UTTyler SOM Quarterly Newsletter

Quarterly Newsletter

Health,

Message from the Dean

Brigham C. Willis, MD, MEd, FAAP

Welcome to the UT Tyler School of Medicine quarterly newsletter. I am excited to be a part of this new forum to provide periodic updates on happenings within our (growing) new school. To me, establishing a school of medicine is the most inspiring thing I have ever done — establishing a school truly dedicated to a wonderful mission and with a passionate and talented group of selfless people who just want to do a good thing. Every day, I see our values in action. Perseverance, in so many ways, creating a new school from scratch despite so many challenges. Excellence, in the incredibly high-quality work I see in every area as we move forward. Respect, in the way everyone values and appreciates each other and their work. Creativity, in solving new problems in novel ways each day. Community, within the school (supporting each other) – and in our city, county and region – always focusing on how we can improve the lives of those we serve. Service, where I see a dedication to mission above ego and a desire to each do our best to make the UT Tyler School of Medicine special.

I have been traveling all over the East Texas region recently, and the excitement and interest in our school is incredible. People really see it for what it is and what a transformational institution we can become through community engagement, education, research and clinical care. Admissions is going strong with well over 4,000 applications started, and our first interview day occurred on September 8. The caliber of candidates we are seeing and the passion for our mission are truly inspiring. What a first class we will have! I am so proud of our education team, building an amazingly innovative curriculum focused on active learning. This curriculum is going to make us a national leader in medical education, and seeing it come into focus is so exciting. Research is continuing to build partnerships, expand the faculty and push boundaries. We have been able to recruit such amazing new faculty. New collaborations between our basic science and clinical research teams to create even more translational, community-focused efforts are on the horizon. Recent news on wonderful new grants focused on preventive care and reducing health disparities shows how our focus on these themes is leading to success and making a true difference in our region. Let’s keep building, and make our school the national leader in community-engaged medical education and research, together.

Research and Community Initiatives

The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center has been awarded a National Institutes of Health R56 award of $370,700. Maolin Lu, PhD, is the principal investigator for the project entitled “Probing conformational dynamics of HIV-1 Env in real time and in situ during virus entry,” which began on August 1, 2022 and ends on July 31, 2023. This project will help researchers understand how the HIV-1 virus enters the host’s target cells and how to design interventions (such as vaccines and small-molecule inhibitors) to block virus entry.

The Center for Biomedical Research received $695,140 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled “Innate immune response of LTBI+HIV+ children.” Raman (Krishna) Vankayalapati, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Center for Biomedical Research in the School of Medicine, is the principal investigator for the project that began on September 14, 2020 and ends on August 31, 2024. The project has a total federal award of $2,108,920.

CPRIT grants approx. $1 million to DEFEAT (Delivering Education, Focused Navigation, and Equitable Access throughout East Texas) Project

School of Medicine Faculty and Staff kick off the interview season at our first-ever Admissions Meet and Greet!

Admissions

Pathways Program

The new Early Assurance Program (EAP) will engage students attending East Texas colleges and universities in program activities designed to prepare them for entry into medical training at UT Tyler School of Medicine. EAP combines early enrichment by focusing on six programmatic areas: professional development, MCAT prep, volunteerism, speakers and panel discussions, physician shadowing, and reflection. The program is designed to develop, support and engage local talent, particularly to reduce health disparities in the East Texas region.

Faculty

Philanthropy

Robert M. Rogers Foundation $10 million gift

A portion of the gift will be used to establish the Robert M. Rogers Scholarship and mental health curriculum in the School of Medicine. With the cross-disciplinary need for mental health education, the gift also supports faculty positions in the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy. This support comes on the heels of an anonymous gift of $4 million earlier this year to support School of Medicine scholarships and faculty research. “We hope we will have a lasting impact,” said Rogers. “The board voted unanimously to provide this gift to help our region and anywhere else it is needed in the mental health area.”

WAYS TO GIVE

$5 Million Gift Continues Momentum for School of Medicine

Gift will cover full tuition for second class of students, help address physician shortage

Ways to Get Involved