Spring Semester at McWilliams
We hope everyone had a safe & healthy holiday season. McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics would like to welcome all new students and sends greetings to our returning students. We look forward to a successful spring semester.
Now that the semester is underway, we want to remind all students to submit their updated, yearly degree or program plans if it has not been completed recently. Please work with your academic advisor to complete the plan and if you have questions, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 713.500.3591 or [email protected] for assistance.
NEW DATE: McWilliams Day
and President Kibbe’s Listening Tour
and President Kibbe’s Listening Tour
The entire School Community is invited to join us on Monday, March 2 for McWilliams Day & the Listening Tour for President Melina Kibbe, MD.
Dean Jiajie Zhang, PhD will present on the State of the School as we recognize our annual McWilliams Day. Afterward, President Kibbe will speak with our faculty, staff, and students.
We look forward to seeing many of you at this special opportunity to hear from Dr. Kibbe.
Important Reminders for Students
and Upcoming Opportunities
and Upcoming Opportunities
Here are some important reminders for current students, along with information on some exciting events that are happening in the coming weeks.
- Wednesday, Jan. 28 is the last day to add/drop courses for the spring 2026 semester. Please make all enrollment changes by that day.
- We encourage students to bookmark the UTHealth Houston Central Student Portal at https://www.uth.edu/student. This site will serve as a guide to help connect you with the most sought-after resources at the university.
- Student Counseling Services wants to remind all students of the services their staff offers, including counseling and psychiatry appointments in person and online. This PDF provides more information on the available resources. Please reach out if you need support; Student Counseling Services is here to help.
- There is a current call for students to participate in an acne diet & psychological stress survey. Please fill out this survey to learn more about acne & diet patterns in professional students. Participants will be entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card If you have questions, please email Thien Ly Nguyen (MS2 McGovern Medical School) [email protected]. The deadline to submit the questionnaire/survey is Saturday, Jan. 31.
- The Houston Chapter of HIMSS is accepting scholarship applications. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 30. Visit this website for more information or to apply: https://houston.himss.org/professional-resources/houston-chapter-himss-student-scholarship.
- Students are invited to participate in UTHealth Houston’s 8th annual Healthcare Innovation Challenge. Students can demonstrate interdisciplinary communication, teamwork, and creative problem-solving on teams of four to six members from each UTHealth Houston school as they tackle a real-world healthcare problem or topic. Teams will have a four-week preparation period, spending about one to two hours per week developing their solution. On challenge day, teams will present 10 to 15-minute pitches to a panel of faculty judges from across the university. Cash awards of more than $2,000 will be given to the first, second, and third place teams, as well as a People’s Choice award, with exact amounts determined based on available funding. The event is on February 28, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at McGovern Medical School. For more information, email [email protected] or visit this website to register by the Jan. 31 deadline.
Project Management Speaker Series
Associate Professor Angela Ross, DNP has started a new, online speaker series focused on project management. The first speaker is Alumnus Peter Kizza, DHI ’23 who works at University of Florida Health Physicians as an ambulatory analyst. This virtual event will be hosted via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 3 (7:00 PM CT) and all are invited. Feel free to share this information with your professional network.
Here are details for the other upcoming dates in this series. Note all events will be hosted via Zoom.
| Speakers | Title & Organization | Date |
| Kenneth Ross, LTC (retired), US Army, Army Medical Department, Medical Service Corps | IT Project Manager, Defense Health Agency | Monday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 PM (CT) |
| Melita Howell | (Retired) Houston Methodist Hospital Virtual Health and Clinical Communications Manager | Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 PM (CT) |
| Michael Dowlin | Lead Programmer/Data Analyst, Baylor College of Medicine-Texas Children’s Hospital, Pathology Informatics | Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 PM (CT) |
| James Harris, DHI ‘23 | Project Consultant/ Chief Quality and Value Office, MD Anderson Cancer Center | Wednesday, March 4 at 7:00 PM (CT) |
| Sheena Rogers, DHI ‘25 | Director of Health Informatics and Business Integration, Creative Information Technology Software Company | Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM (CT) |
Free Registration for the TMC AI Summit 2026
In collaboration with the Texas Medical Center institutions, you are invited to attend the TMC AI Summit 2026 on February 18 - 20. This event will explore the transformative potential of AI in healthcare at the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) in the TMC (1250 Moursund Street, Houston, TX 77030). Registration is free of charge, so we encourage the entire community to attend at no cost.
This summit is at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research and its transformative impact on healthcare and biomedicine. Register today!
Important Travel Notice about Uber
Uber is once again approved for work-related travel and business purposes, effective immediately.
Employees may resume using Uber in accordance with existing travel and reimbursement policies, including rides booked directly, reimbursed trips, and travel arranged on behalf of visitors or candidates.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation during the temporary restriction.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Upcoming Events Dates
| Feb 3. | Online Project Management Speaker Series with Peter Kizza, DHI ‘23 7:00 PM (CT) via Zoom |
| March 2 | McWilliams Day & President Melina Kibbe, MD Listening Tour 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM in McWilliams Classrooms |
Important Dates
| January 28 | Last day to add or drop a course for spring 2026 |
| March 9-13 | Spring Break – no classes will be held |
| March 20 | Deadline to apply for graduation or certificate completion for spring 2026 |
| March 27 | Last day to drop with a withdrawal grade of “W” with the appropriate form submitted by 5 PM CT (DocuSign) |
Visit our website for a full list of research seminar dates and access to recordings for past seminars.
Office of Academic Affairs
7000 Fannin, Ste. 650 Houston, TX
Phone: 713.500.3591
Email: [email protected]
7000 Fannin, Ste. 650 Houston, TX
Phone: 713.500.3591
Email: [email protected]
