Pulse the Magazine of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Summer 2024
Features
By: Tina Hay
By: Tina Hay
By: Toby Brooks, PhD
In Every Issue
Illustration by Beatriz Ortiz/ Rapp Art.
Photo by Delcia Lopez.
Departments
Health Matters A Letter from Our President
New Division Unites Our Work in Rural Health
The division combines the network of our F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health with project development and funding from the Institute of Telehealth and Digital Innovation (ITDI), leveraging the strengths of each institute.
Billy U. Philips Jr., PhD, MPH, a seasoned professional in rural health care and telehealth services, leads the division. He previously served as director of the F. Marie Hall Institute, and his wealth of experience makes him the ideal choice for this role.
The combined assets of these institutes and the university’s existing platforms in education, research and service delivery positions TTUHSC as a leader in innovative solutions for access to care in rural areas.
Editor’s Note
So, as you —from our newest alumni to those from the first class and first-time donors to our friends who’ve been with us since inception — travel your exciting journeys, please share your stories with us.
Thank you for being part of our vibrant community, and congratulations once again to all the new graduates.
Down memory lane
FROM THE Pulse ARCHIVES
THE MOST read
YOU’RE THE REASON WHY
Survey drawing winner
correction
Masthead
Editor-in -chief
Danette Baker, MA
Managing Editor
Michael A. Cantu
Design
Jim Nissen
Contributors
Toby Brooks, Meredith Byrne; Billy Calzada; T.R. Castillo; Carolyn Cruz; Andrew Faught; Tina Hay; Mark Hendricks; Neal Hinkle; Kami Hunt; Holly Leger; Delcia Lopez; Rapp Art: Beatriz Ortiz, Dan Page, Chiara Vercesi, Kotryna Zukauskaite; Sarah Sales; Emily Shafer
Administration
President
Lori Rice-Spearman, PhD
(Health Professions ‘86)
Executive Chief of staff, Vice President of External Relations
Ashley Hamm
Assistant Vice President of External Relations
Cyndy Morris, Abilene
Mattie Been, Amarillo
DaLana Williamson, Lubbock
Jessica Zuniga, Permian Basin
Assistant Vice President of COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
Holly Russell
Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Helen Li
Contact Us
pulse@ttuhsc.edu
3601 Fourth Street STOP 6242
Lubbock, TX 79430-6242
200 and Counting
The School of Medicine’s Psychiatry Department reached a milestone this spring as it enrolled its 200th school district in TCHATT. The program, which began in August 2020, offers treatment at no cost to students and covers 85 counties across Texas.
“Students may struggle with anxiety, depression or thoughts of suicide. It may be that they’re struggling with substance use or misuse,” said Jennifer Rojas-McWhinney, PhD, TCHATT managing director. “We work as a team to address the mental health challenges across our region by connecting families with support, clinical care and resources.”
AROUND THE UNIVERSITY
Recognizing the Potential From Within
The CMAs help with medication administration in these facilities. The training program is made possible through a partnership between Cisco College, TTUHSC Abilene School of Nursing and Managed Care. The eight-week course is online, and the costs are covered by Managed Care.
For trainees, the day starts like a typical workday. During the latter half of the day, the online training takes place, facilitated by staff with Cisco College.
Since this program started, there have been 40 students successfully trained and certified. Managed Care staff says training has improved the delivery of health care services in the facilities it manages throughout the state of Texas.
Tres Años
The designation keeps up with a growing population trend in Texas. More than 40% of the state’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Qualifying as an HSI means there are opportunities for funding from federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. The designation also allows for enhancing day-to-day experiences of all community members, learners and team members.
Typically, these funds go toward providing academic tutoring or counseling programs, faculty development and establishing mentorship programs.
“I think it says a lot about how we are training comprehensive health care providers who reflect the communities we serve and who can function at high levels in these environments and serve as individuals,” said TTUHSC President Lori Rice-Spearman, PhD, (Health Professions ’86).
Faculty ProfileHafiz Khan, PhD
A: During my statistical career, I was thinking about how to use a vast amount of public and population health data from clinics and hospitals to understand data meaningfully. I inquired about using appropriate statistical methods to detect significant risk factors of early-stage chronic diseases to reduce the risk of developing complicated diseases.
