Findings
Houston, Texas
Volume 4, Issue 7
August 2006

Briefs

Division of cardiothoracic surgery partners up for grant

Baylor College of Medicine's division of cardiothoracic surgery has partnered with The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The University of Texas Medical School at Houston to use an $11.6 million grant to research thoracic aortic diseases.

The five-year inter-institutional grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute will create the Specialized Center for Clinically Oriented Research in Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections in the Texas Medical Center, directed by Diana Milewicz, M.D., and co-directed by Joseph Coselli, M.D., professor and chief of the BCM cardiothoracic surgery division, and Hazim Safi, M.D.

The goal of the grant is to identify genetic determinants and biomarkers associated with aortic dissections. The grant includes three projects and six related "cores" to support the research activity.

Investigators and projects are:

Xing Li Wang, M.D., Ph.D., who will focus on identifying genes that are predictive of the development and progression of thoracic aortic diseases, so that patients at higher risk of aortic rupture can be recognized and treated earlier. Wang is a BCM professor and director in the cardiothoracic research laboratory in the division of cardiothoracic surgery of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery.

Diana Milewicz, M.D., professor and director of the division of medical genetics at The University of Texas Houston Medical School, will focus on transforming growth factor beta, a key regulator of vascular smooth muscle cells found in the middle layer of the aortic wall. The dysregulation of the transforming growth factor beta may be a pathway to the degeneration of that portion of the all for people suffering from familial and non-familial forms of the disease.

Allan Brasier, M.D., co-director of the Proteomics Center at UTMB, will be looking at inflammatory biomarkers of aortic aneurysms, which will hopefully lead to the development of anti-inflammatory medications to help treat aortic disease.

O'Quinn Foundation pledges $25 million to international mental health campus

A $25 million pledge to Menninger Clinic from the John M. O'Quinn Foundation will help create a future campus uniting mental health care, research and education envisioned by Menninger, Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital when the world-class institutions affiliated in 2003.

John M. O'Quinn presented Menninger officials with the initial $5 million toward the $25 million gift, which will be fulfilled over five years.

The $25 million gift is one of the largest gifts received by Menninger. As a long-term supporter of Menninger, O'Quinn is among the inaugural members of the Board of Visitors for Menninger.

Menninger, BCM and The Methodist Hospital are working on the details required for planning a campus. The goal is to locate the campus near the Texas Medical Center for access to faculty, staff and services. In May, the Board of Directors for the Menninger-Baylor College of Medicine-Methodist Hospital Foundation approved the operational viability of Menninger, completing a planned step in the affiliates' agreement.

Menninger currently operates its specialty inpatient psychiatric programs for adolescents and adults about 40 minutes from the Texas Medical Center at 2801 Gessner Ave.

For more information, visit http://www.MenningerClinic.com/newsroom/

Family physicians provide same-day scheduling at Baylor Clinic

Baylor College of Medicine's family physicians have expanded same-day scheduling services to see patients at the Baylor Clinic in the Texas Medical Center.

Maria Blazo, M.D., Michael Crouch, M.D., and John Rogers, M.D., previously at the Baylor Family Medicine practice located at 3701 Kirby, have moved their practices to the Baylor Clinic located at 6620 Main St.

The clinic's open-access scheduling enables most patient requests for doctor's appointment to be accommodated on the same day or on the next business day. This system is primarily based on the principle of "doing today's work today."

For appointments, call 713-798-7700. Patients already registered with the clinic can go to the Baylor Family Medicine web site to request prescription refills, cancel, change or request an appointment, view or update contact information, request a physician referral and view portions of his or her medical record.