Impact January 2017 by UTMB Health

UTMB Newsletter • January 2017

CMC dialysis team surpasses standard of care Spotlight on Ann O’Connell, Ambulatory Operations

Catering to UTMB’s needs

Health Education Center to help define future of health care

Neil Scofelia, a senior financial analyst with the budget and decision support team, received President David Callender’s Way to Go Award for his hard work and commitment to ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the data UTMB submits to Vizient. Vizient, formerly known as the University Hospital Consortium, scores the accuracy and integrity of the data being submitted each quarter to ensure the overall comparisons remain credible. Scofelia and UTMB ranked No. 1 out of 142 institutions submitting data. “It is an extremely difficult feat that speaks to the care and attention Neil has given to his work,” said Dustin Thomas, vice president of Decision Support. “We’re looking forward to leveraging Neil’s capabilities as we continue to expand the data available to the entire UTMB community via UTMB Discover.” Donnie Walker, Emergency Department tech; Chad Connally, biocontainment and emergency management program manager; and Stephanie de Jongh, Emergency Department nurse, received President David Callender’s Way to Go Awards in December for the compassion and caring they showed for a homeless man who received care in the Emergency Department. In addition to helping the patient get cleaned up and taken care of medically, Walker and de Jongh looked to get the man some new, clean clothing. When Connally learned of the situation, he went to a local store and bought three bags of clothing. De Jongh said, “Donnie and I took the bags of clothes to the patient, and his eyes were wide in surprise. He appeared so relieved to have some warm clothes to wear. It’s really the little things that make you stop and think.” Thank you, Walker, Connally and de Jongh for making someone’s day and for always providing Best Care. President David Callender presented a Way to Go Award to his long-time executive assistant, Jandee Alarid, who retired in December after nearly 28 years at UTMB. For her entire career, she worked in the President’s Office at UTMB, climbing up through the ranks while working for three presidents: Dr. Thomas James, Dr. John Stobo and Dr. Callender. Speaking about Alarid, Callender said, “She was on the committee that hired me, she met me at the door on my first day and she’s been by my side ever since. Having her as my assistant has been my great fortune. Every success I’ve had at UTMB has been with her help and support.” More than 25 UTMB School of Health Professions occupational therapy and physical therapy students took shifts painting the St. Vincent’s therapy clinic, which was formerly a daycare area. The painting project was spearheaded by the OT and

PT student directors for St. Vincent’s and SHP faculty member Rod Welsh, PhD. Other faculty who volunteered to help included Karen Aranha, PhD, and Rebecca Galloway, PhD. The painting project was made possible by a generous monetary gift for the paint and supplies by the Student Occupational Therapy Association. A special teddy bear clinic organized by UTMB Emergency Department staff gave a dozen local children a fun and educational glimpse into emergency medicine on Nov. 21. The teddy bears were flown in by helicopter and the children were dressed in “surgical wear” to care for their teddies at various stations, including First Aid and Radiology. The event originated as a live auction item at the American Heart Association’s Black Tie and Boots Gala, which was co-chaired by UTMB’s Christine Wade and Annette Macias Hoag. Basic Science II faculty and staff donated gifts and money to provide holiday stockings for all 90 elderly men and women living at Gulf Health Care Center in Galveston. Basic Science II includes the Institute for Human Infections & Immunity, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Office of Regulated Nonclinical Studies, Microbiology and Immunology, and the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development. Several staff members also took time to deliver the stockings to residents on Dec. 14. UTMB was honored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) as a finalist for the 2016 Spencer Foreman Award for Outstanding Community Service at the Awards Dinner at Learn Serve Lead 2016: 127th AAMC Annual Meeting in Seattle in November. This national award recognizes enduring major institutional commitment to addressing community needs, recognizing programs that reach communities whose needs are not being met through the traditional health delivery system. The nomination process included a written application, which highlighted more than two dozen UTMB community service programs including Frontera de Salud, Luke Society Medical Mission to the Homeless, St. Vincent’s House, the Osler Student Societies, various Office of Educational Outreach programs, Early Medical School Acceptance Program, the School of Nursing’s Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative, UTMB’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Teen Health Center clinics, Center to Eliminate Health Disparities, Hispanic Center of Excellence and Texas Area Health Education Center East. The Galveston National Laboratory scientists’ infectious disease efforts were also featured. UTMB Provost Dr. Danny Jacobs accepted the finalist award on behalf of UTMB, giving a special thanks to all who helped UTMB earn this honor.

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From the President This space usually carries a simple Happy New Year message, but with the John Sealy Hospital fire, 2017 got off to a more eventful start than any of us had anticipated. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to once again acknowledge the many employees who have kept patients, visitors and colleagues safe, fulfilling our mission under extraordinary circumstances. I’d also like to express my gratitude to the employees, staff and faculty who’ve worked tirelessly since the fire to restore operations so that our support for patients has been virtually uninterrupted. Thank you!

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Best Care in Action: CMC dialysis team

Considering the wonders worked in just the first two weeks of 2017, it’s fitting that this month we launched an ad campaign focused on “UTMB Wonders.” You may already have run across some of the new TV/cable, radio and digital ads. You can learn more about this campaign in this issue of Impact.

