The University of Texas Medical Branch will host its annual Disaster Day on Saturday, Nov. 15, bringing together students, faculty, and first responders for a large-scale simulation.

UTMB Health has advanced cardiovascular health by establishing the Sealy Heart and Vascular Institute, uniting the health system and academic enterprise.

UTMB Health Angleton Danbury Campus earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country using evidence-based measures of patient safety focused exclusively on errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

The Daily News reports on UTMB’s annual Disaster Day. Starting at 8 a.m. on Nov. 15, students, faculty and first responders will work together on a large-scale simulation. This year’s scenario recreates a chemical plant explosion, giving participants hands-on experience in triage, emergency response, and inter-agency coordination.

Do we still need to get a covid vaccine? The answer is yes, write Drs. Megan Berman and Richard Rupp in their latest Vaccine Smarts column. As the virus evolves, vaccines are updated. Recent studies have shown that updated boosters still make a big difference, Berman and Rupp write.

“Acid in cooking refers to foods that are high in acidity or those that promote the release of acid in the body,” writes Dr. Samuel Mathis. Mathis explores the health benefits and risks of acidic food in his latest column for the Daily News.

When Dr. Matthew Hutter talks about surgery, he speaks as much about people as he does about procedures. For him, the field is not only about technical precision in the operating room but also about improving the lives of patients through teamwork, data-driven insights, and a relentless focus on quality.

Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel take a look at respiratory syncytial virus RSV, a little-known but common and highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause serious disease in people over 60, infants and young children. Niesel and Herzog report on a new study that found that “those in the RSV infection group were 2.7 times more likely to have died than those in the control group.”

UTMB wrapped up a dynamic and impactful week at the 2025 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week, held in Houston, with an inspiring capstone event on its Galveston Campus on Sunday.

A new UTMB study finds that children with eczema experience fewer infections and allergic complications if they’ve had the COVID vaccine. “Children with AD (atopic dermatitis) are also at higher risk for infections, including those affecting the skin and respiratory system,” said Tristan Nguyen, one of the authors of the study. “Our study suggests that COVID-19 vaccination not only protects against coronavirus but may also have broader health benefits for children with atopic dermatitis,” said UTMB’s Dr. Zhibo Yang. This news was also reported in labroots.

A pair of UTMB studies show that how that people with allergic conditions face more problems after certain types of surgery. “These results suggest that clinicians should keep a patient’s atopic history in mind when planning and following up after bone grafting,” said UTMB student Joshua Wang, lead author of a study on bone grafting. Philong Nguyen, lead author of the study on breast reconstruction and medical student at UTMB, added that “recognizing atopic disease as a potential risk factor and effectively communicating this to patients remains essential.” This news was also reported in Medscape, Dermatology Advisor and by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

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.

“With the Moody Brain Health Institute at UTMB and a deep tradition of discovery and care, UTMB stands ready to partner in this transformative work,” Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB Galveston and CEO of the UTMB Health System, tells the Houston Business Journal after Texas voters approved the allocation of $3 billion in state general revenue to establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. This news also reported in InnovationMap.

Food insecurity is now recognized by medical professionals as a major social determinant of poor health, writes Dr. Victor S. Sierpina in his latest column.

In an exciting new development, a child with a rare, incurable genetic disease received personalized gene therapy to “correct” this defect, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their Medical Discovery News column.

"This project shows how AI can be seamlessly integrated into the ECG workflow to improve detection, risk assessment, and coordination across the care continuum,” said UTMB’s Dr. Omar M. Abdelfattah. He was commenting on a UTMB study looking at the use of AI to enables faster, accurate detection of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients. This news also reported in EP Lab Digest.

“There are underlying diseases that mimic child abuse,” UTMB’s Dr. Michael Laposata told WKRN for a story on a Tennessee father convicted of shaking his son to death. “Now, this is a very well-known thing that emerged over the past 20-some years because of the false imprisonment of innocent people.”

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.