Period 13 Film Class Fully Enrolled

The UTMB registrar’s office has reported that the Period 13 film class (BSHS Selective DERU-4051 and elective DERU-4007) is currently completely enrolled with 15 students in each section. There are currently 18 students on the wait list for DERU-4007 and 6 students on the wait list for DERU-4051. Period 13 has historically been the most popular Period for both courses. Last year Dr. Wagner increased student enrollment from 10 students in each class to 15 for each Period of the current academic year.

UTMB Dermatology Residency Application Update

There are already 304 ERAS applications to the UTMB dermatology residency program. 97 of these applicants are AOA and have at least a 230 on Step 1. The application deadline is Monday, November 1st this year.

Dermatology Program Preference for Home and Visiting Medical Students Explained

It has been previously noted that dermatology applicants are more likely to match at their home program or a program where they have rotated. At the October 2010 meeting of the Association of Professors of Dermatology in Chicago, one speaker discussed the interview process. Some dermatology programs attempt to select applicants with the attitudes, motivations and talents that will help attain program goals. Data was presented that indicated there is a greater chance for success in attaining program goals when selecting home and visiting students who have demonstrated these three qualities during previous interactions compared to outside candidates, as long as the internal candidates also meet all of the predetermined academic selection criteria.

What explains the relatively few interview offers for dermatology residency applicants?

Data presented by Dr. Alexa Kimball (Harvard Medical School) at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Association of Professors of Dermatology meeting this month indicated that dermatology residency programs only need to interview between 3 and 4 applicants for each position they offer through the NRMP in order to fill their program. This statistic has trended upward since 2006, when 3 ranked applicants were needed to fill each position. In the 2010 dermatology match, 3.8 applicants were needed to fill each residency position.

Dermatology's Preference for a Strong Academic Preliminary PGY-1 Year

Recent comments from the Association of Dermatology Professors Annual Meeting in Chicago last weekend make it clear that many dermatology chairs, program directors and faculty have low regard for transitional PGY-1 training. They voiced concern that a transitional year is poor academic preparation for a dermatology residency. They strongly stated preference for a preliminary PGY-1 year at a strong academic university program. Some even thought that dermatology programs should stop offering advanced PGY-2 positions and start incorporating their internal medicine department into categorical programs, an approach that would ensure strong PGY-1 internal medicine training.

Dr. Douglas Heiner Co-authors Publication

Former DIG member Doug Heiner (UTMB SOM Class of 2010), who will be starting dermatology residency at Roger Williams Medical Center (Providence, Rhode Island) in 2011 has coauthored a recently published, peer-reviewed research paper (Houghtaling PM, Foster T, Heiner J, Uchida T, Wagner RF Jr. Eyelid protection from ultraviolet radiation injury at the beach. HPC Supplement Focus on Sun Care, 3:12-14, 2010). The study was conducted at local Galveston beaches in 2009, located close to our medical school! The first author of this publication and Principle Investigator for this study, Dr. Paul Houghtaling, is also a UTMB 2010 SOM graduate who is now a Captain in the US Army, doing his ophthalmology residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. The authors of this research recommended a “triple UVR protection” to protect eyelid skin from UVR (ultraviolet radiation) damage through the combined use of sunscreen/makeup, hats and eyewear. Men are especially in need for eyelid UVR protection since they continue to have more eyelid nonmelanoma skin cancers than women.

UTMB PGY-2 Dermatology Resident First Author on Dermatologic Surgery Article!

Congratulations to Dr. Julie Martin for her first authorship on her October 2010 research article published in Dermatologic Surgery (Martin JE, Speyer L, Schmults CD. Heightened infection-control practices are associated with significantly lower infection rates in office-based Mohs surgery. Dermatol Surg 2010:36:1529-1536). Her two co-authors were from the Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, where Dr. Martin was the 2008-2009 cutaneous oncology fellow.

Does it matter where I go to medical school if I want to become a dermatologist?