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You’ll also read about the new Health Education Center (HEC) to be built on our Galveston Campus. The HEC will enable us to provide the most advanced interprofessional training to the future health care workforce. Stories of other amazing UTMB employees and accomplishments appear throughout this issue of Impact. Among the highlights:

Day in the Life of a catering attendant

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• A Day in the Life of Julian Ramirez, a UTMB catering attendant • A profile of Ann O’Connell, vice president of Ambulatory Operations • An oral vaccine against Salmonella, developed by UTMB scientists • The Rio Grande Valley maternal and child health clinic, which fills a unique role for women in the region • A new name for the Administrative Professionals Association, which is celebrating six decades at UTMB • A new group that aims to advance a culture of inclusion for the next generation of leaders • Numerous accomplishments and kudos in the Working Wonders column and throughout the newsletter

Spotlight on Ann O’Connell

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I also want to remind you that the latest edition of The Road Ahead is now available at www.utmb. edu/strategic_vision. Please take a moment to read it, discuss it with your team, and consider your role in our mission. In the meantime, if you have ideas for future issues of the newsletter or have a UTMB Wonder to share, let the Impact team know. Thank you! UTMB’s new Health Education Center

Dr. David L. Callender UTMB President

Impact is for and about the people who fulfill UTMB’s mission to improve health in Texas and around the world. We hope you enjoy reading this issue. Let us know what you think! ON THE COVER: Catering attendant Julian Ramirez gets ready for an event at UTMB’s Open Gates facility, a historic mansion and conference center on 25th and Broadway Street in Galveston. Ramirez and his team in Catering Services cater about 160 to 180 events a month, or 2,000 a year.

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Vice President Marketing & Communications Steve Campbell

Associate Vice President Marketing & Communications Mary Havard

Campus mail route: 0144 U.S. Postal address: UTMB Marketing & Communications 301 University Boulevard Galveston, TX 77555-0144

Editors KirstiAnn Clifford Stephen Hadley Simone Parker Art Director Mark Navarro

P rinted b y U T MB graphic design & P rinting S ervices

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The UTMB Correctional Managed Care dialysis team works like a well-oiled machine, seamlessly treating about 46 patients at a time between the Estelle Unit in Huntsville and Carole Young Medical Facility in Dickinson. Dialysis machines run nonstop six days a week between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. to ensure UTMB CMC’s 211 dialysis patients receive care with patient outcomes above state and national standards. The team has found success through interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative use of resources, commitment to excellence and a focus on providing Best Care. Ten years ago, CMC Dialysis ranked below the 50th percentile among dialysis clinics in Texas, according to quality indicators. That’s when Dr. Dave Kharuna took the job as senior medical director. “I was early in my career and felt like I could accomplish so much in a little amount of time with a big number of patients,” said Khurana, a nephrologist. “I knew I had a good team, but we had our work cut out for us.” Not even 24 hours into his new role, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services showed up to survey the CMC dialysis program. The findings revealed numerous areas for clinical improvement. Khurana sat down with the entire dialysis department, including the nursing team, providers, social workers and dieticians, to create a corrective action plan.

“This collaboration has allowed us to prevent some people from ending up on dialysis or from going on dialysis sooner than they should,” said Khurana. “I couldn’t do it myself—but the combination of the pharmacists with the primary providers has given me an extension across the state. It has made it easier to make sure people are on the right medications and are meeting blood pressure and cholesterol goals in order to slow the progression to dialysis. It’s worked out really well by improving patient outcomes and lowering medical costs.”

Dr. Dave Khurana with Jennifer Elmore (R), cluster nurse manager, and Beverly Pennington (L), nurse practitioner.

“We’ve had people on dialysis for almost 20 years—which is almost unheard of— and that’s an accomplishment that can be attributed to the excellent teamwork and improved coordination of care.”

“We looked at all the quality indicators—from paperwork, documentation, infection control to cleanliness—and quickly came up with an action plan that included changes to medication formulary, patient education, and better communication among medical staff and prison security, who help with efficient patient flow,” said Khurana.

When it was time for the next survey, patient outcomes had improved significantly. “By the end of the first year, we went from below 50th percentile all the way to number one or two for all dialysis clinics in the entire state of Texas,” said Khurana, who pointed out that CMC Dialysis bounces between being the second and third largest dialysis clinic in the state. “Things were falling into place, but we asked ourselves, how can we make the program even better?” To keep up with the needs of an aging prison population, Khurana and the dialysis team have continued to implement improvements. As the population gets older, the number needing life-saving dialysis treatment has tripled—from 69 patients in 2001 to more than 210 currently. Each of these patients is hooked up to a dialysis machine three times a week to clean and filter their blood. With that in mind, preventive medicine has become a top priority. Modeled after “free world” dialysis clinics, Khurana has spearheaded the use of Chronic Kidney Disease clinics, or CKDs. With the help of pharmacists at UTMB CMC’s central pharmacy in Huntsville and primary care providers at prison units, offenders who show signs

of declining kidney function are identified, put on medications and monitored.