Q: Explain how technology has improved throughout your career.
A: The scientific knowledge in statistics or biostatistics in public or population health allows us to build future intervention models and to do more in-depth research in disease diagnosis through artificial intelligence (AI) related deep learning methods to figure out the genesis of a disease. Recent improvements in AI have led to more efficient utilization of patient data, data processing, missing data imputation, data analysis through algorithms and indication of future treatment plans. AI helps us maintain excellent health and a quality lifestyle.
Q: What makes research areas like public health important?
A: Public health can provide important information about current disease trends with risk factors and the development of interventions to promote health and prevent chronic diseases. The information gained from public health research can be used to improve health conditions and treatments, and to reduce the prevalence of public health diseases. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a huge amount of data has been collected from thousands of subjects, which raises concerns about how one can analyze a massive volume of data and talk the scientific language to the public. Biostatistical and computational techniques are very useful to understand such data and to make scientific conclusions. There is an urgency to utilize biostatistical methods on COVID-19 epidemic data to know the patterns of the disease progression, intervention and prevention. As a biostatistician, public health deals with a wealth of data, providing opportunities to do in-depth research of diseases.
for the recordStat! By the numbers
TTUHSC nursing program’s passing rate for multiple locations was 100% for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.
There are 1,215 students enrolled throughout TTUHSC schools in the Metroplex and 726 participating at clinical sites in the area.
Among
250
worldwide simulation centers, TTUHSC is one of
24
Accredited as an institution with multiple sites. The Simulation Program has ALSO been reaccredited in teaching/education and assessment by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Throughout the last 10 years, pharmacy students and team members have administered 26,311 vaccinations at TTUHSC’s two outpatient pharmacies and at multiple health fairs.
Vitals: Signs from the Schools
Classic Tool,
Updated Use
TTUHSC Managed Care has a new digital stethoscope, the OMNISteth, specially made for virtual care. The tool, compliant with the Food and Drug Administration, is in use at the 22 correctional health care facilities across Texas managed by TTUHSC.
The OMNISteth is programmed to detect the functions of organs such as the heart, lungs and bowels. A presenter is in the exam room with the patient, and the stethoscope is plugged into a virtual care hardware system. Meanwhile, a medical provider joins their virtual clinic and can listen to whichever organ the stethoscope is positioned over.
Any team member with Managed Care who has the OMNISteth training certification can use the tool with the provider.
1
The selected organ appears on the 1.5-inch screen, showing the organ that is being monitored.
2
The buttons help the presenter select the desired organ for observation.
3
An audio adapter is connected to a virtual care cart so a medical provider can listen to the selected organ.
Vitalsschool of nursing
Advancing the Future of Health Through Nursing Research
Alyce Ashcraft, PhD, RN, the center’s director and School of Nursing associate dean for research and scholarship, said of the schools within TTUHSC, nursing is the last to receive a dedicated center. “What makes it unique is that it focuses on clinical research — seeking answers about the human response to health along the illness-wellness spectrum,” Ashcraft said. “When you’re at a university, it’s academics, practice and research. Those are the three legs to the stool, and we need to grow that, encouraging more people to want to do research.”
School of NursingNew Leadership for the Next Generation
Invigorated by the possibilities TTUHSC brings, Wei says she feels aligned with the people, the reputation and the mission of the university. She has goals to advance recruitment, enrollment and development and to combat the nursing shortage escalated by the pandemic.
Wei aims to improve the current image of nursing and the psychological stress caused by the health challenges over the past few years.
“We are dedicated to nurturing a culture that empowers the next generation of nurses to evolve into improved versions of themselves, ready to serve our local community, the society and the world,” Wei said.
IN MEMORIAM: DARLENE NORTON
School of Health professions
More Than Therapy
SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALSKeeping Up the Encouragement
Many people cannot afford the mobility equipment they need. If cost is not an issue, the process itself is challenging. Carey understands and helping others keeps her going.
graduate school of biomedical sciencesPhD Students Secure Coveted Fellowships
Best of Both Worlds
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Rising MD/PhD interest
Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) shows more intrigue in becoming a physician scientist. Because of that, there is increased interest from faculty within TTUHSC to eye more students for those dual roles.
