SPRING 2023
IN THIS ISSUE
Banking on the brain: Researchers rely on brain donation to find new treatments
Without brains, research is limited. That's why researchers at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases rely on brain donation to help them untangle the mysteries of the brain.
I’m giving my brain to science. It’s the smart thing to do.
When Mike Nixon was diagnosed with an exceptional neurodegenerative disease, he felt a calling to become a research subject and to find a postmortem home for his brain and spinal cord.
Mothers and babies: Moms recovering from substance use disorder
Casa Mia is one of only a few recovery homes in Texas that gives mothers with substance use disorder the opportunity to recover with their children.
Work doesn’t have to hurt: A lesson in ergonomics
Juanita Lozano-Pineda wanted to help people avoid pain and career-ending injury, so she began lecturing dental students on ergonomics. Her program now also includes occupational therapy and physical therapy students and faculty.
Hope, based on science: Spinal cord injury rehabilitation
Juan Garcia first noticed the numbness in his feet around Halloween 2021. By the end of Thanksgiving weekend, he was unable to walk. He turned to an assistant professor in the School of Health Professions who has been researching spinal cord rehabilitation for almost 20 years.
And caring donned a thousand faces
The novel coronavirus killed millions of people worldwide, devastated economies, shattered dreams and broke hearts. And yet, COVID-19 also magnified the courage that marks the healing professions and the mission of UT Health San Antonio.
Growing city, expanded patient care
An overview of UT Health San Antonio's recent and forthcoming additions to primary care, specialty services, oral health care and cancer therapy, as well as a first-of-its-kind multispecialty and research hospital.
UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital
The UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital broke ground in March 2021 and will provide biomedical research, patient care and medical education to the community.
Wellness 360
The School of Nursing’s Wellness 360 clinical practice expanded its role in caring for the health of college students around San Antonio by partnering with Alamo Colleges and The University of Texas at San Antonio.
UT Health Physicians
UT Health Physicians expanded its patient reach with new primary care and multispecialty locations opening across the city.
UT Dentistry
In January 2022, UT Dentistry launched the initial phase of its first-ever private practice. The General Dentistry Clinic provides care to staff, faculty and students of UT Health San Antonio, as well as the surrounding community.
Center for Brain Health
Plans are underway for the construction of a comprehensive center dedicated to the treatment and research of all types of brain, nerve and neuromuscular disorders.
Prioritizing public health
A strategic collaboration between UT Health San Antonio and The University of Texas at San Antonio will accelerate efforts to improve health outcomes and build a workforce equipped for that mission.
Meeting the need for imaging specialists
A new Master of Science in Imaging Sciences program will train imaging technologists in radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to address workforce shortages.
Providing novel approaches to trauma
Trauma is the leading cause of death and permanent disability in children and adults under 44 years of age. A collaborative that includes UT Health San Antonio will serve the critical need for improved trauma care on the battlefield and in the civilian sector.
New therapy reduces headache disability after brain injury
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Headache significantly reduced related disability in veterans following a traumatic brain injury and decreased co-occurring symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the race to solve Alzheimer’s disease, scientists find more needles in the haystack
Because of international collaboration being advanced by UT Health San Antonio faculty, more genetic variations for Alzheimer’s disease are known today than ever before.
Eating fish could make you smarter
In analysis conducted by faculty of UT Health San Antonio, having at least some omega-3s in red blood cells was associated with better brain structure and cognitive function among healthy study volunteers in their 40s and 50s.
Losing weight could come down to your liver
UT Health San Antonio scientists discovered that inhibiting a liver enzyme in obese mice decreased the rodents’ appetites, increased energy expenditure in fat tissues and resulted in weight loss.
Mouse pups’ cries give clues about autism spectrum disorder
One-fifth of babies who inherit a genetic variant located on chromosome 16 will develop autism spectrum disorder by age 3. In a mouse study, UT Health San Antonio researchers are trying to identify which newborn mouse pups are most susceptible.
Studying the impact of antibiotics in dental care
Periodontitis is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in adults worldwide. With a $2.4 million NIH grant, School of Dentistry researchers will help conduct a clinical trial studying the responsible use of antibiotics.
‘It’s like being able to see a dime on the surface of the moon.’
UT Health San Antonio is investing $5 million over the next three years in cryo-electron microscopy system to allow researchers to observe drug targets that lead to advances for improving human health.
Robotic kidney cancer surgery shows desirable outcomes in study
Robotic IVC thrombectomy — the removal of cancer from the inferior vena cava — is not inferior to standard open IVC thrombectomy and is a highly safe and effective alternative approach, researchers have found.