Empowering patients to take control of their health is ‘why I want to be a pharmacist’

By Krista Roberts Emmanuel Rodriguez was two years into his health care marketing career when the pandemic hit along with the economic downturn.   As the world came to a halt, so did his career. At the time, Rodriguez was leading regional marketing initiatives for hospitals and free-standing emergency rooms.   “I had to pivot,” Rodriguez said.…

TCOM Class of 2022 has the highest board exam score in the nation

By Steven Bartolotta The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2022 earned the highest score in the nation on the COMLEX-USA Level 1 national board exam for future osteopathic physicians.   The score is the highest among all osteopathic medical schools across the country and the third time in the last four years TCOM has ranked…

TCOM’s ROME Program takes the spotlight at TMA meeting on access to health care

By Steven Bartolotta  The gold standard for rural osteopathic medical education, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine’s ROME program was on display at a recent meeting of the Texas Medical Association on Physician Distribution and Health Care Access.   Assistant Dean for Rural Medical Education John Gibson, MD, made a presentation about all facets of the…

HSC students, faculty, and staff share personal stories as part of people-focused campaign

By Diane Smith-Pinckney Dr. Ella Kasanga, who earned a PhD in biomedical sciences, under the mentorship of Michael Salvatore, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, is investigating the mechanisms associated with motor impairment in Parkinson’s Disease. Emily Mire, Executive Director of Student and Academic…

Ella Kasanga found a nurturing environment at HSC more than 6,000 miles from her native Ghana

By Diane Smith-Pinckney  Growing up, Ella Kasanga wanted to be a pharmacist because the profession allowed her to serve her community while interacting with people, but her professional passion changed after she was introduced to biomedical research.  Dr. Kasanga, who graduated in May 2021 from The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort…

HSC College of Pharmacy’s research ranking rose to No. 36 in the U.S.

By Diane Smith-Pinckney Increased grant funding at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, College of Pharmacy helped push its institutional total research ranking up from No. 54 in the nation to No. 36, according to a listing published by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).   The College’s total funded research grants reached more than $6.8 million in fiscal year 2020, according to AACP’s rankings. Despite the pandemic, the College of Pharmacy faculty more than…

Health disparities research: ‘The HEARD Scholarship is going to make my dreams come true’

By Gabrielle Saleh The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) is one of two institutions nationwide receiving NIH Endowment funding that will be used for a scholarship to support two faculty members developing programs focused on minority health and health disparities. Riyaz Basha, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM), and Harlan P. Jones, PhD, an Associate Professor in the…

HSC receives $50 million to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to rectify health disparities

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $50 million award to the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) to lead the coordinating center for the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity, or AIM-AHEAD, program. HSC will lead the multi-institutional coordinating center, which brings together experts…

Fighting racial bias: HSC video-based simulation helps health care leaders prepare to manage complex ethical dilemmas

By Sally Crocker Simulation has long been recognized as a highly effective andragogical tool for enhancing problem-solving and communication skills. Actors in such simulations have been used since the 1960s to portray example patients and aid in training programs to assess diagnostic capabilities and empathy. While simulation through standardized patients, manikins, and video-based methods are…

Under the influence: More adults over 65 driving after drinking or drug use

By Sally Crocker An estimated 3% of adults over age 65 are driving under the influence of alcohol, according to one of the first research studies to delve into an emerging national concern. Experts said this statistic is especially worrisome given that older Americans are already more prone to higher crash rates and accident-related deaths due to aging. The study, recently published…