Holcomb named UT Chancellor’s first Health Fellow for Trauma and Injury Programs

Dr. Kenneth Shine, interim chancellor and executive vice chancellor for health affairs for The University of Texas System, has appointed Dr. John Holcomb the Chancellor’s Health Fellow for Trauma and Injury Programs.

Holcomb is professor and chief of acute care surgery and director of the Center for Translational Injury Research. As the chancellor’s fellow, he will spend the next year working with other experts in the UT System to enhance services for injured Texans.

“Dr. Holcomb has an impressive record of achievement in pioneering new methods for treating the wounded on the battlefield and for transporting soldiers more efficiently to hospitals,” Shine said. “His vast experience in military trauma surgery and research makes him uniquely qualified for this health fellowship, which is the first Chancellor’s Fellowship to be offered in this specialized area. He will work with all of the UT campuses to strengthen research, educational, prevention, and treatment programs for trauma and injury.”

Holcomb, the recent recipient of the American Heart Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Trauma Resuscitation Science, said developing the most effective prevention and treatment programs is critical to the health of Texans. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, almost 30 Texans die every day from injuries — approximately 10,000 each year. For every trauma victim who dies, at least six are seriously injured.

“We need to work collaboratively across the outstanding UT System trauma centers and prepare an agenda that might include developing a trauma registry in Texas and addressing disaster response, as well as health policy issues surrounding injured Texans,” Holcomb said. “I see the fellowship as an opportunity to foster communication and develop an agenda so we can start tackling large problems that affect the citizens of Texas.”

The UT System Office of Health Affairs established the Chancellor’s Health Fellows program in 2004 to maximize improvements in education, research, and patient care among the system’s six health campuses.

“Dr. Holcomb is very deserving of this honor from Dr. Shine and the UT System,” said Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo. “We are very fortunate to have recruited him to our faculty, and his accolades and successes speak to his passion for helping trauma patients.”

-M. Raine

AHA honors faculty for research

Faculty members at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston were honored for their work in the fight against heart disease at the 2008 American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. Heart disease is the nation's No. 1 killer.

UT faculty members recognized were: Nobel Laureate Dr. Ferid Murad, director emeritus of The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM); Dr. John Holcomb, professor of surgery and director of the Center for Translational Injury Research; and Dr. Raffaella Lombardi, MIMM postdoctoral fellow. The AHA scientific sessions were Nov. 8 -12.

Murad was named one of 13 Distinguished Scientists for 2008 by the American Heart Association. The prestigious award was created to honor researchers whose work has advanced the understanding of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Murad found that nitroglycerin and several related heart drugs induce the formation of nitric oxide and that this gas acts to increase the diameter of blood vessels in the body, according to the American Heart Association. He shared the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert Furchgott and Louis Ignarro for their major discoveries involving nitric oxide as a unique signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.

"Nitric oxide is one of the most important signaling molecules produced within our body. Dr. Murad's contributions to the field have revolutionized the concept of cell signaling by a gaseous molecule. Potential applications are far-reaching across multiple organ systems. Discovery of this pathway has allowed new therapeutic strategies to control blood pressure, correct conditions of endothelial dysfunction, and even treat erectile dysfunction," said Dr. Nathan Bryan, assistant professor of molecular medicine at the IMM.

Holcomb received the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award in Trauma Resuscitation Science, which was established in 2003 to recognize leaders in this field. Holcomb's contributions to trauma medicine include increased hemorrhage control through dressings, tourniquets and intravenous methods, as well as trauma informatics and systems.

"Each year the American Heart Association selects one surgeon to receive a Lifetime Achievement award for their contributions to the resuscitation of critically ill or injured patients. Dr. Holcomb, while serving in the U.S. Army (now retired), made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of injured patients in war zones as well as civilian trauma. His contributions have led to a new paradigm in transfusion of patients sustaining blood loss. He well deserves this recognition," said Dr. Richard Andrassy, holder of the Denton A. Cooley, M.D., Chair in Surgery and the Jack H. Mayfield, M.D., Distinguished University Chair.

