Health
The Office of Women’s Health was formed in 1998 as a Medical School component of UT-Houston’s Women’s Health Initiative. The office’s four goals are to: promote the enhancement of collective resources and increase visibility for individual efforts in areas of research, clinical care and education related to women’s health; increase financial support for cooperative endeavors; serve as a clearing house for information regarding clinical services, research initiatives and conferences on women’s health; and serve as a liaison between related programs in the various institutions of UT-Houston. The office maintains a Web site, resource library and database of persons with clinical and basic research interests related to women’s health. The office has helped to coordinate the preparation of a number of multidisciplinary grant proposals and has set in place a mechanism for proposal review in the case where only one can be submitted. The office sponsors a mini medical school informational series, a newsletter (Women’s Health Newswatch) and a speakers bureau that provide health information to the public. It conducts a summer research program for undergraduates and medical students that focuses on current issues in women’s health research. The office represents the university at state and city-wide conferences on issues related to women and publicizes studies that are seeking participants from the community.
Source: Barbara M. Sanborn, Medical School
Program on Humanities & Technology in Health Care
The Program on Humanities and Technology in Health Care was established in 1982. Its purpose is to generate interdisciplinary educational and research programs that bridge the gap between science and humanities in health care. The program examines and clarifies the joint influence of values, traditions and technologic advances on the practices, institutions and goals of health care. The program’s focus is the ethical and technological aspects of health care, and its courses are offered in each of the UT-Houston schools. Within the ethics component, presented case rounds teach about ethical dilemmas, courses on health care ethics are presented, and the program joins with Rice University to train graduate students. The technology component provides teaching and research on the effects of technology in health care and also houses the major journal in the field, International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care.
Source: Stanley Reiser, School of Public Health
Southwest Center for Occupational & Environmental Health
The Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (SWCOEH) was first established at the School of Public Health in 1977. Its mission is to promote health, safety and well-being in the workplace and the community. The goal of the center is to respond to the critical need for well-trained occupational and environmental health specialists by providing graduate-level academic training and continuing education with an underlying foundation of a state-of-the-art occupational and environmental health research program. It is a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-supported Education and Research Center, a National Institutes of Health (Fogarty International Center)-funded International Environmental and Occupational Health Research Training Center and, since 1985, a World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Occupational Health.
The center provides academic training in the core areas of industrial hygiene, occupational health for nurses, occupational medicine, occupational safety engineering, as well as in the special emphasis areas of occupational epidemiology and injury prevention. Interdisciplinary courses and activities are offered to ensure interaction between faculty and students in the core disciplines. SWCOEH maintains an active research program. Current domestic research interests and activities include: a bladder cancer screening and education program in the petrochemical industry; occupational and environmental risk factors for asthma; environmental lead poisoning surveillance systems; and health issues of migrant farm workers. International research interests and activities include: health care worker training programs in Latin America; development of standard curricula in international occupational health; environmental aspects of diarrheal disease in children; ergonomic standards and applications in Latin America; and worker safety training in the petrochemical industry.
The center’s Continuing Education and Outreach program offers courses annually in Region VI and internationally to practicing occupational health professionals, professionals in related disciplines, paraprofessionals and technicians in a variety of aspects of occupational and environmental health. A hazardous substance training program, under the auspices of the Continuing Education Program, offers training to health and safety professionals in minority colleges and universities. Outreach activities are provided at the local, regional and international levels, through consultation, clinical services, presentations, community service and offering of scholarships and pilot project research awards.
Source: George Delclos, School of Public Health
Structural Biology Center
Molecular mechanisms in cells are orchestrated by the cooperative activities of molecular machines built from amino and nucleic acids. Efforts to resolve the molecular architecture and functional design of these molecular machines is essential for an understanding of normal biological processes as well as the structural basis of disease states. Structural biology is the evolving branch of basic science that aims to provide detailed three-dimensional structures of molecular machines. The importance of structural biology will be amplified as researchers are challenged to identify the structures of proteins encoded by the tens of thousands of human genes.
The center focuses on excellence in the three primary methods for resolving molecular structures – nuclear magnetic resonance, electron microscopy and x-ray crystallography. The center will be a focal point for structural biology research at the Medical School and within the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In this way the center and its faculty will provide UT-Houston with a valuable and much needed resource for research and training in structural biology. Many collaborative projects with UT-Houston faculty are anticipated thus significantly enhancing UT-Houston’s overall research enterprise.
Source: John A. Putkey, Medical School
Trauma Research Center
The Medical School’s Trauma Research Center interest is in elucidating the pathogenesis of post injury multiple organ failure (MOF). Specifically, the center’s four basic research projects and one intensive care unit clinical study investigate how traumatic stresses cause gut dysfunction and how gut dysfunction contributes to MOF. When the center was established in 1988, it was the first in the United States to concentrate on the role of the gastrointestinal tract in MOF. The center, which is multi-departmental and multi-institutional, is funded by the National Institutes of Health. This year a formal postgraduate research training program has been added. The Medical School investigators represent the departments of surgery, integrative biology and pharmacology, internal medicine, biochemistry and pediatrics as well as academic computing and the Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine and Care. The department of biology at the University of Houston is also part of the center’s activity.
Source: Frederick Moore, Medical School
University Clinical Research Center
The University Clinical Research Center (UCRC) provides an optimal setting for controlled clinical investigations into the cause, progression, prevention, control and care of human disease. Accredited and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the UCRC also serves as an environment for training health professionals in clinical research. The NIH funds the inpatient/outpatient facility and the necessary nursing, dietary and administrative staff. A computer systems manager and biostatistician are available to assist investigators with data management and analysis. Patient care expenses directly related to nonindustry-sponsored research are also supported in full by the grant. The UCRC is a discrete unit in Memorial Hermann Hospital devoted entirely to conducting clinical research with both adult and pediatric populations. Projects may also be conducted outside the UCRC with patients requiring care in specialty areas such as intensive care units and the nursery. In addition, a DNA Sequencing and Genotyping Core Laboratory supports genomics-based clinical research in the UCRC. Available to investigators from all disciplines at UT-Houston, the UCRC encourages collaborative research. The UCRC web site is oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/uth_orgs/crc/.
Source: Ann Ince, University Clinical Research Center