CMC Dialysis has also created an End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) clinic to help patients have a smooth transition to dialysis. Part of that involves a partnership with the UTMB Department of Surgery in Galveston to ensure offenders who need dialysis have surgery to prepare a fistula, which connects an artery to a vein in the arm. Fistulas are considered the “gold standard” of vascular access and provide a long-lasting site through which blood can be removed and returned during dialysis. Other innovations, such as telemedicine, have also helped the dialysis program reach more patients and improve outcomes in a cost-effective way. Khurana recalled an instance where the technology even helped save a life when he wasn’t able to see a patient faceto-face.

“I was driving on I-45 about 30 miles from the Estelle Unit, when a nurse called to have me look at something suspicious on the arm of a dialysis patient,” he said. “I pulled over and zoomed the camera in on his bicep and told the nurse to get the patient to the ER immediately—he had an abscess that was about to rupture. Fortunately, we got him there just in time and they were able to do surgery and avoid a really bad situation. Being able to prevent a prolonged hospitalization or mortality in any case is wonderful.” Jennifer Elmore, cluster nurse manager with CMC Dialysis, said it’s been great to see dialysis care evolve into what it is today. “To see people live longer and stay healthier is awesome,” she said. “We’ve had people on dialysis for almost 20 years—which is almost unheard of—and that’s an accomplishment that can be attributed to the excellent teamwork and improved coordination of care.” Khurana agreed, adding that providing Best Care is always the goal for his team. “We’ve met every goal or standard we needed to reach to be average, and then taken it to the next level,” he said. “From a correctional standpoint, we are the exception, not the norm. The majority of states outsource their dialysis programs to private for-profit vendors, but our goal is to always provide the most cost-efficient, highest quality of care. It’s a challenge we can all get behind.”

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Telling UTMB’s story to a growing audience in a crowded market UTMB launched a new brand awareness campaign this month

technology, such as our anti-gravity treadmill; and the power of discovery, illustrated by the lungs UTMB researchers engineered in their lab. Future commercials will include our intraoperative MRI in Jennie Sealy Hospital. The 15-second TV ads can be paired to create a variety of 30-second commercials. This flexibility helps ensure UTMB gets the most out of every advertising dollar.

to help spread the word about the university’s great work. It’s designed to reach those who can benefit most from the many advances UTMB makes every day. Through television, radio and digital advertising—targeted to how people are consuming media now—the “UTMB Wonders” campaign is intended to help UTMB stand out in an increasingly competitive consumer health care landscape. It complements more specific advertising about individual clinical service lines to attract patients, and will support efforts to promote UTMB as a university of choice for students, an employer of choice for faculty and staff, and a worthy investment for research funding. “This new campaign highlights the compassionate, state-of-the-art health care UTMB is providing to a rapidly growing population, as well as the world-changing work we’re doing in medical research and discovery,” said UTMB President David Callender. “The campaign shows how we are working together to work wonders.” The campaign features a series of television commercials showcasing just a few of our many advances, to represent how UTMB works wonders. Radio and digital ads complement the TV commercials. Each ad points viewers and listeners to a dedicated website, www.utmbwonders.com, for more information on the topics. The site will build over time with even more highlights of UTMB wonders. The first set of five ads, which launched publicly on Jan. 16, highlight innovation through our MakerHealth Space; modern, cutting-edge facilities, such as Jennie Sealy Hospital; access to care with information on our many clinic locations; advanced

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The campaign’s message, design and media strategy resulted from months of research, including focus groups with consumers, physicians, caregivers, neighbors, families and friends to see what comes to people’s minds when UTMB is mentioned. The university and SPM—a nationally regarded agency with expertise in health care and academic institutions—used results to create and place ads in traditional and non-traditional media, such as Pandora and Hulu. Steve Campbell, vice president for Marketing and Communications, said, “This campaign builds the strength of our existing brand, featuring our logo and Working Wonders theme prominently. We’ll measure results at key points to ensure the messages and their placement are reinforcing existing positive impressions of UTMB while creating more awareness among people who either didn’t know we are here for them, or who had an outdated impression of us. We want people viewing these ads to think, ‘Wow! I didn’t know that. I want to learn more,’ and ultimately choose UTMB for their care.” You can learn more about the brand awareness campaign and see the new ads at www.utmbwonders.com/utmb-preview. The page also includes a form where you can send us information on the wonders you and your colleagues work.

