Videos

On March 10, the University of Texas Medical Branch Pediatric and Adult Primary Care Clinic in Friendswood will open its doors at a new location at 1715 S. Friendswood Dr., Friendswood.

Although this new space will be less than a half mile away from the current location, what patients will find in the new building will be quite different.

“We're expanding to not only have Primary Care, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, as we currently do, but to also include Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neurology and Orthopedics specialties as well,” said Stephenie Pharr, director of Ambulatory Operations at UTMB. “We're also increasing the access for existing imaging services such as X-rays and ultrasounds.”

In addition to these changes, the new clinic also include an on-site pharmacy so that patients can walk out potentially the same day as their appointments with the treatments they need.

In the community for more than two decades, the care teams within the current clinic have watched the area they serve grow, so they're excited to be increasing the services available to this population.

“I'm so excited about the changes coming for this community,” said Dr. Carolyn “Becky” Risinger, UTMB physician, clinical associate professor and medical director for the clinic. “Having more service options also means added expertise as we enhance our multidisciplinary team approach. We're already a strong unit from the doctors and nurses you see to the medical assistants and patient service specialists on board, we all work together to provide the best possible care to every patient every time.”

For clinic-specific questions, contact the team on site directly at (281) 482-5695.

Dr. Carolyn "Becky" Risinger is a physician, clinical associate professor and the medical director of the new clinic.

At the University of Texas Medical Branch's John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, an innovative program offers young, long-term patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) a unique creative outlet. Through this initiative led by nurse Manager Emily Nicoletti and pediatric child life coordinator Lizette Perez, children can design and create ceiling tiles that are later placed throughout the hallways of the unit, creating a comforting environment for past, current, and future patients.

For children facing extended hospital stays, the experience can be emotionally taxing. Allowing them to personalize ceiling tiles offers them a sense of control, self-expression, and accomplishment. Each ceiling tile becomes a personal story for the child with themes focusing on Galveston's beaches, aquatic life, or popular children's characters. These tiles bring bursts of color and joy to a traditionally intimidating environment for younger patients.

The ceiling tile art not only provides therapeutic benefits for the patients but also offers comfort to others, who gaze up at the inspiring artwork during difficult moments. These small but meaningful changes in the hospital environment emphasize the healing power of creativity, community, and empathy in pediatric care, showing that medicine is not only about treatments, but also about creating spaces where young patients feel seen, supported, and comforted.

Thorough communication, patient care, patience and support helped Cam Blackwell make a full recovery after injuring her ankle while practicing with her softball team during her senior year of high school. Dr. John Hagedorn, associate professor and surgeon with the Orthopedic Trauma team, was the lead on Cam's case and ensured he did everything he could to help heal her injury and keep her mother, Lori Blackwell, completely informed and in the loop as things progressed.

To learn more, watch the full discussion.

To learn more, watch the full discussion.

To learn more, watch the full discussion.

During the summer, there's lots of fun to be had, but there's also lots of things to be mindful of. During a recent interview with Houston Moms, Dr. Urvashi Barua-Nath shared best practices for how to deal with everything from things that burn like fireworks and the sun to creatures that sting like jellyfish and bugs. 

To learn more, watch the full discussion.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, this month's video with Houston Moms included a panel of six moms discussing the ways they prioritize their families' mental wellbeing. Representatives from UTMB included Dr. Angelica Robinson, breast imaging specialist and faculty with the Department of Radiology, Dr. Lauren Raimer-Goodman, a provider and clinical associate professor with the Department of Pediatrics and Dr. Kimberly Gushanas, associate professor and licescened clinical psychologist with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. Drs. Raimer-Goodman and Gushanas also lent their professional expertise, given their experience working on the frontlines of pediatric primary care and pediatric and adolescent behavioral health.

To learn more, watch the full discussion.

Jessica Lewis, mom of UTMB Health pediatric nephrology patient Olin Lewis, and Ashley Lewis, UTMB Health nurse practitioner with pediatric Nephrology recently joined Houston Moms for an interview discussing how parents can work with health care teams to advocate for their children.

To learn more, watch the full discussion.