On Oct. 7, 6-year-old Aliah Martinez became the first patient at UTMB Health to receive the world’s newest Cochlear Nucleus Nexa—a “smart” cochlear implant featuring on-board memory and upgradeable firmware.

At UTMB Health, every day brings new possibilities for patients like Max—a young man living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

A 60-second television commercial from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) has earned two prestigious national honors recognizing excellence in health care marketing. The Caring for Our Community commercial earned both a 2025 Platinum MarCom Award and a 2025 Gold Titan Health Award, highlighting UTMB’s strength in cinematic storytelling and its commitment to advancing health care across Texas.

At the University of Texas Medical Branch, pediatric teams are always working to bring a sense of normalcy to young patients and some magic to the bedside. Through decorations, crafts, and special events, UTMB is committed to providing whole-child care by supporting not just physical health, but emotional well-being.

The University of Texas Medical Branch and the March of Dimes have partnered to create the March of Dimes Texas Collaborative Prematurity Research Center to accelerate understanding, predicting and preventing preterm birth.

The University of Texas Medical Branch announced today that it has achieved numerous distinctions for exceptional clinical performance from Healthgrades. Among UTMB Health’s new recognitions are three Specialty Excellence Awards, which place the hospital among the top 10% nationwide for cardiac, pulmonary, and critical care. UTMB Health is also five-star rated for 11 services, including treatment of heart failure, stroke, and pneumonia.

Breast cancer survivor, Teresa Boulet was diagnosed with stage 3 HER2+ breast cancer in 2017, later undergoing chemo, radiation, and surgery. She now shares her story to inspire others and ease those going through a similar process.

Breast cancer treatment can leave women to face the devastating emotional toll of the diagnosis, as well as overwhelming decisions about their bodies, their appearance, and what recovery will look like. Many women choose breast reconstruction to restore confidence, and to feel healed and whole again.

Regular OB-GYN visits are vital for women’s health, offering preventive care and support through all life stages, from adolescence to menopause. UTMB Health emphasizes early visits to build trust and educate young patients, while adult care focuses on screenings, reproductive health, and symptom management during hormonal transitions.

Nurse Practitioner Jill Resendez shared how her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis shaped her career and her life. Resendez works in UTMB’s Division of Plastic Surgery where, among other procedures and services, she performs areola tattooing for patients who have undergone a mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), a leading global molecular diagnostic society, has honored UTMB’s Dr. Michael Laposata with its prestigious Champion for Innovation Award for his countless contributions to the clinical laboratory field and for his role as a joint plaintiff in AMP’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s rule on laboratory-developed test procedure regulation.

The University of Texas Medical Branch is proudly celebrating nurses from various UTMB campuses honored by the Good Samaritan Foundation for their outstanding dedication to patient care and service.

Following up on last week’s column, Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp explain how maternal RSV vaccination works and how it can protect newborns from RSV.

“The pace of hospital consolidation has slowed but will continue over the next few years,” Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB and CEO of UTMB Health, tells Becker’s Hospital Review. Becker’s spoke C-suite executives from hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers and universities across the U.S. to share their outlook on the future of hospital consolidation.

“Mindful eating is purposefully taking the time to taste, chew, and enjoy your meal,” explains Dr. Samuel Mathis in his latest column. Taking time to mindfully eat your food has some surprising health benefits, he writes.

Medpage reports on a UTMB retrospective cohort study that linked GLP-1 receptor agonists to a lower risk of legal blindness in patients with type 2 diabetes and risk for cardiovascular disease. UTMB’s Dr. Praveena Gupta, Dr. Andrew G. Lee and UTMB medical student Ethan Jarrett, all authors on the study, were quoted in the Medpage article.

People diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata suffer from a disruption in hair growth that leaves them with patchy scalps and uneven hair, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their latest Medical Discovery News column. But new drugs are available that can restore hair growth.

Honoring Darleene “Dolly” Warren's legacy of service, Dolly’s Promise, plans to offer all breast health services to support underserved residents of Galveston County to help prevent, detect, or treat breast cancer.

A breast cancer diagnosis is life-changing news. Understanding the emotional impact is the first step in supporting patients and families as they cope with everything and move forward toward treatment and recovery.

“It is the rural communities that are being disproportionately affected by the power outages,” UTMB’s Dr. Brian Downer tells The Daily Yonder. Recent research shows that the elderly and those in rural areas are at greater risk from adverse climate events and power outages, reports The Daily Yonder.