News Contacts

Meredith Raine – Director of Media Relations
E-mail: Meredith.Raine@uth.tmc.edu

In every area of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston — from the classrooms to the laboratories to the clinics — experts are discovering ways to treat, cure and prevent today’s most common diseases. Meredith, who supervises media relations activities at the university, can assist reporters with news in any of the university’s schools, centers or clinics. Meredith has been a member of the university’s Media Relations Team for more than seven years and has been honored with CASE awards in medical writing. Prior to that, she had a successful career as a newspaper reporter, winning writing awards from the Texas Medical Association, National Kidney Foundation and the American Cancer Society, among others.

Rob Cahill – Senior Media Relations Specialist
E-mail: Robert.Cahill@uth.tmc.edu

Rob is your contact for news about medical genetics and biomedical science, nanotechnology, health informatics, stem cell research and discoveries in basic science. Before joining the Media Relations Team at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Rob was a public service coordinator for the University of Houston, an account executive for a communications firm and a public affairs specialist at Christus-St. Joseph Hospital. He started his career as a newspaper reporter, working at the San Antonio Light and Laredo News. He holds a M.A. in Communications and was named 2006 Communicator of the Year by the Houston Press Club, among several other professional awards.

Deborah Mann Lake - Media Relations Specialist
E-mail: Deborah.M.Lake@uth.tmc.edu

Deborah is your media relations contact for innovative research and clinical news relating to neurology and neurosurgery, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, diagnostic and interventional imaging, elder care issues, ophthalmology and the Mental Sciences Institute. Deborah spent two decades writing for Texas newspapers including The Houston Post and has received two Texas Associated Press Awards and two Aldo Awards. From 1999-2004, Deborah was feature story writer for the Houston Chronicle’s weekly “Health/Medicine” page. She is the winner of a 2003 Anson Jones, M.D., Award from the Texas Medical Association.

Melissa McDonald – Senior Media Relations Specialist
E-mail: Melissa.E.McDonald@uth.tmc.edu

Melissa is your first point of contact for news relating to pediatrics, pediatric surgery, The Children’s Learning Institute, women’s services, dermatology and anesthesiology.  She coordinates interviews with faculty members in those fields who can provide you with information on the latest clinical and scientific breakthroughs. Melissa’s background is in television.  For two years, she was a medical producer and associate producer at KPRC-TV Local 2 News (NBC-Houston). From 1999-2003, Melissa worked at KPLC-TV (NBC-Lake Charles, La.), where she was a videographer and producer. She has earned three Louisiana Associated Press awards, including one for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Lili, and a 2007 CASE award for healthcare writing on the HPV vaccine.