Lombardi won the 2008 Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Award Prize for Young Investigators, which is given to the best scientific presentation at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association.

Lombardi presented a manuscript describing the origin of the fat cells in the heart in a disease condition referred to as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which is an important cause of sudden cardiac death in the young, especially athletes. In this disease, which is a genetic disorder, excessive fat cells replace cardiac myocytes in the heart, particularly the right side of the heart. She and her colleagues showed that fat cells originate from the stem cells in the heart that through a unique mechanism convert to fat cells in the presence of genetic mutations.

"The Katz Award is the most prestigious award given to young investigators in basic cardiovascular research by the American Heart Association," said Dr. Ali Marian, professor and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Genetic Research at the IMM. "The work (of Lombardi) could lead to the development of new therapies aimed at preventing the cardiac stem cells from switching a muscle fate to a fat cell fate and therefore, prevention of this potentially deadly disease."

-R. Cahill

UTPD named “recognized” by state association

The Texas Police Chiefs Association’s Law Enforcement Recognition Program has named The University of Texas at Houston Police Department (UTPD-H) a “Recognized Law Enforcement Agency,” becoming only the 10th agency in the state with this status.

The Recognition Program began in 2007 by evaluating a police department’s compliance in over 150 Best Business Practices for Texas Law Enforcement. These practices were carefully developed by Texas Law Enforcement professionals to assist agencies in the efficient and effective delivery of service and the protection of individual’s rights. These best practices envelop all aspects of law enforcement operations, including use of force, protection of citizen rights, victim awareness and support, vehicle pursuits, property and evidence management, records, administrative and support operations, and patrol and investigative operations.

This voluntary process required the UTPD to conduct a critical self-review of the agency’s policies, procedures, facilities, and operations. In March 2008, the department began the process to become a “Recognized” Law Enforcement Agency” by preparing proofs of compliance for each of the Texas Law Enforcement Best Business Practices. Upon completion of the internal review, an outside audit and review occurred Dec. 3 and 4.

The UTPD takes great pride in receiving this latest acknowledgment of their work in collaboration with the students, faculty, staff, and employees of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the UT Health Science Center at Houston.

-UTPD

Cerebrovascular CME set for Feb. 7

The Continuing Medical Education Course “Improving Outcomes for Patients With Cerebrovascular Disease” will be held Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Houstonian Hotel.

The conference is targeted to primary care physicians, internal medicine physicians, emergency medicine physicians, neurosurgeons, neurologists, EMS personnel, nurses, and physician assistants.

The speakers, including Dr. James Grotta, chair of the Department of Neurology; Dr. Dong Kim, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery; and Dr. Nicole Gonzalez, assistant professor of neurology, will cover such topics as improving stroke prevention in high-risk patients and current and new techniques and technologies to treat cerebrovascular disease.

The conference will take place 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more information, and to register, see www.mnievents.com, or call 713.448.5101.

Harris County Medical Society, Houston Academy of Medicine install new leaders

The Harris County Medical Society (HCMS), the professional association for Harris County physicians, and the Houston Academy of Medicine (HAM), the scientific and charitable organization for HCMS physicians, will install its new officers Friday, Jan. 23, at the HCMS/HAM Installation of Officers & Leadership Recognition, at the Westin Oaks Hotel, 5011 Westheimer.

The master of ceremonies, Texas Medical Association (TMA) President-elect Dr. William H. Fleming III, will welcome into office 2009 HCMS President Dr. Lewis E. Foxhall, 2009 HAM President Dr. Betty J. Edwards, as well as the other HCMS and HAM officers. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Nancy W. Dickey, president of Health Science Center and vice chancellor for Health Affairs at Texas A&M System, and past president of the American Medical Association (AMA). The John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award also will be presented to Dr. Richard J. O’Reilly from Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City the same evening.

