Regular registration for fall 2022 is currently open and ends on Aug. 26 in myUTH. If you have questions regarding registration, email the Office of Academic Affairs at [email protected].

For fall 2022, SBMI courses will be taught both in-person and online. Students registered for in-person classes are expected to attend the on-campus sessions during the scheduled time and day each week. Students enrolled in web-based classes will complete all coursework 100% online. There is no requirement to visit campus during the fall semester for any SBMI web-based course.

The fall 2022 semester will begin on Aug. 29. For a full list of courses offered in the fall, visit the SBMI Semester Schedule webpage.

UTHealth Houston SBMI, along with the local Houston community, has seen a recent increase in COVID-19 cases. Please monitor yourself for symptoms and report any positive results to UTHealth Student Health (for students) or UT Health Services.

The latest CDC recommendations for exposure and quarantine are listed here for reference: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html. Remember that masking remains strongly recommended.

For more information, you can always visit the UTHealth COVID-19 Resource page. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant and stay healthy.

Members of the SBMI Community have recently achieved noteworthy accomplishments. We want to recognize and applaud these individuals.

• Dean Jiajie Zhang, PhD was recently named a new member of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Advisory Council. Visit the SBMI website to learn more.
• Professor and Associate Dean for Academic and Curricular Affairs Susan Fenton, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA, Alumnus Sina Madani, MD, PhD, ’13, Professor Dean Sittig, PhD, and DHI Student Mary H. Stanfill, MBI, RHIA are part of the inaugural class of AMIA Certified Health Informatics Professional (ACHIP) Diplomates. They are joined by 94 others who are also the first to bear the designation and credential.
SBMI hosted a Hackathon for the Laredo community on Saturday, July 16th. $1,500 in cash prizes were awarded to the three winning teams.

• Professor Zhongming Zhao, PhD was recently awarded a grant worth over $300,000. With the funds, Dr. Zhao and his team aim to better understand the genetics of Alzheimer's disease to find effective prevention and treatment.
• A research team from UTHealth, which includes three SBMI researchers (PhD Student Yaobin Ling, Professor Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD, and Assistant Professor Yejin Kim, PhD) found that flu vaccination was associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease over a four-year period.
SBMI Assistant Professor Andrea Yatsco, PhD recently attended the Drug Impact Conference in Georgetown, TX. She presented on coordinating care for addiction and justice involved populations.

• A co-authored BMJ Health & Care Informatics article was recently published and several members of the SBMI Community contributed. Co-authors include Dr. Sittig, Adjunct Professor Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH, and Alumna Sahar Memon, MS '15.
• Dr. Fenton has a new article that was recently published by Libman Education. It is titled “It is all About the Data: What HIM Professionals Need to Know about Machine Learning.”

We invite all SBMI students to attend Registration Exploration on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 4 to 5:30 PM (CDT). The virtual event will be hosted in WebEx.

SBMI Faculty & the Office of Academic Affairs will help students learn more about the courses offered for fall 2022. Instructors and Teaching Assistants will participate during the virtual event to answer questions about course curriculum, the syllabus, learning objectives, and more. SBMI staff will also be available to answer questions about degree plans for all programs.

Visit http://go.uth.edu/RegistrationExploration to register, today.

The School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI) offers scholarship opportunities to students enrolled in the School as funds become available. We are currently accepting applications for several scholarships to be awarded for the fall 2022 semester.

Consideration for earning a scholarship includes:

• Pattern of academic achievement
• Teaching and mentoring experience
• Leadership experience
• Community service
• Success in overcoming adversity
• Previous and recent publications in the discipline (if any)

Submit your SBMI Scholarship Application.

Please note that all submissions are being accepted in Qualtrics and no email submissions will be accepted. The application deadline is Sunday, August 7, 2022 at close of business (5 p.m. CDT).

If you have questions, please send an email ([email protected]) or call 713.500.3591.

Registration for the Texas Health Informatics Alliance 2022 Conference is currently open. The event is co-sponsored by SBMI, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and The University of Texas at Arlington.

The conference is on Sept. 9th but visit https://michi.uta.edu/conferences/ to register, today.

• Professor James Langabeer, PhD, EdD, MBA wrote a column for Forbes earlier this month where he explores cultivating optimism and leadership in a small business.
• Professor Dean Sittig, PhD, was quoted by Pharmacy Today as he discussed the increased risk of ransomware attacks on hospitals and health systems.