A 2019 AAMC survey shows since the 1970s, the number of graduates from physician scientist programs has increased nationally from about 200 to nearly 5,000. Michael Blanton, PhD, program director for the TTUHSC MD/PhD program, said that can be attributed to medical students who want a career that includes research.
“These are Type A personalities, typically,” Blanton said. “We try to let them know that it’s essentially an eight-year program. You may be able to finish in seven, but you’re really talking about a four-year PhD and a four-year medical degree.”
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student selection
Those accepted into the program start summer sessions through the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where they rotate through research labs to choose a research mentor. Then, the curriculum is through the School of Medicine during the fall and spring semesters.
Nationally, students graduating from programs like TTUHSC’s are interested in joining academic institutions to continue their research, which is also happening within the university.
Many students find equal interest in getting clinical experience by seeing patients and want to continue their research. But it is a highly selective program — “under the microscope,” as Blanton puts it. Applicants are required to meet both the School of Medicine’s and GSBS’ admissions requirements.
-
who gets in?
Within the last decade, Blanton and his team have also worked to admit more students into the program. Currently, less than 2% of TTUHSC medical students are admitted. That is about 20 students enrolled most years. The goal is to increase that to 28, adding three to four students per year.
“Over the years, students have realized, you know, there’s zero unemployment, right?” Blanton said. “It is always fun to say that, but I think, again, it’s the dual interest. It allows them to shape a career.”
Vitalsjulia jones matthews school of population and public health
Public Health Career Outlook
The Labor Bureau notes there are five public health career paths expected to see the largest growth between now and 2032:
1 | Biostatistician Projected Growth: 30%
Biostatisticians design studies to test whether drugs treat diseases or medical conditions successfully, and help identify outbreak sources.
2 | Epidemiologist Projected Growth: 27%
An epidemiologist collects and analyzes data to investigate health issues within communities.
3 | Community Health Worker Projected Growth: 14%
Community health workers are mediators between patients and health care or social service providers to find appropriate care for patients.
4 | Health Education Specialist Projected Growth: 7 %
Most specialists are tasked with assessing health demands for communities and developing programs to address those needs.
5 | Environmental Scientist/ Specialists Projected Growth: 6%
Many scientists or specialists study ways environmental factors impact human health by collecting data for research projects, investigations and surveys.
Assessing Rural Health Needs
During her meetings with community leaders in the spring, Birx discovered a concerning fact — most of the health data about the region was not being reported or was underreported. This oversight could result in the communities missing out on state and federal support for health care services.
However, with the grassroots health assessments, community leaders will gain valuable knowledge about where to direct resources, potentially improving the health care situation in the region. The community health assessment is one of five projects launching this summer through the new TTUHSC Division of Rural Affairs (see Page 2 for details).
School of Medicine
EXPANDING ACCESS TO CARE
DeToledo Begins Tenure as Dean
“Our students and our people are our most valuable assets,” DeToledo said.
He joined TTUHSC 15 years ago, starting as the founding chair of the Department of Neurology in 2009 and later serving as the school’s interim dean in 2023. DeToledo started as the eighth dean and executive vice president for clinical affairs on March 1, 2024.
He is also the author of many publications, with much of his research focused on pharmacology and treatments for epilepsy.
He calls the School of Medicine “every dean’s dream” because of the unbelievable accomplishments of its students. He hopes to continue that tradition by providing learning environments worthy of high student satisfaction, optimizing new curricula for student success and strengthening the quality of academic initiatives.
School of Medicine
Five-Decade Career of Many Interests
He secured more than $4.5 million in research funding, too. Fralick and his wife, Celeste Fralick, PhD, established the Childers-Fralick Basic Cancer Research Endowed Chair in 2017.
“If you want to have a very good career, you can probably stick with one area. But sometimes you get interested in other areas, and so you just follow your interest,” he said.
Future of Family Medicine
AN EXPECTED DECLINE
A 2023 Robert Graham Center report shows that from 2000 to 2019 patients’ “usual sources of health care” declined by 10%. Moreover, between 2018 and 2032, the shortage of full-time family medicine physicians in the U.S. is expected to increase by nearly 1,500. Overall, the predicted physician shortage for that period is more than 4,000.
Covering the gaps in that decline is what makes programs like the School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Accelerated Track (FMAT) necessary.