A study published in the September 2010 issue of Journal of Graduate Medical Education (Patel MS, Katz JT, Volpp KG. Match rates into higher-income, controllable lifestyle specialties for students from highly ranked, research-based medical schools compared with other applicants. J Grad Med Educ 2:360-356, 2010) indicates that where applicants attended medical school played a quantitative role in the dermatology selection process. Medical students graduating from 9 of the top 12 US medical schools (2007 US News & World Report rankings) that provided match data on their students were compared to the remaining US medical school graduates. These 9 medical schools accounted for 3% (n=1225) of dermatology matches compared to 1.4% (n=15037) for MS4s from other US medical schools.

Secret Secondary Dermatology Applications

It is understandable why some dermatology residency programs are concerned about applicants who know very little about their specific program. Certainly, applying to almost every available dermatology program is easy for applicants through ERAS, although expensive. In recent weeks it has come to our attention that several programs have contacted applicants this year seeking additional information about why the applicant is interested in their specific program.

A few programs requiring additional secondary information from applicants do not seem to be contacting applicants and asking them directly for the information. Instead, they make the request indirectly on their website, and wait for aware applicants to send the requested information to them. It pays to carefully read all of the websites for programs that you decide to apply to, and send the additional information they request back to them in a timely manner!

Should I consider applying to non-ERAS dermatology residency programs?

Yes, you probably should. Typically non-ERAS programs receive far fewer applications than programs available on ERAS.

Meet the PGY-2 Dermatology Residents!

Mara Dacso, M.D.
PGY-2

Hometown: Houston, TX
Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
Internship: Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

During medical school, Mara spent a year in Spain, where she explored her interests in infectious disease and public health and completed a Masters degree in International Health and Tropical Medicine. Her thesis centered on the topic of leprosy and inspired her to pursue a career in dermatology. Mara was awarded Magna Cum Laude graduation honors at UTMB for her Dermatology Honors Research entitled, “Multi-Drug Therapy for Leprosy in the U.S.A. Using Daily Rifampin.” She was Vice President of the UTMB DIG for 2008-2009.

Special Interests in Dermatology: public health in dermatology and cutaneous infectious diseases
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, wine tasting, traveling, theater, singing


Julie Martin, M.D.
PGY-2

Hometown: Metairie, LA
Medical School: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, LA
Internship: General Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

After 3 years as a resident in the General Surgery program at UTMB, Julie decided to change directions and applied for a Dermatology residency position. Before beginning her dermatology residency at UTMB, she completed a Cutaneous Oncology Fellowship at Harvard’s Brigham And Women’s Hospital.

Special Interests in Dermatology: Melanoma
Hobbies: Spending time with family, friends and her 2 dogs, LSU and Saints football, traveling


Leslie Scroggins, M.D.
PGY-2

Hometown: Tyler, TX
Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
Internship: Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

Leslie knew that she wanted to be a dermatologist upon entering medical school. She pursued her interest by taking the many dermatology electives offered at UTMB and was awarded Magna Cum Laude graduation honors at UTMB for her Dermatology Honors Research entitled, "The imbalanced expression of matrix metalloproteinases in nephrogenic systemic fibrosis,” which was later published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ("JAAD"). Leslie was President of the UTMB DIG for 2008-2009.

Special Interests in Dermatology: skin cancer, laser therapies
Hobbies: cooking, traveling, movies

Thank you to the PGY-2 Dermatology Residents!

The UTMB DIG would like to thank Drs. Mara Dacso, Julie Martin and Leslie Scroggins for being our guests at the October 7th meeting! They shared stories of how they arrived at their decisions to pursue a career in dermatology, offered advice on topics such as exploring dermatology in medical school, the residency application process and selection of a residency program that fits with you, and spoke of their experiences thus far as dermatology residents.

Tips for Dermatology Re-applicants

At the fall 2010 Dermatology Exchange Group (DTEG) annual meeting in Chicago, Dr. Erik Stratman (Marshfield Clinic) presented his abstract entitled, “Factors associated with successful matching by re-applicants.” According to Dr. Stratman, factors that were “…strongly associated with matching…” were “…USMLE Step 3 score, submission of letters written by dermatologists from institutions that train dermatology residents, completing preliminary medicine internships rather than transitional or other internship types, listing research experience, publishing medical manuscripts, and completing non-ACGME dermatology fellowships.” He also noted that successful re-applicants tended to limit their personal statements to one page and did not mention their previous match failure. Surprisingly, he found that having a PhD, first authorship, or quality of publication was not predictive of a successful re-application.