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Health Education Center to help define future of health care in Texas

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UTMB’s new Health Education Center

(HEC) will provide the space to accommodate UTMB’s increasing enrollments and employ the advanced technology necessary to train students in an interdisciplinary environment to help Texas meet the rising demand for health care providers in the coming years. The HEC—which is expected to open to students in 2019—will feature more than 160,000 square feet spread over five floors at its location at 11th and Market streets on UTMB’s Galveston Campus. It will serve as the centerpiece of UTMB’s educational future and represents the largest and most dramatic addition to the institution’s educational infrastructure in many years. “This is a major infrastructure project for UTMB but, more importantly, UTMB is driving its design by focusing on our educational priorities and programs,” said Dr. Michael Ainsworth, senior associate dean for Educational Performance. “A building on its own isn’t the end result. But new facilities create opportunities for education to evolve, and that’s what the Health Education Center is doing for UTMB: allowing our educational mission to continue to move in new and innovative directions. We are confident that this new facility will allow us to advance programs that will prepare our graduates to function effectively in an increasingly complex interprofessional health care environment.” The $90.4 million Health Education Center—funded by a $67.8 million Tuition Revenune Bond approved by the 6

Texas Legislature and another $22.6 million coming from philanthropy—will feature: 1. Simulation Center with a standardized patient suite and flexible simulation labs that will enable students to practice a wide range of skills in a low-risk, high-realism environment; 2. series of simulation debriefing rooms where students can meet with faculty to assess performance and outline strategies for improvement; and 3. collaborative instructional spaces to accommodate the planned growth of UTMB’s interprofessional education programs. The Health Education Center is seen as an emblem of UTMB’s continued service to Texas, particularly as the state faces shortages of health care providers while at the same time grapples with a growing number of patients who need care. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population in Texas is growing at a faster clip than pretty much everywhere else in the U.S. And the segment of the population growing the fastest is Texans aged 65 or older, who consume the largest per capita share of health care resources. The Health Education Center will help bridge that gap by providing the technologically advanced training necessary to future physicians, biomedical researchers, nurses, physician assistants, clinical laboratory scientists, and occupational, physical and respiratory therapists, as well as experts in January 2017

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nutrition and rehabilitation science. Ainsworth said the center will enable UTMB’s enrollment to grow to meet this demand while also providing the education students will need to excel in the real world. Through a combination of simulation centers and large learning studios that foster active learning strategies where students can tackle challenging medical cases in small group settings, the Health Education Center creates the educational environment that best prepares future health care providers, he said. Another significant benefit of the center’s design is support for interdisciplinary training, where students from each of UTMB’s four schools learn together in a collaborative environment. While Ainsworth stressed that the HEC’s learning studios and simulation centers will augment rather than replace lecture-hall style education, he emphasized that developing communication and interpersonal relationship skills in students is a focus moving forward. “The personal interactions you have in small groups and the development of inter-collegial relationships from different disciplines and schools is something you can’t replicate in a lecture hall,” he said. “These are critical factors in their success as practitioners, and we believe the HEC will foster this type of learning.” Christine Hermes, principal facilities project manager in UTMB’s Department of Design and Construction and the project manager for the HEC, said the former parking lot where the new center will be constructed has already been closed and fenced, clearing the way for site work to begin.

Innovations in Mind fundraising initiative starts for UTMB Health Education Center B y simone parker

UTMB students are taking advantage of an opportunity to help shape the university’s future by contributing to the new Health Education Center (HEC). The Student Campaign, part of UTMB’s $50 million Innovations in Mind fundraising initiative, is dedicated to helping raise a portion of the $22.6 million in philanthropic support needed for the HEC. It is the first phase of fundraising for the new facility. • Students can contribute online at https://innovationsinmind.utmb. edu/student or in-person at a Student Giving Tuesdays table on Jan. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at one of the following Galveston Campus locations: Jamail Student Center, the Moody Medical Library or the SON/ SHP building. You can meet and talk with campaign chairs and committee members. • The Student Campaign was launched in December, and officially kicked off at a Jan. 12 event in Levin Hall. • Students are encouraged to make their gifts by Feb. 2 to have their contributions included in a check presentation that day at Town Hall. • UTMB School of Medicine alumnus Dr. Edgar Cortes (’69) and his wife, Dr. Imelda Cortes, have issued a special challenge, agreeing to match all student contributions up to $5,000 to the Health Education Center. • Every student who makes a gift of $50 or more to the Health Education Center will be recognized on a special wall of honor in the HEC. • Students can also show support by using the official hashtag— #Allin4HEC—in social media posts. Make your gift today and join other UTMB students, alumni and employees in showing your support for the HEC and the future of health sciences education.

Hermes, who also served as project manager on the recently constructed Clinical Services Wing, said the steering committee for the HEC—comprised of representatives from UTMB’s four schools, the Provost’s Office, Information Technology and Facilities—was instrumental in guiding this project’s success. “Watching these groups come together and come to agreements on what needs to be done to support education and UTMB’s mission, has been very rewarding,” Hermes said. “Their passion and dedication to making the center a reality has been inspiring.” impact

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Innovations in Mind student campaign chairs are: Bottom row, from left, Alexis Williams, chair for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Lindsay Murray, chair for the School of Nursing. Top row, from left, Mike Chamberlain, chair for the School of Health Professions and Samee Hameed, chair for the School of Medicine.

