Why I do what I do

By Nicoleta Bugnariu, PhD, PT I was 19 years old and fresh out of nursing school when I emigrated from Romania to Canada and took a job at a residential facility for seniors. One of the women I cared for was a retired nun named Rita. Months after I started, she suffered a major stroke.…

A better tool to fight substance abuse

By Sally Crocker A new article in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment suggests that a computer program called MAPIT, developed by a UNT Health Science Center researcher, is more effective than standard justice system remedies in prompting substance-using probationers and parolees to start their treatment plans. “Health and justice systems are overburdened in terms…

Improving health care across the world

By Alex Branch A trio of UNT Health Science Center faculty members shared their expertise in clinical care and patient communication this summer with physicians in China. Frank Filipetto, DO, Janet Lieto, DO, and David Mason, DO, spent one week in Chengdu, a Chinese city in the Sichuan province, offering clinical instruction in pulmonary medicine…

A celebration of PA pioneers

By Alex Branch   Karen Kindler felt cautious at her interview as a prospective student in the physician assistant studies program two decades ago. The UNT Health Science Center’s PA program was brand new and accepting its first class of students. “I came with a lot of questions because it wasn’t yet a proven program,”…

A national award of excellence for physical therapist

By Alex Branch Myla Quiben, PT, DPT, PhD, prepares her physical therapy students to be health care providers of the future by simulating real-world clinical situations at UNT Health Science Center. Her simulations stress the significance of interprofessional communication – the ability to clearly and crisply share information with health care professionals from other disciplines.…

Top prize in treating patients right

By Jan Jarvis UNT System College of Pharmacy student Mark Herndon had 10 minutes to research the drug that had been prescribed for a patient with Crohn’s disease. He spent his time focused on the patient and how he could make sure the man took the drug properly. When he sat down with the patient,…

A new look at triple-negative breast cancer

By Jan Jarvis Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is often aggressive, hard to treat and disproportionately affects carriers of the BRCA1 gene mutation and younger women of African origin. Researchers at UNT Health Science Center have received a $1.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to help develop a new therapy that holds promise for…

For prostate cancer patients, a potential treatment with fewer side effects

By Jan Jarvis   Prostate cancer patients who have lifesaving therapy to lower testosterone often survive the disease, only to face debilitating neurological symptoms of which hot flushes are the most common. Medications are available to address these hot flushes (also known as hot flashes), but they come with side effects that men often find…

Accreditation a milestone moment for College of Pharmacy

By Jeff Carlton The College of Pharmacy at UNT Health Science Center has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), less than two months after graduating Fort Worth’s first class of pharmacy students. The accreditation status is a milestone for the UNT System College of Pharmacy, which was founded in 2011, began…

Recognizing the value of a welcoming environment

By Sally Crocker Alita Andrews, a 2016 School of Public Health MPH graduate, is a Health Advocate for the UNT Health Science Center TESSA program that serves Tarrant County victims of interpersonal violence. In the beginning, she met clients in a traditional office setting, with a desk facing the door and two chairs in front.…