WHERE HELP IS GOING
While the number of School of Medicine students who choose family medicine residencies varies substantially from year to year, program data consistently show numbers of those matching into family medicine exceed the pre-2013 baseline. As of May 2024, 96 students will have graduated from the FMAT program.
GETTING STUDENTS INTERESTED
It is a high-intensity program that shaves one year off the typical four-year curriculum, which also means one less year of paying tuition and an earlier entry into residency.
The School of Medicine also provides one year of scholarship to students in the program. Therefore, students complete the FMAT program with about half the debt from tuition and fees, compared to students in traditional four-year programs.
“The biggest difference to student debt is getting out earlier or to begin receiving a salary as a resident,” Jones said. “And then ultimately they enter practice earlier and have longer careers.”
The goal of FMAT is to interest students passionate about primary care and filling the future family medicine gap.
VitalsJERRY H. HODGE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
All in the Family: A Pharmacy Heritage
Inspired by their mother’s dedication yet driven by their own aspirations, Aaron Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’15) and Jordan Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’19), and her daughter, Sarah Wilson, DPT, (Physical Therapy ’20) followed in her footsteps to serve in health care, each enjoying their student life in the same camper she lived in.
Suzanne Thompson, PharmD, (Pharmacy ’04) never imagined the legacy she was building for her children when she started her journey at TTUHSC while raising her three young children. In 1989, the family moved to Seminole, Texas, and Suzanne was a substitute teacher for Seminole ISD, until she was accepted into the program. Seminole was 203 miles south of TTUHSC’s newly opened pharmacy school in Amarillo. Suzanne would drive up on the weekdays, stay in a camper and come home on the weekends. Although she had to sacrifice special moments, Suzanne set the course for her children’s future.
VitalsJERRY H. HODGE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
Finding Focus
So, it would seem natural that Arnett would land within some realm of the veterinary spectrum. In reality, it took a lot of time and several relocations to realize that she wanted to work around animals.
Now, the third-year pharmacy student is looking into veterinary pharmacy residency programs. She is even responsible for chartering the TTUHSC American College of Veterinary Pharmacists student chapter. In May, she finished her term as the student pharmacist board member, a position she earned over applicants from across the country.
Probe: Advancing knowledge through innovative research
FeatureFamily Footsteps Put Siddiqui on Path to Vaccine Development
or most, preparing for a midnight-to-4 a.m. meeting is not part of the job description. To Afzal A. Siddiqui, PhD, such meetings are simply another stop along the decades-long path to deliver treatment — and hope — to approximately one billion people currently infected with or exposed to schistosomiasis.
Ideas to RealityInnovative Support Comes From New Research Division
The Office of Research and Innovation created a new division — Research Innovation, Collaboration and Entrepreneurship (RICE) — to assist faculty and students with research and innovation needs.
RICE helps connect faculty to the Office of Research Commercialization to promote the commercialization of their inventions, a process that includes identifying promising research, securing patent rights and establishing license agreements with capable business partners. The 2023 commercialization successes resulted in a 70% increase in licensing revenue over the previous fiscal year.
Through the Innovation Hub at Research Park, TTUHSC has access to transformative programs for faculty and students, in order to foster a collaborative, creative and forward-thinking community.
These programs support individuals with ideas for products or services that may be commercialized, guiding them through the formation of innovation teams. There is also help related to ideation, commercialization and entrepreneurship activities.
During the last year alone, TTUHSC had 64 teams working to bring their ideas to market. And, through joint efforts between TTUHSC and Texas Tech University there has been a steady increase in U.S. patents issued and licenses signed.
Biofilm Researcher Garners NIH Grant, AAM Fellowship
“I think of it as living in a bunker,” Kendra Rumbaugh, PhD, (Biomedical Sciences ’01) explained. “When we try to kill them with antimicrobials, or when we have an infection and our immune cells are trying to kill them, this bunker makes it really difficult to penetrate and get to them.”
