News Highlights - June 9, 2026
Kudos
Albin Selected for National Leadership Role, Earns Top Nutrition Honor
Jaclyn Albin, M.D., an Associate Professor in the Division of Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency, and Founding Director of UT Southwestern’s Culinary Medicine Program, has been selected to serve as President of the American College of Culinary Medicine, a national organization focused on culinary medicine education, clinical care, and research.
She has also been named an honorary member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, one of the organization’s highest distinctions for non-dietitian leaders. She will be recognized during the Academy’s national meeting in October.
Earlier this year, Dr. Albin received the Bluebonnet Award from the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“These recognitions reflect growing momentum to better connect medicine and nutrition in patient care, education, and research,” Dr. Albin said. “I’m grateful to be part of an interprofessional community working to build those bridges.”
Last year, Dr. Albin was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to a four-year term on the newly formed Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee, which was established to develop nutritional guidelines for Texas residents. ■
Andrews Named to Texas Medical Association Infectious Diseases Committee
Hayden Andrews, M.D., an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Infectious Diseases.
In this role, Dr. Andrews will help monitor and report on local, state, and national infectious disease control programs in collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services. The committee also supports development of legislation advancing infectious disease prevention and response and provides education for physicians on the prevalence, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases.
Dr. Andrews specializes in prevention and treatment of HIV, general infectious diseases, and anal cancer screening. He leads the anal dysplasia clinic for Parkland HIV Services, part of Parkland Health, where he uses high-resolution anoscopy to identify and treat precancerous anal lesions. His research focuses on anal cancer screening in people with HIV and improving access to screening in under-resourced settings.
Dr. Andrews earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed internal medicine residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in infectious diseases through the combined Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital program in Boston.
Dr. Andrews joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2024. ■
Hill Earns AHA Distinguished Scientist Designation
Joseph Hill, M.D., Ph.D., a Professor in the Division of Cardiology and Director of the Moss Heart Center at UT Southwestern, has been elected a 2026 Distinguished Scientist by the American Heart Association (AHA), one of the organization’s highest honors recognizing extraordinary contributions to cardiovascular research.
The AHA Distinguished Scientist designation, established in 2003, is awarded to members whose work has advanced understanding, management, and treatment of cardiovascular and related diseases. Dr. Hill will be formally recognized at the AHA Scientific Sessions in November in Chicago.
Dr. Hill’s career reflects sustained leadership and impact across academic medicine and national professional organizations, including the AHA and the American College of Cardiology. His extensive body of work has helped define how structural, functional, metabolic, and electrophysiological remodeling occurs in the disease-stressed heart, shaping current approaches to cardiovascular science and care.
Earlier this year, Dr. Hill received the AHA Gold Heart Award, honoring his legacy of service, scholarship, and contributions to advancing cardiovascular medicine.
Dr. Hill joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2002 and has since built a distinguished career combining scientific discovery, mentorship, and institutional leadership. ■
Dr. Hill holds the Frank M. Ryburn Jr. Chair in Heart Research and the James T. Willerson, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Diseases.
Seven Faculty Selected for LEVEL Up Third Cohort
Seven faculty members from Internal Medicine have been selected for the third cohort to participate in LEVEL Up, an eight-session training program for faculty in mid-career leadership roles. Pictured above, clockwise from left:
- Daniel Addison, M.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology, Director of Translational Research in Cardiology, and Associate Director for Survivorship Outcomes Research in the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Moheb Boktor, M.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases and Associate Program Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship and Director of its Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) training track
- Thomas Dalton, M.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Interim Division Chief
- Won Lee, M.D., Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Medical Director of UT Southwestern's Clinical Center for Sleep and Breathing Disorders
- Katy Lonergan, M.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology and Medical Director of the Echocardiography Lab at Parkland Memorial Hospital
- Lisa VanWagner, M.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Director of Digestive and Liver Diseases Research, and Director of Internal Medicine's Clinical Scientist Training Program
- Vlad Zaha, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cardiology, Section Chief of Cardio-Oncology, and Medical Director of the Cardio-Oncology Center of Excellence within the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
The third cohort begins training in October. ■
Dr. Addison holds the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Chair in Cardiovascular Research.
