Soares named chair of psychiatry

Following a national search, Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo has announced Dr. Jair Soares will be the next chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, effective June 1.

Soares is presently a distinguished professor of psychiatry and director of the Center of Excellence in Research and Treatment for Bipolar Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“I am pleased that Dr. Soares is joining the Medical School in this leadership role, and I want to thank Dr. Pedro Ruiz for his leadership and commitment to education during his term as interim chair,” Dean Colasurdo said.

Colasurdo also thanked Dr. James Grotta, who led the search committee, as well as the committee members and the entire department for their patience.

Soares, who received his medical degree from the University of São Paulo Medical School, said he was delighted to join the Medical School as chair.

“This is a great time for psychiatry as a discipline, in particular with advances in the clinical neurosciences,” he said. “The possibilities for further expansion of our clinical services and academic mission are tremendous. I am very enthusiastic about joining the department and working with Dean Colasurdo, the UT leadership, and our faculty to continue to build a top-notch psychiatry department that will fully embrace cross-departmental collaborations.”

Soares completed his internship in internal medicine and psychiatry at the UPMC Health System, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh and his postdoctoral fellowship in neuroimaging at Yale. He completed a residency in adult psychiatry at the University of São Paulo and one at the UPMC Health System in psychiatry, research track.

Prior to joining the University of North Carolina, Soares held faculty appointments at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of Pittsburgh. His clinical research interests include mood disorders and using brain imaging to investigate such disorders.

-D. Brown

First patient enrolled in stroke stem cell study

For the first time in the United States, a stroke patient has been intravenously injected with his own bone marrow stem cells as part of a research trial at the Medical School.

Roland “Bud” Henrich, 61, was transferred to Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center on March 25 after suffering a stroke while working on his farm in Liberty, Texas. He arrived too late to receive tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the only treatment for ischemic strokes. He became the first patient in the trial.

The Phase I safety trial, funded with a pilot grant from The National Institutes of Health and support from the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation, will enroll nine more patients who have suffered a stroke and can be treated with the stem cell procedure within 24 to 72 hours of initial symptoms.

Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blockage or a rupture in an artery, depriving brain tissue of oxygen. It is the third-leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. According to the American Stroke Association, nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year — one every 40 seconds. On average, someone dies of stroke every three to four minutes.

“It’s still very early in this safety study, but this could be an exciting new therapeutic approach for people who have just suffered a stroke,” said Dr. Sean Savitz, assistant professor of neurology and the study’s lead investigator. “Animal studies have shown that when you administer stem cells after stroke, the cells enhance the healing. We know that stem cells have some kind of guidance system and migrate to the area of injury. They’re not making new brain cells, but they may be enhancing the repair processes and reducing inflammatory damage.”

Savitz said animal studies have shown that the healing effects of stem cells can occur as early as a week, but cautioned it is too early to attribute Henrich’s improvement to the stem cell treatment. “I'm hoping he will get better and it will be because of the cells, but it's just hope at this point,” Savitz said.

The stem cells were harvested from the bone marrow in the iliac crest of his leg, then separated and returned to Henrich several hours later. Because they are his own stem cells, rejection is not expected to be an issue.

When he arrived at the hospital, Henrich could not speak and had significant weakness on his right side. When he was released after nearly two weeks of hospitalization and rehabilitation, he was able to walk and climb stairs unassisted and said his first words.

His wife, Reba Henrich, said she believes the stem cells have helped. He has spoken a few times with a single word or a phrase since his return home. “Too crowded,” he told her at a megastore as they shopped for Easter gifts for their grandchildren and “senior” meal he told a waitress at a local restaurant. He also has fed the cows by himself, she said. They are hopeful he will eventually be able to return to his job as a painter.

“This study is the critical first step in translating laboratory work with stem cells into benefit for patients. If effective, this treatment could be helpful to a huge segment of stroke patients to reduce their disability,” said Dr. James Grotta, Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Professor of Neurology and chair of the Department of Neurology. “We are fortunate here at UT Houston and the Texas Medical Center to have the resources needed to carry out this work, and to have attracted someone of Dr. Savitz’s caliber to lead this study.”

The study is only open to patients who are admitted to the Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann–TMC or through the UT Stroke Team with symptoms of an immediate stroke.

- D. Mann Lake

Clinical Research Education courses offered

The University of Texas Health Science Center and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System (MHHS) present a comprehensive, four full-day and one half-day educational program focusing on the basics of coordinating a clinical research trial 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., May 5, 7, 12, 14, and 1 – 4:30 p.m., May 19 at the Medical School.

“Clinical Research Education: An Introductory Course for Safe and Ethical Research Practices” will provide a model of practice in conducting clinical research based on the principles of Good Clinical Practice, thereby focusing on research compliance, protecting the safety and well-being of the research subject, and ensuring integrity of the research. Pre-registration is required.

A $300 course fee applies to all non-Health Science Center and MHHS employees. This fee applies to UT M. D. Anderson employees. For more information, visit Clinical Research Education or contact Kimberly Wilson, 713.500.7911.

Sports symposium helps docs stay at the top of their game

Anyone who treats sports injuries can keep up with the latest innovations at the third annual Sports Medicine Symposium of the Americas. Presented by Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute, the course is an authoritative resource on emerging technologies and approaches. Physicians, physician assistants, athletic trainers, physical therapists and assistants, personal trainers, and others should attend. The course will be held May 29-31 at the InterContinental Houston.

Expert lecturers — including physicians, trainers, and therapists who serve professional athletic teams in a variety of sports — will offer cutting-edge information through talks, panel discussions, and case presentations. Attendees can also take advantage of hands-on lab sessions. Continuing education credits are available. Fellows, residents, and medical students are entitled to a discounted rate of just $150 for the entire conference.

Complete program and registration information is available at the Sports Medicine Symposium of the Americas' Web site.

Registration required to access library services

The HAM-TMC Library will soon move to a system requiring all users outside of the library to use the Remote Access System. If you are currently using remote access, there will be no change — you do not have to do anything different from what you are doing now.

However, if you are currently accessing library services through the Health Science Center’s institutional connection, you will need to make a change by using the library’s direct remote access capabilities requiring a library-issued user ID and password. These can be obtained by registering through the library’s home page. Simply click on the “Got Remote Access?” button on the lower, left-hand side of the web page and follow the prompts.

There will be no charge to register, and remote access will be available within five minutes of registration. Once you are logged in, you can access full text directly from the library’s PubMed Remote. Using the PubMed Remote Link (available on the library’s homepage), you can navigate to an article, click on the blue “Find It” button just below the publisher’s link, and access the full text.

If you have any questions, please contact the circulation desk at 713.799.7147.

HUB vendor fair

 

Location & Contact

6431 Fannin Street,
Houston, Texas 77030

PO Box 20708,
Houston, Texas 77225

713.500.4472

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