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It’s well before daylight when Julian Ramirez arrives to work on Dec. 16—one of the busiest days of the year for UTMB’s Catering Services. “We’re really running this morning!” he says with a smile as he loads boxes of cutlery and plates into the back of a van. As a catering attendant, Ramirez and his team are gearing up for more than a dozen events around the Galveston Campus, from the Health System’s annual holiday celebration—which provides food for 3,000 employees—to a student breakfast, several luncheons, retirement parties and an evening holiday party offcampus—all happening in a single day. 8

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It’s just after 6 a.m. when I meet Ramirez at UTMB’s Open Gates facility, a historic mansion and conference center on 25th and Broadway Street, which is where the Catering Services offices are located. I barely have time to grab my coffee and jump in the van before we take off toward Jennie Sealy Hospital. With the radio turned to a Top 40 station, Ramirez taps the steering wheel while commenting on how much he looks forward to this time of year—which can be hectic, but definitely not boring. “I work with a great crew of folks that can work magic,” he says, adding that on average, they cater about 160 to 180 events a month, or 2,000 a year. “Coordinating all the various events and making sure everything flows on time can be overwhelming, but somehow we always make it work out. We often ask ourselves afterward, ‘How did we do that?’ But we work best under pressure and always have a smile on our face.” The catering department is small and tight-knit, with five full-time employees. Ramirez has worked with most of his catering colleagues his entire career at UTMB, which goes back more than 20 years. “Not only are they my co-workers, they are my friends,” he says. “We all have our off-days, but we’ll talk about it, clean it up and get it right. That makes a big difference.” Ramirez pulls into the loading dock at Jennie Sealy, where kitchen and catering staff are waiting to help unload supplies for the Health System’s holiday party. He introduces me to the 15 additional contracted catering staff they have hired to help for the day as we head up to the main kitchen on the sixth floor of the Clinical Services Wing.

Morrison Healthcare partners with UTMB to manage the kitchen, which is divided into areas for preparing meals for hospital patients, as well as catering orders. Ramirez puts on a hairnet as he walks toward the section of the kitchen used for preparing catering orders. He grabs a pile of papers that list all the orders for the day and starts checking off items as he loads containers of hot food onto a cart. While he moves quickly, Ramirez always takes a few seconds to slip in some NFL football talk with the other kitchen staff, including the head catering chef, Brian Peper, and UTMB Food and Nutrition Services Executive Chef, Bill Anchondo. Ramirez, a self-proclaimed No. 1 Dallas Cowboys fan, responds to a playful jab from Anchondo, “I’m coming into work in a full Cowboys suit for that!” Pushing a cart full of breakfast and lunch items, Ramirez heads back down to the van to make deliveries across campus. I’m impressed with how many people Ramirez knows—each time we ride the elevator back up to the kitchen, he says ‘hi’ to the other occupants, referring to them by their first names. “After 20 plus years, you get to know a few folks!” he laughs. For the next few hours, we go back and forth between the kitchen and event locations, including Levin Hall, the Administration Building, Open Gates and Jennie Sealy—I actually lose count of how many stops we make, including

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picking up cakes from a local bakery for a few retirement parties. Over the years, Ramirez’s role has evolved into more of a supervisory position, ensuring all orders are correct and delivered on time. “In the catering business, five to 10 minutes is a lot of time,” he says. “If we get held up, that causes problems and we don’t want any unhappy customers. I’d rather be a little early than be a little late.” Flexibility is another requirement in the catering business. As Ramirez heads back to Jennie Sealy to check on staff setting up the Health System holiday celebration, he gets word that The Joint Commission has arrived on-site to conduct a oneday extension survey. To make sure the celebration doesn’t interfere with the survey, everything must be moved to John Sealy Hospital.

“I Some of the staff ’s eyes widen as they hear the news, but Ramirez calmly reassures everyone that it’s not a big deal. He helps reload everything onto carts and the group heads over to John Sealy to scope out the new party location.

“There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into catering that people don’t see,” Ramirez says. “We do a lot of set-up and counting plates, forks and napkins, and moving tables and chairs—and then clean it all up afterwards. Oftentimes, there are several events in one location in one day. There might be a party for 40 people and they want round tables of eight, and then the party coming after them may be for 25

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people and they want tables in a big square formation. We are used to reconfiguring rooms and transforming spaces very quickly.” By the time the Health System party starts at 2:30 p.m., Ramirez and his staff have completely transformed the first floor hallway of John Sealy into a festive buffet-style dinner party. Hundreds of UTMB employees line up as Health System leadership and catering staff stand by to serve food. Ramirez smiles, and reflects on how busy the day has been so far, and how much he has enjoyed every moment. He knows catering is an important aspect of UTMB, as it is often the first impression that people have of the institution.

“All the way around, we are here to cater to the university’s needs,” says Ramirez. “We try to accommodate everybody. I don’t care if you just enjoy making are at the top or the bottom on the totem pole, I’m going to treat everyone the same. people happy.” We want it to look nice and taste good— that’s what our customers pay for. If they are smiling and satisfied at the end of the day, then we accomplished what we set out to do.” I part ways with Ramirez as he starts preparing for several evening events that will keep him working until 1 a.m. While he has made sure most of the university is happy and fed for the day, he himself has barely had a chance to eat. But he’ll worry about that later—for now, he still has a job to do. “I really do look forward to busy days like this,” he says. “It goes by so quickly, and, quite simply, I just enjoy making people happy.”

l e a d er s potlight

Spotlight on Ann O’Connell, vice president, Ambulatory Operations Ann O’Connell joined UTMB in 2013 as vice president for Ambulatory Operations. Her responsibilities include operational oversight and management of 90 UTMB clinics both on Galveston Island and the mainland. Before joining the UTMB family, O’Connell was vice president of ambulatory care at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. She spent 25 years at OHSU in a wide variety of leadership roles, including serving as executive director of a Federally Qualified Health Center and director of operations for 11 primary care practices. Prior to OHSU, she served as nurse manager for respiratory intensive care at National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver, Colorado. She has also held a variety of clinical and administrative roles at East Carolina University, where she was a clinical nurse specialist for nutrition support and clinical nurse in surgical intensive care. She brings a rich experience of health care administration, a clinical nursing background and a broad understanding of academic medical centers.