More Analysis on the 2010 NRMP Dermatology Match

Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH from Harvard Medical School, presented data about the 2010 Dermatology NRMP Match to the Association of Professors of Dermatology at their 50th Annual Meeting held in Chicago over the past weekend. In 2010, there were 578 applicants who submitted rank lists for 360 positions. 23% of these applicants also ranked another specialty in addition to dermatology. Of the applicants who only ranked dermatology, 75% of US seniors matched, and 44% of “other” (re-applicants, those applying for the first time who had already completed a PGY-1 year, international medical graduates) applicants matched.

UTMB Medical Student, Dermatology Resident and Dermatopathology Fellows Contribute to Presentations and Posters at American Society for Dermatopathology (ASDP) Meeting

UTMB MS3, Erica Snook, coauthored a poster presentation at the recent 47th Annual ASDP meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia. Erica coauthored Poster 322, “A case report of a cutaneous solitary fibrous tumor of the skin histologically mimicking a schwannoma” with Drs. Brent Kelly and first author, Palak Parekh, who is also a former UTMB dermatopathology fellow.

Current dermatopathology fellow, Dr. John Cangelosi, was the first author of Poster 315, “Dual S-100-AE1/3 Immunohistochemistry to detect perineural invasion in non-melanoma skin cancers.” His co-authors were UTMB faculty Drs. A. Berlingeri-ramos, R. Wagner and B. Kelly.

Dr. Ryan Matherne, a current UTMB dermatopathology fellow, presented Poster 242, “Herpes syringitis—A report of herpes simplex infection in a burn victim.” His coauthors were Drs.Cangelosi, Brent Kelly and Ramon Sanchez. Dr. Matherne was also the first author on Poster 296, “Familial Diffuse Sebaceous Gland Hyperplasia.” His coauthors on this poster were Drs. Cangelosi, B. Kelly and R. Sanchez.

Drs. Cangelosi and Ryan Matherne gave Poster 328, “Idiopathic calcinosis cutis of the penis,” along with UTMB faculty Dr. Brent Kelly.

Dr. Matthew Petitt participated in the resident dermatopathology abstract competition with his presentation of, “Intravascular large B cell lymphoma mimicking cutaneous scleroderma.” His coauthors on this research were Drs. Brent Kelly and Berlingeri-ramos.

Dr. Anthony Perri on Second Magazine Cover this Year

The latest issue of Dock Line (Lake Conroe Edition) features a photo of Dr. Perri, a UTMB Dermatology Alum, with his dermatology staff and an article on pages 8-11 of the October 2010 issue.

18th Annual John M. Knox Lecture

The Houston Dermatological Society is holding its 18th Annual John M. Knox Lecture on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at UTMB in the 5th Floor UHC Building at 8 am (registration). Patient viewing will be from 8:30-9:30 am and patient discussion will follow at 10 am in the Clinical Science Auditorium. The featured speaker this year is Dr. Bruce Thiers, the Chair of Dermatology at the University of South Carolina and the Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). Dr. Thiers is scheduled to give a lecture entitled, “Best of JAAD” at 11:15 until noon.

Why won’t dermatology program directors write back, return my phone calls and seem to be avoiding me after my interview?

A recent article (October 2010) in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) from the University of Florida and Stanford (Sbicca JA, Gorell ES, Kanzler MH, Lane AT. The integrity of the dermatology National Resident Matching Program: Results of a national study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010;63:594-601) advised that no post interview contact by “…program directors or other program personnel…” take place because it is considered “…undue pressure…” on applicants. The authors also advise that second visits to dermatology programs by applicants should not be allowed, because “…second visits would require post-interview contact by program directors or other program personnel…” These rules could prove to be a major challenge for students who have applied to their home program. What if your program director is also your faculty advisor? The JAAD may be interested in hearing timely responses and concerns from readers and other stakeholders in the NRMP about the value and practicality of these recent recommendations.