Rumbaugh is investigating dispersal methods that will move individual bacteria and other microbes out of the biofilm so that existing antibiotics can be used more effectively. Her efforts recently earned a two-year $434,938 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Rumbaugh was also named an American Academy of Microbiology Fellow, an honor based on her scientific achievements and original contributions that advanced microbiology. The academy is an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology. She is the second microbiologist from TTUHSC to receive fellow status. David Straus, PhD, who retired in 2013, was the first in 1996.
researcher updatesKey Findings
Examining HIV Through New Grant
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recently awarded Almodóvar a four-year grant to study how HIV damages the normal interactions between different cell types in the lung arteries that lead to pulmonary hypertension, a condition in the lungs caused by severe narrowing of the arteries.
Studying Drug Resistance in Leishmaniasis
To better understand antimonial drug resistance in leishmaniasis, Zemfira N. Karamysheva, PhD, (then at Texas Tech University) and Andrey L. Karamyshev, PhD, from the TTUHSC School of Medicine completed an investigation to determine the molecular mechanisms responsible for producing antimony drug resistance.
Karamyshev said the development of drug resistance in leishmaniasis is similar to that in cancer patients who develop resistance to chemotherapies. Karamysheva said the most interesting finding was that even without the antimony drug, the drug-resistant parasites have two very different protein production profiles in comparison with sensitive parasites.
Testing for Fatal Disease in Deer
With the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmed Cervid program funds, Daniel M. Hardy, PhD, and his lab team, have identified blood biomarkers associated with disease infections capable of carrying signals through the bloodstream to other tissues. Their patterns in the blood hold promise for detecting brain pathologies, including chronic wasting disease, that otherwise can only be diagnosed after death.
The Doctor is ‘On’
The Texas-born Jones is an OB/GYN specialist at Southland Hospital in Invercargill, New Zealand. But she also reaches millions worldwide through her online persona, Mama Doctor Jones. Over the past seven years, she has posted more than 400 videos — from bite-sized clips to in-depth discussions lasting 40 minutes — on YouTube and other channels, amassing more than 2.5 million followers. She has dished out information on vaginal discharge, debunked myths about exercise during pregnancy, showed viewers what a day in the life of an on-call OB/GYN is like and called attention to global issues like maternal mortality.
Jones is one of a growing number of physicians who have taken patient education online. Their goal: share evidence-based medical information and — perhaps more importantly — debunk falsehoods and myths that permeate the internet.
Unwavering Commitment
Salinas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC (Nursing ’21) grew up in Edinburg, Texas, the son of Mexican immigrants. His father, Alfredo Salinas, worked in a fruit and vegetable packing shed, and in the summers, he would drive the family 12 hours north to Memphis, Texas, to work the cotton fields. Young Aaron spent every summer of his childhood pulling weeds in the hot Texas sun.
The experience instilled in Salinas a work ethic that served him well. He overcame his hardscrabble upbringing to earn multiple degrees and certifications, become a paramedic and a nurse practitioner, teach at a university, earn a leadership role in his profession and his community and win a fistful of achievement awards.
“It would have been difficult for somebody without his drive to get through and do as well as Aaron did,” said his former advisor, Kellie Bruce PhD, RN, who is a TTUHSC associate professor and program director of the Family Nurse Practitioner track. “But he was used to hard work. He was used to doing what it took to get it done.”
Clean Out With Purpose
By Toby Brooks, Phd
raditionally, medication cleanout events happen twice a year to coincide with the fall and spring semesters within health-related institutions. In some ways, the event has become a predictable, regular and welcome reunion of a community of involved and passionate volunteers from TTUHSC and beyond.
Thankfully, the event that started as a somewhat novel approach to the growing problem of proper and responsible disposal of medication is now but one option for many, with a growing number of pharmacies and other permanent collection sites available across the nation.
“There are more drop boxes popping up at pharmacies, which we love,” Ronica Farrar, a specialist in community outreach for the Texas Panhandle Poison Center (TPPC), said. The goal of the Medication Cleanout project is and always has been to prevent poisonings, misuse and abuse while protecting the environment. “That’s our mission, and if there are other avenues to help meet that goal to reach people and get rid of those medications, then we’re all for it.”
Rounds
Classroom Impact
Kelley teaches at Marshall Law and Medical Services High School, a magnet school in San Antonio that offers one of the only high school pre-nursing programs in Texas. Students apply when they’re in eighth grade and enroll when they’re in ninth, and by the time they graduate, they’ve earned not only a high school diploma but also a Certified Nursing Assistant license and certifications as phlebotomy and electrocardiogram technicians.