O’Connell enjoys some quality time with her dog, Frankie.

Originally from North Carolina, O’Connell received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from East Carolina University. She received her master’s in health care administration from Oregon Health Sciences University.

What does Best Care mean to you and how do you contribute?

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

Best Care to me means placing the patient in the center of everything we do. We do not provide care “to” the patient or “for” the patient, rather, we provide care together “with” the patient. We walk with our patients on their terms. We remove barriers such as race, gender, language, facilities and lack of access in order to form strong relationships with our patients. To me, Best Care is about relationships. Relationships create real change.

Jodie Foster and I share the same grandmother! In 1994, Jodie was in my home town of Robbinsville, North Carolina, filming a movie entitled “Nell.” While there, she met my grandmother, Belle Cooper, at the local grocery store. She recruited my grandmother to be in the film. My grandmother played the role of Jodie’s grandmother.

What are the biggest challenges you face as VP of Ambulatory Operations? The staggering amount of growth across our ambulatory enterprise has been both a blessing and a challenge. We continue to open, acquire, relocate and build new practice sites. We are projected to have more than one million patient visits in FY17. The biggest challenge is making sure all patients who are seen across our 90 clinics obtain the timely care they need and would recommend UTMB to their family and friends.

What was your first job? During high school, I had the opportunity to take a health occupations class. The class provided direct clinical experience within the local hospital. At the ripe age of 18, I was offered the chance to become an onthe-job trainee respiratory therapist. This opened up a whole new world of opportunities for me. I am so grateful to have had this early exposure to health care.

What do you like to do outside of work? I enjoy walks on the beach with my husband, Kevin, and my dog, Frankie. My husband races bicycles. On the weekends, we enjoy traveling for his races to different parts of Texas. A few weeks ago we experienced Georgetown, Texas. What a jewel of a town. I love exploring Texas as if I were a tourist. 12

If you could have only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Anything that my grandmother made was always the best meal ever! She was an old-fashioned Southern cook. She made the best cathead biscuits ever.

What’s something you always wanted to do but have not done yet? I want to be an advocate for seniors, underserved and non-English speaking patients who may have a difficult time navigating our complex health care system. For example, patients may not always understand their medical bills or the importance of properly taking medications. We cast patients into the role of being their own general contractors of care; however, they are often not properly equipped for the responsibility. Once I retire, I hope to search for such an advocacy opportunity.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? My husband and I often talk about taking a cruise around the world. That way we don’t have to choose one place—we can see it all over the course of one year.

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UTMB researchers have developed a vaccine

against salmonella poisoning designed to be taken by mouth. The findings are detailed in an article published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. In earlier studies, the UTMB researchers developed potential vaccines from three genetically mutated versions of the Salmonella typhimurium bacterium, that were shown to protect mice against a lethal dose of salmonella. In these studies, the vaccines were given as an injection. However, oral vaccination is the simplest and least invasive way to protect people against salmonella infection. Taking this vaccine by mouth also has the advantage of using the same pathway that salmonella uses to wreak havoc on the digestive system.

In the US alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are about 1.4 million cases with 15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths each year. It is thought that for every reported case, there are approximately 39 undiagnosed infections.

“In the current study, we analyzed the immune responses of mice that received the vaccination by mouth as well as how they responded to a lethal dose of salmonella,” said Ashok Chopra, PhD, UTMB professor of microbiology and immunology. “We found that the orally administered vaccines produced strong immunity against salmonella, showing their potential for future use in people.” There is no vaccine currently available for salmonella poisoning. Antibiotics are the first choice in treating salmonella infections, but the fact that some strains of salmonella are

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quickly developing antibiotic resistance is a serious concern. Another dangerous aspect of salmonella is that it can be used as a bioweapon—this happened in Oregon when a religious cult intentionally contaminated restaurant salad bars and sickened 1,000 people. Salmonella is responsible for one of the most common food-borne illnesses in the world. In the U.S. alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are about 1.4 million cases with 15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths each year. It is thought that for every reported case, there are approximately 39 undiagnosed infections. Overall, the number of salmonella cases in the U.S. has not changed since 1996.

Salmonella infection in people with compromised immune systems and children under the age of 3 are at increased risk of invasive non-typhoidal salmonellosis, which causes systemic infection. There are about one million cases globally per year, with a 25-percent fatality rate. Other authors include UTMB’s Tatiana Erova; Michelle Kirtley; Eric Fitts; Duraisamy Ponnusamy, PhD; Jourdan Andersson; Yingzi Cong, PhD; Bethany Tiner, PhD; and Dr. Jian Sha as well as Wallace Baze, DVM, PhD, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study was supported by UTMB and the National Institutes of Health.