G-Town in the News

Sadly, there have been two negative reports recently about Galveston.

Earlier this year, Galveston found itself on the list of 10 dying cities the U.S: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/110479/americas-10-dying-cities-from-detroit-to-new-orleans. Hurricane Ike (2008) resulted in Galveston’s decreased population, but much of Galveston has already been rebuilt and is recovering. Summer tourism has recovered nicely.

Today the Galveston Daily News reported that in 2008 one neighborhood in Galveston was among the top 25 dangerous areas nationally: http://galvestondailynews.com/story/181342. However, following Hurricane Ike, crime in Galveston is down.

And according to one website, Galveston is haunted as well: http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/toptenhaunted/toptenhauntedcities/

Don’t believe everything you read!

10 Years in a Row!

Congratulations to Drs. Cameron Coury, Julie Fridlington and Ryan Matherne for passing the certification examination given by the American Board of Dermatology on their first attempt! Their success marks ten years of all of UTMB’s completing dermatology residents passing their boards the first time they took them! Dr. Coury is now in private dermatology practice (Richardson, Texas) as is Dr. Fridlington (Austin, Texas). Dr. Matherne is one of the current UTMB dermatopathology fellows and also on the UTMB dermatology faculty.

This Thursday - Meet the PGY-2 Dermatology Residents!

We are very excited to have Drs. Mara Dacso, Leslie Scroggins, and Julie Martin as our special guests this Thursday, October 7th,  at 6:00 PM in the Dermatology Conference Room (McCullough 4.112)! Come find out a little bit about who they are and how they got to where they currently are. Everyone is welcome to attend!

More Dermatology Programs Requesting Secondary Materials from Applicants

Several dermatology programs are now requesting supplemental materials from applicants in addition to the universal ERAS application. Given the deep academic talent in the current pool of dermatology applicants and the widespread strategy employed by applicants of applying to almost every training program, it is understandable why some programs are especially interested in understanding why an applicant may be interested in their particular residency. Some programs have unique training environments and specific institutional goals, and may be looking for the “best fit” with applicants. Although such secondary requests are still the exception, it is possible that more programs may soon ask for additional materials as well and use this information as another tool to select applicants for an interview. UTMB does not currently request supplemental information from its dermatology applicants.

206 Dermatology Residency Applicants

206 dermatology residency applicants have already submitted their complete ERAS dermatology applications for three NRMP Categorical dermatology positions. However, at UTMB, dermatology residency applications are not reviewed until the November 1st deadline.

More UTMB Branding News

From youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnYcR9ca6Ow

Don’t Worry

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 28, the UTMB Police Department will conduct a training exercise involving a simulated shooting incident in the Jamail Student Center. The building will be closed to all students, staff and personnel not involved with the exercise from 2 to 6 p.m. that day. This is a training exercise only and will not be a real emergency situation. Many other emergency agencies, including the Galveston Fire Department and Galveston EMS, will be included in the exercise.

Learning from Zombies

Dr. Steven C. Schlozman, a visiting lecturer from Harvard Medical School, will be speaking on Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 at 5:30 pm in Levin Hall. Halloween costumes are optional, but there will be prizes for the best in three categories (medical, traditional and humorous). While the focus of this lecture is on the neurologic and behavioral abnormalities of zombies, this material is also expected to be of interest to dermatologists because zombies are rarely known to have normal skin.

DIG@UTMB reaches a record number of subscribers!

The editors of the DIG@UTMB blog are happy to announce that we have reached over 125 blog subscribers. Our subscribers include current and former UTMB dermatologists, residents, and medical students, residents and practicing physicians from other institutions, as well as non-medical subscribers interested in Dermatology. If you know anyone else that is interested in Dermatology, please spread the word!

We would like to thank everyone for their continued interest and support.

If you would like to subscribe to our e-mail list, or if you have any suggestions or comments, please contact us at utmbdig@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
UTMB DIG 2010-2011 Officers

DIG@UTMB has a new look!

We've redesigned the look and feel of our blog. From the burnt orange flare to the new RSS feed, easy search feature, social sharing tools, and a little bit of UTMB history, we hope that the DIG@UTMB blog will be even more user friendly and evident of our UTMB pride!

