Features File:
Stories about our people and programs
Heroes of Hurricane Ike
Even before the storm, the work of heroes was being done to secure facilities at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and ensure the safety of its students and employees.
Larry Kaiser, M.D., the university’s president, made the decision to close the campus on Sept. 12 so that everyone would have time to evacuate or do their own personal preparations for the storm.
Flood doors were closed. Hurricane ride-out crews were in place, and as night fell, it became apparent that Ike would be no ordinary Category 2 hurricane.
Here is a collection of stories about heroes from every corner of the university who worked to keep the community and the campus safe as Ike’s winds exceeded 100 miles an hour and left a path of destruction.
UT Experts Developing Interventions
to Improve Children’s Math Skills
The United States is not making the grade.
The 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows the United States ranks 12th of 25 countries among eighth graders in math and science skills. In the No. 1 and No. 2 spots: Singapore and the Republic of Korea.
“There is a critical need right now in this country to do research on math. We need to identify the skills that children need to improve upon, and hone in on factors that can predict development. We really want to answer the question, ‘Why do some children succeed at math and others do not?’ There is an epidemic when it comes to children who just don’t have basic math skills,” said Steven A. Hecht, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics in the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
The Faces of Our Future
Health Care Providers
The minority population continues to grow within our nation and that means patients are more diverse than ever. Through various recruitment and retention programs, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston addresses the need for diversity among our future health care providers.
The goal of increasing diversity among health care students is linked to research showing underserved patients may be better reached by physicians from similar backgrounds. According to a study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, patients who are of the same race as their health care provider report more satisfaction with their physician.