TAMEST Member News Roundup – October 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
Business Wire: Atavistik Bio Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board, TAMEST Member Ralph J. DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), UT Southwestern Medical Center
Click2Houston: 30th Anniversary of First Black Woman in Space, TAMEST Member Mae C. Jemison, M.D. (NAM), The Jemison Group
Precision Oncology News: MD Anderson, Radiopharm Theranostics Launch Radiopharmaceuticals Joint Venture,TAMEST Member David Piwnica-Worms, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), The University of Texas at MD Anderson Cancer Center
OilMan Magazine: Interview with Dr. Oliver C. Mullins, TAMEST Member Oliver C. Mullins, Ph.D. (NAE), Schlumberger Limited
Fort Worth Magazine: UNT Health Science Center Formally Appoints New Leader, TAMEST Member Sylvia Trent-Adams, M.D. (NAM), University of North Texas Health Science Center
The Washington Post: COVID Shots for Young Kids Arrived in June. Few Have Received Them, TAMEST Member Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM), Baylor College of Medicine
Member Briefs
Fund Created in Honor of Late TAMEST Member Fernando Guerra, M.D. (NAM)
In memory of TAMEST Member Fernando Guerra, M.D. (NAM), UT Health San Antonio, a “Fund for Public Health” was recently established by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. The fund will honor the late Dr. Guerra for his service on several of their advisory committees, especially for his work on the commission to establish standards of a high performing health care system. The goal of the fund is to narrow the widening gaps of local health and social disparities.
Lyda Hill’s “80 Acts of Kindness” Donation includes TAMEST Gift
TAMEST is incredibly grateful to Lyda Hill Philanthropies for their generous “80 Acts of Kindness” gift of $80,000 in honor of Lyda Hill’s 80th birthday. The donation will directly support operational costs for our programs and initiatives including our new Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship recognizing women innovators in cancer research and our Protégé Program mentoring early-career researchers at our annual meeting. For more information giving to TAMEST, please visit Ways to Give
CPRIT Awards $2.5 Million to Support MD Anderson Cancer Research
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was awarded $2.5 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support cancer research projects across the institution, including TAMEST Board Secretary Helen Piwnica-Worms, Ph.D. (NAM), The University of Texas at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Four of the five grants awarded to MD Anderson are CPRIT High-Impact/High-Risk Research Awards, which provide short-term funding to explore the feasibility of high-risk projects that, if successful, would contribute major new insights into the etiology, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancers. Read More
Texas A&M AgriLife Institute Awards $1.5 Million for Diet-Related Research
An award of $1.5 million to 15 new associate members of the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, will support the new members’ research on responsive agriculture, precision nutrition, and social and behavioral healthy living to improve public health. This marks the first time that IHA has issued such awards. “The epidemic of diet-related chronic disease in Texas and nationally is costing lives and trillions of dollars each year,” said TAMEST Member Patrick J. Stover, Ph.D., (NAS) Texas A&M University, director of the IHA. “By funding associate members at the IHA, we’re able to advance research that addresses this challenge.” Read More
NSF-Funded Project to Develop Probabilistic Scientific Machine Learning
There has been little work on probabilistic methods in scientific machine learning, meaning that current algorithms cannot model uncertainty in the data or the physics. To address this shortcoming, Dr. Ulisses Braga-Neto, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, was awarded a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant titled “A Bayesian Paradigm for Physics-Informed Machine Learning,” which is part of a joint international program between the National Science Foundation and the Academy of Finland. They aim to develop a probabilistic framework for scientific machine learning and apply it to various engineering and scientific problems. TAMEST Member Elaine S. Oran, Ph.D. (NAE), Texas A&M University, collaborated on the project. Read More
Comprehensive clinical study confirms the molecular link between microcephaly caused by Zika and ANKLE2 variants
An international team of researchers report a comprehensive clinical phenotypic and genotypic analysis of the largest cohort studied so far of patients with ANKLE2 gene variants. The researchers conducted the study to gain deeper clinical insights into the similarities and variations in the clinical presentations of microcephaly caused by ANKLE2 mutations versus those caused by the Zika virus. The comprehensive analysis built off previous research from TAMEST Member Hugo J. Bellen, D.V.M., Ph.D. (NAS), Baylor College of Medicine, and his idea of using fruit flies to diagnose and dissect the underlying genetic cause of rare childhood neurologic disorders. Read More
Hagler Institute Announces Its Largest Class of New Fellows: 14
The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University revealed its largest class of new Hagler Fellows during a reception at the Memorial Student Center on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. The Class of 2022-23 includes 14 Hagler Fellows — including a Nobel Prize laureate — plus one Hagler Distinguished Lecturer. This 11th class includes scientists, engineers and scholars who are recognized internationally for their achievements. Each belongs to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, or holds recognitions of equal stature in their field. Read More