PAT IEN T C A RE

RMCHP clinic provides cancer screenings, fills unique role for women in the Rio Grande Valley B y C hristopher S mith G on z ale z

In a single year thousands of women will walk through the doors of a nondescript building in downtown McAllen, Texas. That decision could end up saving their lives. The building is one of UTMB’s 13 Regional Maternal and Child Health Program clinics spread out across the state and it serves a unique role for women in the Rio Grande Valley. UTMB physician assistants and nurse practitioners who work in the clinic deal with all kinds of women’s health and family planning concerns—but the majority of patients come in for cancer screenings and follow up on abnormal pap smears and cervical dysplasia, a precancerous condition in which abnormal cell growth occurs. Both Myra Guerra, physician assistant and clinic director of the McAllen clinic, and Monica Hernandez, family nurse practitioner at the clinic, perform colposcopies, a procedure that closely examines the cervix, vagina and vulva for signs of disease, and loop electrosurgical excision procedures to remove abnormal tissue from the cervix for dysplasia patients. The clinic provides a vital service in the Rio Grande Valley, an area that has some of the highest cervical cancer death rates in the state. Lack of access and resources is one of the major culprits.

Most of the women who come to the McAllen clinic are there for cervical and breast cancer screenings. The clinic is one of the few places to get those kind of services and it’s become the place that many doctors in the area refer women, Guerra said. In the past year the clinic saw over 6,000 patients. “We see all types of women, those that fall under grant funding and those that are insured,” Guerra said. “We are here to help as many women as we can because prevention is the key.” The staff at the clinic work with patients who are uninsured to place them into the proper grant or program to receive low-cost or free screenings. “With our clinic we can see any woman,” said Selina Tristan, nurse clinician and safety coach at the clinic. “We have a way to see everybody, whether insured or uninsured. We see all ages, teenagers to senior citizens. We try to serve the entire community.”

Myra Guerra sets up a colposcope, used to perform cervical biopsies and loop electrosurgical excision procedures, before the clinic staff begins to see patients.

When she meets with patients she will go over everything from family planning to cancer related counseling with the goal of keeping women from falling through the cracks. The clinic works closely with UTMB’s Galveston Campus, which analyzes samples. UTMB doctors visit the clinic every month to see patients.

The clinic has filled an important need in the Valley. So much so that when the clinic closed after Hurricane Ike in 2008, women and civic leaders in the area rallied to save it. “A patient told me she would not trade this clinic or its providers for anyone else,” Guerra said. “One young patient even told us that we helped save her life.” Hernandez said the employees at the clinic try to do the most they can for patients they know may not be able to get care anywhere else. “A lot of times this is the only place they go as far as getting their routine care,” Hernandez said. “So you try to answer all their questions and fears and do as much testing as allowed.”

Members of the RMCHP clinic in McAllen, Texas include (L-R) Virginia Alaniz, nurse clinician; Monica Hernandez, family nurse practitioner; Leah Hernandez, outpatient health aid; Melinda Tijerina, patient services specialist; Melissa Loya, community health worker; Maria Rodriguez, patient services specialist; Selina Tristan, nurse clinician and safety coach; Maria Guadalupe Lopez, patient services specialist; Myra Guerra, physician assistant and clinic director; and Carmen Ramirez, patient services specialist.

The clinic staff goes “above and beyond” to provide the best care possible to their patients, said Marlo Cochran, DNP, administrative director of the Regional Maternal and Child Health Program. Staff members have diagnosed numerous cancers and have helped those patients maneuver through the health care process, she said. “The staff in the clinic provide exceptional clinical care to these patients, but much of their care includes the emotional support and navigation needed to assist these women for cancer treatment and long-term follow up,” Cochran said.

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UTMB News

Administrative Professionals Association celebrates new name, 60 years at UTMB B y K irsti A nn C lifford

As the new president of UTMB’s Administrative Professionals Association, Florence McMillian is on a mission to build membership and broaden the appeal of the organization. Founded in 1956 as the Secretaries Club, its name was changed to Support Staff Professionals in 2001 when the group grew to include more than secretaries. Today—more than 60 years since its founding—members are celebrating a new name: Administrative Professionals Association (APA). “It’s so exciting to play a role in the evolution of this group,” said McMillian, who is an administrative specialist for the Willed Body Program and first joined the Secretaries Club in 1975. “Recognizing and providing opportunities for administrative staff is so important. We make UTMB tick—for every department, you can’t function well unless you have great administrative staff.” Open to anyone currently employed by or retired from UTMB in an administrative position, the APA provides members with opportunities for continuing professional and personal education, leadership development, a team-oriented network of administrative staff across the university, and opportunities to volunteer and become more involved at UTMB and in the local community. With a current membership of about 55 UTMB employees, McMillian is looking to build membership back up to the organization’s “heydays” before Hurricane Ike, when it had more than 200 members. “We are really working on branching out to all the different UTMB locations,” she said. “As UTMB grows, we don’t want our administrative professionals to lose connection. So we have recruited members in Clear Lake, Angleton Danbury, Friendswood, Texas City, Alvin and more, who either come to Galveston for our meetings or video conference into our luncheons. It’s a great opportunity to network and learn about other departments and the administrative field.”