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Contact us at utmbdig@gmail.com, or share our posts on facebook or twitter using the icons below.

JAMA Publishes Demographic Information about Dermatology Residents

As of December 2009, there were 112 ACGME dermatology residency programs with 1080 residents. There were 687 women in this group. 1024 had graduated from US medical schools, 15 from osteopathic schools, and 40 from international medical schools (page 1256). This information was extracted from the September 15, 2010 issue of JAMA (“Graduate Medical Education, 2009-2010,” Volume 304, pages 1255-1270). 764 dermatology residents were White, 203 were Asian, 62 were Hispanic and 57 were Black (page 1265).

Good Source for Dermatology Information

DIG members may be interested in the link for The American Board of Dermatology, Inc. public website (http://www.abderm.org/), especially the “Newsletter” section. Did you know that for the last academic year, there were 445 PGY2 dermatology residency positions filled?

Third MS4 Dermatology Honors Research Thesis Approved for SOM Class of 2011

Congratulations to Melissa Efron, the UTMB DIG Austin Campus President, on the UTMB Honors Research Committee’s approval of her proposal entitled, “Dermal Scatter Reduction in Human Skin as a Method to Increase Efficacy of Laser Tattoo Removal.” Ms. Efron’s dermatology faculty advisor on this research is Dr. Dayna Diven, the UT-Southwestern-Austin Dermatology Program Director and expert on laser applications in dermatology. Her ad hoc thesis committee members, in addition to Dr. Diven, are from UTMB (Drs. Simon Lewis, Sharon Raimer, and Richard Wagner).

PGY3 UTMB Dermatology Residents Win Gold Medals

Congratulations to Drs. Ashley Group and Nate Davis for their gold medal wins over the weekend at the 2nd Annual Galveston Rebirth Races! This race commemorates Galveston’s Rebirth following Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Dr. Julie Fridlington Featured in UTMB Medical School Applicant Materials

Dr. Julie Fridlington (third from the left), a June 2010 graduate from the UTMB Dermatology Residency Program now practicing in Austin, is featured in UTMB Medical School Applicant materials that are given to premedical students visiting our campus for their medical school interviews. It was great seeing you again!

Dr. Ryan Matherne Accepts UTMB Dermatology Faculty Position

Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Matherne, one of the current UTMB Dermatopathology Fellows. He accepted a Department of Dermatology faculty appointment and held his first UTMB dermatology clinic since completing the UTMB dermatology residency in June 2010. We all look forward to interacting with you in the clinic and behind the microscope!

UTMB Increases House Staff Paycheck in October 2010

Learn more about Hurricane Ike (2008) through Film

Ball High School’s acclaimed film, “Ike: The Documentary” will be shown at the Grand 1894 Opera House (2020 Postoffice Street) on Monday, September 13 at 7 pm. This showing is free to the public, and commemorates the 2nd year anniversary of Hurricane Ike.

Do I Need 250 or more on Step 1 and AOA to Match in Dermatology?

No, but obviously it helps to be a superstar student with high Step 1 scores and with grades/leadership skills that have been recognized by your medical school (AOA). Those stats will certainly be rewarded by lots of interview opportunities. However, since 50% of dermatology positions go to medical students who are not in AOA, there is still a good chance of matching if you are able to distinguish your application with excellent letters of support by faculty who know you well, and you can demonstrate that you have success in research, especially if it is dermatology related. Advanced research degrees may also be of help here, but they are not required. It is usually more important that you are able to demonstrate academic productivity through publications than having the degree itself. Of course it may take several years of work to produce a curriculum vitae that will excite the academic dermatology community. Another unique statistic of the NRMP for dermatology is that at least 10% of available dermatology positions go to those who are not MS4s. This represents the group of applicants who are in their PGY1 year when applying, in dermatology fellowships, or those who either are completing or have completed residencies/fellowships in other specialties. In many instances, this applicant pool has substantial dermatology research experience or a highly sought skill-set such as dermatopathology board certification. The good news is that dermatology programs are still very open minded about the residency selection process, and want the best applicants that they can find for the specialty.