“It really is empowering to use my degree to educate other people,” Kelley said. She points to this year’s graduating class — 22 students, of whom 20 are planning to enroll in a bachelor’s-level nursing program. “I know that all 20 of them are going to be phenomenal nurses, and that will impact the nursing shortage way more than if I just stayed in the workforce as a nurse.”
Like her students, Kelley started her own nursing education early: She earned her CNA license as a teenager in her home state of Idaho and then enlisted in the Army at age 17 to help support her family financially. She spent 10 years in the service, working as a combat medic, earning her LVN credentials, and becoming certified as an EMT.
Not long after her discharge, Kelley learned about TTUHSC’s Veteran to BSN, an accelerated one-year program that would credit some of her Army education and experience toward the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She was accepted and spent an intensive year at TTUHSC’s San Antonio site (one of seven locations where the Veteran to BSN program is offered) doing online courses and what she describes as “a ton of” clinical hours. “It was the longest year of my life, but I loved it,” she said.
Kelley finished her BSN in December 2022 and started her current job at Marshall Law and Medical Services High School eight months later. She’s the school’s only nursing teacher. Her students take classes including anatomy and physiology, assessments, basic diagnoses and illnesses, pharmacology, and legal and ethical issues. They also get clinical experience at sites including a local long-term rehab center and with community volunteers in the high school’s state-of-the-art nursing lab, which has six hospital beds, outpatient exam space and a phlebotomy area.
In addition to teaching full-time, Kelley is enrolled in TTUHSC’s Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Track. She aims to finish her master’s by 2026, and she hopes eventually to become an advanced practice nurse. But, for now, she’s very happy where she is: teaching the next generation of nurses, one teenager at a time.
match makerIt’s a TTUHSC Love Story
Another kind of match
PHARMACY MATCHES
“We are all so very excited and extremely proud of our students who matched,” Krystal Edwards, PharmD, professor and associate dean for career development, said.
MEDICINE MATCHES
Other matching institutions include the Cleveland Clinic, Emory, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, UT at Austin Dell Medical School, UT Health San Antonio, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Yale.
“All of these students received an excellent education,” John C. DeToledo, MD, TTUHSC executive vice president of clinical affairs and School of Medicine dean, said. “Their commitment to become exceptional physicians has led them to match well, and we are excited to see the wonderful things they will do in the medical profession, both here and across the country.”
Collaborations
$9.3
million
Given to TTUHSC by alumni over 5 years
1,000
TTUHSC alumni donors over 5 years
2,357
current TTUHSC Alumni Association members
$30,490
endowment for student scholarships supported by Alumni Association members’ dues since 2021
A Pioneering Pair
Joseph Mammarappallil, MD, PhD, (Medicine ’09) is one of those experts. He practices diagnostic and interventional thoracic radiology and is an associate professor in the Cardiothoracic Division of Duke University Medical Center Department of Radiology. He serves BD as a key opinion leader, testing their products and providing feedback.
Schuessler, a certified adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, works with Mammarappallil alongside BD’s engineering team. She often fills the gaps between industry and medicine, something Mammarappallil describes as invaluable.
Schuessler and Mammarappallil share a mutual respect based on their technical backgrounds, something Schuessler says is not always common among APPs and MDs.
“There’s this misunderstanding amongst APPs and physicians about the collaborative teamwork we can do together,” Schuessler said. In contrast, Mammarappallil and Schuessler work together to benefit the end goal of improved patient care, accomplished by decreasing complications, including: bleeding and infection from invasive procedures, delayed diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases, and patients requiring hospitalization from outpatient procedures due to complications.
This is a mentality instilled in the duo at TTUHSC, where the interdisciplinary nature of health care is highly emphasized across all curricula.
Update Catching Up With TTUHSC Alumni & Friends
Mary Klein, PharmD
Pharmacy Graduate: 2007
Madam Speaker
It is not the only pharmaceutical organization she is involved with. For 12 years, Klein also served on the Texas Pharmacy Association board of directors and was president in 2017.
“I have always believed that being involved is a key component of being a part of the pharmacy profession,” Klein said. “This kind of involvement gives us an opportunity to shape the direction that the profession is headed.”