Over the holiday season, APA members took part in a local food drive and sponsored an activity cart for UTMB’s ACE Unit.

For more information about the APA, visit www.utmb.edu/apa.

EMERGE Resource Group aims to advance culture of inclusion for next generation of leaders More than 90 members of the UTMB community attended the inaugural meeting of the EMERGE Resource Group on Nov. 30 on the Galveston Campus. As the second employee and student-led resource group to be created by UTMB’s Diversity Council, EMERGE is focused on advancing a culture of inclusion for the university’s next generation of leaders. Its mission is to shape the future of UTMB by inspiring innovation, engagement and learning in a way that connects, aligns and harnesses multigenerational professionals.

Dr. Alex Vo, vice president for telemedicine and health services technology, and EMERGE executive sponsor, said he was excited to leverage resources at UTMB and externally to help members develop leadership skills. “At UTMB, we believe in our future leaders,” he said. “So helping to facilitate learning between generations and highlighting the characteristics that people need to develop within themselves to become future leaders is so important.” As part of that, EMERGEx Talks will be held every quarter and will cover a variety of topics to promote conversation and creatively awaken the “inner leader” in employees and students. In between EMERGEx Talks, workshops related to each topic will further discussion and offer meaningful activities. Mari Robinson, director of telehealth at UTMB, kicked off the series of thought-provoking discussions with a talk on “The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Career Success.” EMERGE is open to all members of the UTMB community. For more information, go to https://hr.utmb.edu/diversity/emerge/ or email culture@utmb.edu.

(L-R) Dr. Alex Vo, Christy Taylor Bray, Jeanna Crookshanks, Michael Rape, Katherine Rosen, Leah Jacobs, Cruz Imelda Wicks and Jayco Parahams impact

January 2017

Achieving Best Care starts with you: Top tips for practicing self-care By Donna Sollenberger, executive vice president and chief executive officer, UTMB Health System As we begin the new year in a positive manner and navigate the challenges we encounter along the road to achieving Best Care, it is important to remember that in addition to being positive with others and maintaining a focused and optimistic outlook, we also need to take care of ourselves. No one can go on endlessly doing for others without also recharging their own batteries. Follow these simple tips every day to feel re-energized: 1. Make a plan. Outside of work, take time to look at your daily activities and determine which ones help you feel happy. Schedule these activities in your calendar. If you plan them, you are more likely to actually have time for them. 2. Check-in. Ask yourself throughout the day how you’re feeling to see if your routine needs to be changed. Sometimes we forget to ask ourselves basic questions, such as “Am I tired?” or “Am I happy?” 3. Go for quality not quantity. You may not have three hours to spend on yourself at a spa, but when you get a 15-minute break, how do you use it? Instead of staring at your phone or watching TV, take a short walk or start reading a new book. Release your mind for a few moments and relax. 4. Just say “no.” If you’re taking on so many responsibilities that you’re left feeling drained, make a list of priorities. Whether you decline a social event or take a rain check, don’t feel bad saying “no” sometimes—it could be exactly what you need. 5. Take a timeout. Many of us sometimes become so dedicated to our work, we feel reluctant to take a vacation. However, if you don’t take breaks, you could eventually feel burned out and hurt your work performance. Working more does not mean you will maximize productivity. In fact, just the opposite is true.

6. Have some hobbies. What are you passionate about? Set aside an hour a week that is only ever to be used for those activities. 7. Journal. There are many ways to journal—you can write one sentence a day or keep a list of inspiring quotes. Reflecting on what happened in your day and how you’re feeling can help enhance your overall wellbeing in the process. 8. Focus on the present moment. Become more aware of your thinking. Are you constantly worrying about the future? Learn to recognize when you’re doing this and practice mindfulness to bring yourself back to the present. 9. Laugh it up. Never underestimate the benefits of laughter! It releases a flood of endorphins that boost your mood and is great for stress reduction. Surround yourself with family and friends or go see a good movie, and have a good laugh!

Pa rting Shot

First babies of the new year — Several families rang in the New Year by celebrating the arrival of their newborns at the Galveston (L), League City (middle) and Angleton Danbury (R) campuses. Just 40 minutes after midnight, DaKota Dior Hill was born at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces. The baby’s mother, MeCayla Hill, drove with her mother from Huntsville to deliver the baby on the island. The first baby born at the League

City hospital, Brycen Cruz Taylor, wore a special New Year baby onesie with pride after arriving on Jan. 1, weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. His parents are Gracie and Jabryce Taylor. The Angleton Danbury Campus welcomed their first baby of 2017 on Jan. 2. Naomi Rose was born weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces, to mother Bianca Hunter. ADC’s nursing director and midwife, Susan Nilsen, helped deliver the baby, who received a special blanket from the UTMB Health ADC Auxiliary.

January 2017

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