Members of our McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Community have recently achieved noteworthy accomplishments. We want to recognize and applaud their endeavors.

• Congratulations to Rongbin Li on his successful dissertation defense on March 27th. He was the final doctoral student to defend during the spring 2026 semester and will earn his degree next month at our Commencement Ceremony.

• The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) bestowed the title of AAAS Fellow upon Professor Zhongming Zhao, MS, PhD. Please help us congratulate him. For more information, visit our website to read the full news story.

We need your help to shape the future of AI use within UTHealth Houston and UT System. The university is launching a new generative AI needs assessment survey open to all faculty, staff, students, and trainees. The responses will:

• Track how AI use, comfort, and needs are changing at UTHealth Houston over time.
• Inform AI training and support tailored to your role.
• Share valuable insights on how emerging tools, such as agentic AI, impact your work and studies.

The survey will close on May 22. To participate, visit go.uth.edu/genaisurvey.

Symplicity CSM is a powerful platform that connects students with exclusive job and internship opportunities tailored to their academic pathways. The approved listings, which are reviewed by McWilliams staff members, give students access to high-quality employment opportunities in their chosen fields. Current students can utilize key features like job listings, a resume builder, and a personal portfolio builder. Additionally, practicum management is streamlined through this system, making it an essential resource for career development.

Faculty Advisors and Practicum Employers utilize Symplicity for practicum management, streamlining processes, and enhancing career development support. Faculty can also refer employers to Symplicity, enabling them to create employer profiles and post opportunities that align with the skillsets of our graduates.

Symplicity is accessible to current students, alumni and faculty—no registration is required. Visit this website to get started: https://uth-csm.symplicity.com/.

Join us for the Spring 2026 Poster Session and Mixer on Monday, May 4. Unlike past poster sessions, this event will be hosted during lunchtime from 12:00 - 2:00 PM. The event will be held in the MSBMI Classrooms on the 6th floor of UCT (7000 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030). All are invited to attend.

Students presenting posters can review the Poster Session webpage for more info.

All employees have access to the mandatory compliance training for FY26. The deadline to complete your training varies, depending on which phase you are in:

Accessing the training

• You received an enrollment email from LMS iLearn Administrator on your phase start date with the subject line “FY2026 Annual Compliance Training assigned to [your name].” Save it for reference.
• You can also access the training via this website: go.uth.edu/learn.
• Use Google Chrome for the best experience.

Any employee who did not receive the iLearn email, cannot access iLearn, or encounters technical difficulties should contact [email protected].

This is a gentle reminder to all McWilliams Faculty asking that they complete the AAMC StandPoint™ Faculty Engagement Survey. Many of your peers have completed their survey so help us meet our goal of full participation.

An email containing your individualized survey link was sent to you from [email protected]. If you are unable to locate your email invitation or accidentally deleted it, please contact StandPoint Surveys directly at [email protected] to have a new survey link sent to you.

If you have additional questions, please contact Dr. Amy Franklin via email at [email protected].

The Clinical Research Professional (CRP) Workforce Training Program at UTHealth Houston prepares trainees for a career as a clinical research professional. Enrollment is open now and ends May 31.

If you are interested in learning more, please visit this website: go.uth.edu/become-a-clinical-research-professional.

UTHealth Houston’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) team is hosting a hybrid forum titled “From Curriculum to Enculturation: Building Healthcare Policy Education for Health Professionals.” It will take place on April 30 from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM (CDT).

The event will be held at the Beth Robertson Auditorium, Institute for Molecular Medicine, UTHealth Houston (1825 Pressler, Houston, TX), and live-streamed via Zoom.

For more details, the registration link, or the event agenda, visit: https://go.uth.edu/curriculum-to-enculturation.