— Michael A. Cantu
News & Notes-
School of Medicine
Mirla Avila, MD, to serve as interim chair for TTUHSC School of Medicine Department of Neurology.
- Sue Bornstein, MD, (’92) received the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Presidential Award of Merit.
- Andrew Brenner, MD, (’03) joins Plus Therapeutics Inc. management team.
- Tammy Camp, MD, (’94) received the Sidney R. Kaliski Award of Merit by the Texas Pediatric Society.
- Charla Cothrin retired in 2023 after 28 years at TTUHSC.
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Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy
Bonnie Dugie, PharmD, MBA, (’00) appointed as president of the Texas Society of Health System Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation.
- Randy Martin, PharmD, (’09) appointed to Texas State Board of Pharmacy.
- Pamella Ochoa, PharmD, (’03) elected Experiential Education Section chair for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
- Charles Seifert, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, retired in 2024 after 26 years. He served as regional dean for TTUHSC Lubbock campus.
- James Stoll, PhD, retired after 27 ½ years with TTUHSC.
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Friends We’ll Miss
Joel Adams, MD, died Feb. 1, 2024. He was an associate professor of medicine at TTUHSC.
- Susan Elise Andrews died April 30, 2024. She was a friend of TTUHSC.
- Mike Carpenter died March 16, 2024. He was a computer systems analyst at TTUHSC.
- Fountain “Budge” Kimbell, MSRC, (Health Profession ’08) died April 7, 2024. He received a master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling at the age of 75.
- Don E. McInturff died March 2, 2024. He was the chairman of the Lubbock County Hospital District.
- Doug Moore died March 7, 2024. He was the director of accounting at TTUHSC.
- Cynthia Nash, PharmD, died Feb. 29, 2024. She was an adjunct assistant professor of pharmacy practice and key collaborator with the Dallas VA North Texas Health Care System, a partnering entity with TTUHSC.
- Darlene Norton, ANP, MS, RN died Jan. 13, 2024. She was professor emerita of the TTUHSC School of Nursing.
- Helen Piehl, died April 20, 2024. She was a founding member of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health Advisory Board.
- Charles Sponsel, DO, (Medicine ’92) died April 18, 2023. He was associate chairman for rural and student education, and an associate professor at TTUHSC.
- Mark Suggs, MD, (Medicine ’84) died Dec. 24, 2023. He was an ophthalmologist in Wichita Falls, Texas.
UpdateNews & Notes
Olayemi Olumakinwa, MPH, MBBS
Population and Public Health Graduate: 2023
A Reflection of Home
Olumakinwa became a OB/GYN, helping women with preventive care in a country where health care access is limited. In December 2023, he earned his master’s degree in public health, building on his commitment to prevention.
Olumakinwa plans to spend three years in the United States in a residency program while seeking work as a public health officer.
“Rural West Texas is a reflection of what I have in Nigeria,” he said, “and the (TTUHSC) curriculum is exactly what I was looking for.”
— Andrew Faught
UpdateNews & Notes
Grayson Kemp, BSN, RN
Nursing Graduate: 2020
Dark Skies and a Clear Vision
– Sarah Sales
UpdateNews & Notes
Tanir Moreno, MD
Medicine Graduate: 2021
Food, Fun and Fine Technical Skills
– Sarah Sales
UpdateNews & Notes
Thinh “Henry” Nguyen, MD, PhD
Biomedical Sciences Graduate: 2020
AI for Therapeutic Breakthroughs
Now, in his second year of an allergy and immunology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, Nguyen applies artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve care for patients with food allergies and asthma. He uses demographic, environmental and treatment data, so AI and machine learning models can help predict a patient’s potential allergy to food or medication. Nguyen hopes these new advances in technology could better guide therapeutic responses in the future.
– Holly Leger
UpdateNews & Notes
Jessica Cuevas, MS, SLP
Health Professions Graduate: 2003
No Place Like Home
Her family’s connection to the Moody Clinic in Brownsville, which provides rehabilitative services for children with special needs, is why she had her eyes set on working there one day.
“My family is very philanthropic, and I was raised knowing that it was very important to give back to your community and take care of those who can’t necessarily take care of themselves or need assistance at some time in their life,” Cuevas said.
“To be able to make a difference in a child’s life – there’s no better feeling,” Cuevas said.
— Michael A. Cantu
