TAMEST Member News Roundup- April 2022
TAMEST loves to share the accolades of our membership. If you have been nominated for an award, been interviewed by the media or otherwise have a reason to celebrate, please share your news with TAMEST.
TAMEST In The News
Houston Chronicle: The Omicron Variant BA.2 is Making Inroads Across U.S., but Houston Data Tells a Different Story for Now, TAMEST Member Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine
Innovation Technology Today: Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into Everyday Business Practices, TAMEST Member Robert O. Ambrose, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University
MarineLink: ABS to Class Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, Feeder Barges Being Built for Empire Wind Project, TAMEST Member Christopher J. Wiernicki (NAE), American Bureau of Shipping
Science Daily: Black Patients with Cancer Fare Worse with COVID-19, Study Shows, TAMEST Past President Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H. (NAM), UT Health San Antonio
Texas Standard: Space Suits of the Future Will Fit Better and Do More, TAMEST Member Bonnie J. Dunbar, Ph.D. (NAE) Texas A&M University
Member Briefs
MD Anderson Launches James P. Allison Institute to Usher in New Era for Immunotherapy
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today launched the James P. Allison Institute, a visionary research and innovation hub within MD Anderson designed to foster groundbreaking science, to develop new treatments and to bring the benefits of immunotherapy to all patients. The Allison Institute will advance exceptional discovery, translational and clinical research to integrate immunobiology across disciplines and unlock the full potential of science and medicine for human health. The institute builds upon the legacy of its namesake, TAMEST Member James P. Allison, Ph.D. (NAM, NAS), who was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his fundamental discoveries in T cell biology and his invention of ipilimumab, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor to treat cancer. Read More
Trials Starting Soon at the University of Texas Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy
The Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin aims to advance the application of psychedelics for the treatment of mental health disorders through impactful clinical research. Additionally, the center — the first of its kind in Texas — looks to improve the health of those suffering from severe depression, anxiety and PTSD through psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and research focused heavily on military veterans and adults affected by early childhood trauma. TAMEST Member Charles Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), is the University of Texas Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences chair. He said this will help people who tried conventional treatments and didn’t have success. Read More
Inspiring a New Generation of Investment in the Frontiers of Engineering
Thanks to the leadership of TAMEST Members Frances Ligler, D.Sc., D.Phil. (NAE) and George Ligler, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University and Robyn and Robert (NAE ’95) Wagoner, the Ligler-Wagoner Challenge for Frontiers of Engineering (FOE) launched last November. This matching gift challenge seeks to raise $200,000 for FOE by December 31, 2024. Academy members, FOE alumni, and friends of the program have already donated over $27,000. Read More
UT System’s David Lakey Appointed to National Commission to Improve US Public Health System
The Commonwealth Fund – a private foundation that has been dedicated to improving the U.S. health infrastructure – has appointed TAMEST 2019 Annual Conference Speaker David Lakey, M.D., The University of Texas System, and other thought leaders and health care experts, to the recently-created Commission on a National Public Health System. The commission, created in response to the challenges faced by the nation’s decentralized health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to streamline and improve U.S. health care. “We’ve seen the COVID-19 pandemic strain every level of the public health and health care delivery systems in the U.S., and it revealed a devastating gap in our ability to provide a coordinated response including the caring for people when they needed it most,” Dr. Lakey said. “This is a significant opportunity for real life-saving changes that will impact preparedness and equity for future health crises.” Read More
Visionary Researcher Joins Texas A&M Biomedical Engineering Faculty
Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Frances Ligler. All three are internationally recognized inventors. are long gone, but the other is now on the biomedical engineering faculty at Texas A&M University. The Department of Biomedical Engineering and the entire university community welcomed TAMEST Member Frances Ligler, D.Sc., D.Phil. (NAE), as a chaired professor starting spring 2022. Ligler will help faculty strengthen research programs, facilitate new research partnerships and mentor aspiring leaders within biomedical engineering. Read More