Foxhall, a family physician who is vice president for Health Policy, medical director for Office of Physician Relations, and associate professor of Clinical Cancer Prevention at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, will be installed as the 108th president of the Harris County Medical Society.

Edwards, a Houston board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, will be installed as the 2009 president of the Houston Academy of Medicine.

Foxhall and Edwards will serve as presidents for one-year terms, ending Dec. 31, 2009. The HCMS Executive Board is the governing board of HCMS, and its members serve on the HAM Board of Trustees, the governing board of HAM. The four HCMS members-at-large are the officers of HAM. The HCMS Executive Board officers for 2009 are: Foxhall, president; Dr. William Gilmer, president elect; Dr. Russell Kridel, vice president; and Dr. Bradford Patt, secretary/treasurer. The HAM Board of Trustees for 2009 are: Edwards, HAM president and HCMS member-at-large; Dr. JoAnne Rogers, HAM vice president and HCMS member-at-large; Dr. Robert Morrow, HAM treasurer and HCMS member-at-large; Dr. Elizabeth Torres, HAM secretary and HCMS member-at-large.

Other HCMS board and HAM trustee members are: Dr. Gary Sheppard, Board of Ethics chair; Dr. Kimberly Monday, Board of Medical Legislation chair; Dr. Helen Schilling, Board on Socioeconomics chair; Dr. George Santos, Council of Hospital Chiefs of Staff chair; Dr. Kelli Cohen, Council of Specialty Societies chair; Dr. Aeneid Chen, Council of International and Affiliated Medical Societies chair; Dr. Diana Fite, Delegation to TMA chair; Dr. Frank Redmond, Central Branch president; Dr. Mohammad Khoshnevis-Asl, East Branch president; Dr. Thomas Newton, North Branch president; Dr. Kenneth Hollis, Southeast Branch president; Dr. Armando Jarquin, Southwest Branch president; Dr. Mina Sinacori, Western Branch president; Dr. Jeffrey Steinbauer, medical director of Baylor Clinic; and Dr. L. Maximilian Buja, executive vice president of academic affairs at The University of Texas Health Science Center.

HCMS, established in 1903, is the professional society for physicians in Harris County. It is the largest county medical society in the nation, with a membership of more than 10,000 physicians and medical students. Its mission is to be the leading advocate for its member physicians, their patients, and the community, in promoting the highest standards of ethical medical practice, access to quality medical care, medical education, research, and community health. In 1915, HCMS incorporated HAM to support the community service, education, scientific, and charitable programs for physicians, their patients, and the community at large in Harris County.

-J. Snyder

AAMC report projects scope of physician shortage by 2025

A new AAMC report on physician supply and demand projects, if current workforce patterns stay the same, that the United States will experience a shortage of 124,000 full-time physicians by 2025.

Changes in workforce and practice patterns could exacerbate this shortage; the report concludes, for example, that an increase in health care utilization rates and changes in physician work schedules could produce a shortage of more than 159,000 physicians, even with a moderate expansion of residency training and productivity improvements.

U.S. medical schools are heeding the AAMC's 2006 recommendation to increase student enrollment. While these increases are a necessary step to ensure access to care, the new report concludes that they will not be sufficient to meet future patient needs and demand.

In addition to increasing the supply of physicians, the AAMC report notes that health system changes — such as improving health care efficiency, reconfiguring health care delivery, and making better use of both physicians and other health care professionals — will also be necessary.

"The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections Through 2025" suggests that the national physician shortage is likely driven by such factors as U.S. population growth, aging population, aging doctors, and an increase in physician visits.

Read the full report here.

-AAMC

 

Physicians of the year

Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center recently named two UT faculty members as Partners in Caring Memorial Hermann – TMC Physician of the Year for 2008. Dr. Jacqueline Lappin, assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Immunology & Organ Transplantation, received the award for MH-TMC from Juanita Romans, CEO, and Dr. Nathaniel Strobel, assistant professor of pediatrics, received the award for Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital from Craig Cordola, CEO.