Over the last month, several faculty members at SBMI have received new grants for their research. Our school sends congratulations to these individuals.

• UTHealth Houston Vice President, Chief Data Scientist, and SBMI Joint Professor GQ Zhang, PhD, Associate Dean for Innovation and the Glassell Family Distinguished Professor Hua Xu, PhD, and Professor W. Jim Zheng, PhD were awarded a grant in late September. The new National Institutes of Health (NIH) Brain Research Through Advancing Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative will be funded by their grant worth over $4.8 million. Visit the UTHealth Houston News page to learn more.
• Professor Cui Tao, PhD is a co-PI on a new National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grant. Tao, who holds the Dr. Doris L. Ross Professorship, and her research colleagues will use the $3.69 million grant to craft a vaccine knowledge base which includes a wide range of information spanning the full vaccine lifecycle. To read more about their work, visit the SBMI News page.
• Hua Xu, PhD was also awarded a new National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant worth over $3.8 million earlier this month. Dr. Xu and his fellow researchers will craft new informatics methods while exploring ways to better combat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD).
• Professor Degui Zhi, PhD was awarded a $1.69 million National Eye Institute grant. Zhi and his research colleague will explore techniques in deep learning for phenotyping retina images.

Each year, UTHealth Houston celebrates employee leadership and longevity with the STAR Awards. We honor employees who have reached a milestone anniversary here at UTHealth Houston for their service between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.

SBMI would like to recognize the Star Award recipients for 2022.

Twenty Years
• Elmer Bernstam, MD
• Todd Johnson, PhD

Fifteen Years
• Blanca Torres
• Judy Young

Five Years
• Felicia Davis
• Luca Giancardo, PhD
• Pora Kim, PhD
• Jose “Joe” Menchaca
• Mary “Ginny” Nelson
• Michael Phan
• Kirk Roberts, PhD
• Tracy Swoboda
• Degui Zhi, PhD
• Yujia Zhou, PhD

Canvas now includes a new search tool called “Atomic Search” that has been enabled for SBMI students and instructors. Not only can it search all files within a course, but it can also search assignments, pages and even URLs. Look for the “Search” link on your course left navigation and give it a try. Click here for a feature description and help documentation.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you or a loved is experiencing any warning signs, we urge you to get immediate assistance. You can simply dial 988 from any cell phone or landline to be routed to a network of over 200 crisis centers operated by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). Additionally, you can text the same 3-digit number (988) for support too. For more information, please review this file.

As a reminder to all students, mental health services are available to registered students throughout the school year. Services are strictly confidential – no information is shared with your family, friends, or school without your permission. Call UTHealth Houston Student Counseling at 713-500-5171 (from 8 AM – 5 PM CDT)

• Professor Jim Langabeer, PhD was interviewed by KHOU 11 News earlier this month. He detailed how the HEROES-Houston ER Opioid System program is helping those struggling with opioid addiction.