First Year Dermatology Resident on NIH R21 Grant

The DIG congratulates PGY2 dermatology resident Dr. Mara Dacso for her collaboration on Buruli Ulcer that focuses on early diagnosis through signal processing technology. The proposal was ranked in the 6th percentile for funding.

Second Dermatology Research Honors Project Approved for SOM Class of 2011

Congratulations go out to MS4 Kehinde Ogunmakin for her Dermatology Research Honors Project entitled, “Co-morbid psychiatric dysfunction in patients with keloids using GHQ-12: a comparison to patients with psoriasis.” Her ad hoc Honors Committee faculty members are Drs. Erica Kelly (Advisor), Simon Lewis, Sharon Raimer and Richard Wagner. We are all looking forward to your thesis presentation later this academic year!

9-2 DIG Meeting Recap

We had a great turn out at yesterday's meeting! DIG would like to thank Dr. Wagner for his very informative talk about getting into a Dermatology residency and the UTMB Dermatology Residency program. Below is a summary of the items Dr. Wagner discussed, followed by a meeting summary.

Summary of Dr. Wagner's Talk:
1.) UTMB is the only school that offers and Acting Internship in Dermatology! The AI is offered the first 5 periods of 4th year, and is a really good way to get to know the Dermatology faculty and residents in addition to getting exposure to Dermatology.

2.) The UTMB Department of Dermatology has a wide variety of electives, ranging from Clinical Dermatology and Research, to Dermatopathology and Dermatology in the Cinema.

3.) Dermatology is an extremely competitive field. 4th year students who match into dermatology often have many publications, research experiences, volunteer activities, superior USMLE Step 1 scores, and 50% belong to the AOA Medical Honor Society. If you don't match the first year, work on getting things published during your intern year, then reapply. Don't give up! It is very possible to match into Dermatology the second or third time around.

4.) Consider participating in the Honors Research Program in Dermatology. The official deadline for the Honors Proposal is 12/31 of the third year, but extensions may be possible with permission from Dr. Simon Lewis.

5.) The UTMB School of Medicine allows you to participate in a 6-8 week summer research elective between 1st and 2nd year. This is a good way to gain a research mentor, compete for various research awards, and perhaps even the opportunity to get published.

6.) PA students can rotate through the Dermatology clinic too!

7.) 1st year medical students can sign up for a 4 week pre-clinical Dermatology preceptorship at the end of the year. There are only 4 spots, but you can volunteer at the clinic if you want exposure to Dermatology.

8.) St. Vincent's Free Health Clinic has a Dermatology night once per month with a UTMB Dermatology faculty member who supervises students. This is a good way to gain experience in Dermatology and serve the community.

9.) UTMB Dermatology is one of the few programs to offer a dermatologic surgery rotation to medical students, as well as telederm/prison derm to both students and residents.

10.) Remember, the Dermatology faculty are here to help!

UTMB DIG Meeting Summary:
1.) The UTMB DIG has a Facebook Group! Check it out: UTMB Dermatology Interest Group

2.) The UTMB DIG will be volunteering at the La Porte Health and Safety Fair on 9/25/2010 at La Porte Junior High, 9 – 1 PM

3.) Contact Melissa Efron (mfefron@utmb.edu), the UTMB DIG Austin President, for information on how to get involved with the UTMB DIG in Austin.

4.) The American Contact Dermatitis Society Meeting will be in Dallas, TX this year, October 14-16th. Contact Chelsea Altinger (cealting@utmb.edu) if you would like to attend.

5.) Upcoming meetings will include a "Meet the 1st year Derm Residents" session and a pig foot suturing session (this spring)

6.) DIG has openings for several committees, e-mail the officers to join or find out more information:

a.) Miles for Melanoma Committee - contact Auris (aohuen@utmb.edu) or Kenne (koogunma@utmb.edu)

b.) Stay Shady! (Sun Protection/Skin Cancer Awareness) Committee - contact Michaela (mrmarek@utmb.edu) or Kris (kbmccall@utmb.edu)

c.) Allied Health Outreach Committee - contact Lindsey (lihunter@utmb.edu)