Dr. Lee is a Distinguished Teaching Professor.
Research Report
Ektnitphong Earns Outstanding Paper Prize from British Journal
Victoria Ektnitphong, M.S., a research associate in the laboratory of Michael Shiloh, M.D., Ph.D., a Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, has received the 2025 Outstanding Paper prize in the category of Resources & Methods from Disease Models & Mechanisms, a peer-reviewed publication by The Company of Biologists, a nonprofit organization based in the United Kingdom.
Ms. Ektnitphong’s research centers on applying advanced animal and translational model systems to accelerate antimicrobial drug development, with a focus on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Her work integrates in vivo and in vitro approaches to study host-pathogen interactions and support preclinical evaluation of new therapies.
She joined the Shiloh laboratory in 2019, bringing deep expertise in tuberculosis models developed through prior work at Colorado State University’s Mycobacteria Research Laboratories. There, she contributed to studies advancing anti-tuberculosis compounds toward clinical evaluation, using murine systems that model distinct stages of infection, including acute, chronic, and necrotic disease. Her work included aerosol infection models, in vivo drug testing, and investigations of drug resistance mechanisms.
At UT Southwestern, she has helped lead development of a novel alveolus lung-on-a-chip platform designed to replicate key features of the human lung microenvironment, including air–liquid interface, mechanical stretch, and vascular flow. Using this system, she demonstrated that Mycobacterium fortuitum preferentially infects macrophages, with limited epithelial involvement, and identified early immune activation signatures through transcriptomic profiling.
The platform offers a physiologically relevant method to study early host responses to mycobacterial infection and has potential to accelerate therapeutic discovery. Ms. Ektnitphong’s ongoing work aims to extend the system to additional mycobacterial species, including M. tuberculosis. ■
Dr. Shiloh holds the James P. Luby, M.D. Professorship in Infectious Diseases.
Study Suggests Health Systems Underreport Social Determinants of Health
A new study led by Jessica I. Billig, M.D., M.Sc., finds that social factors affecting patients’ health are rarely documented in hand trauma surgery, even though use has increased slightly in recent years.
The study analyzed national Epic Cosmos data from 2015 through 2025, including more than 470,000 adults who underwent common hand trauma procedures. Researchers examined how often clinicians used ICD-10 Z codes, part of the International Classification of Diseases system, which allow providers to document social and economic factors such as housing instability, financial strain, and lack of social support.
Only 1.7% of patients had at least one documented Z code. Use rose from 0.4% in 2015 to 4.1% in 2025, but overall adoption remained low.
Patients with documented social needs differed from those without. They were more likely to be Black, to have higher social vulnerability, and to be insured through Medicaid or Medicare. For example, 19.0% of patients with documented social needs were Black compared with 12.2% of those without. About 42.0% had high social vulnerability, compared with 30.2% of patients without documented needs. Medicaid coverage was also more common, at 26.6% versus 15.4%.
The most commonly documented social factors were related to housing and economic challenges and to social support.
Patients with hand trauma are often more likely to face social and economic challenges that can affect recovery and access to care. Yet the study suggests these factors are still underrecognized in clinical records.
“Given that social determinants of health impact outcomes, our study highlights likely underuse of these codes in hand trauma patients,” Dr. Billig said. “The first step is measurement, so there needs to be a more consistent effort to document these factors and better address unmet needs.”
The findings point to a need for more consistent screening and documentation of social needs to better understand disparities and improve care for patients undergoing hand trauma surgery.
Other researchers from the Division of General Internal Medicine who contributed to the study included Assistant Professor Joseph H. Joo, M.D., M.S., and Professor Joshua M. Liao, M.D., M.Sc. ■
Eduction & Training
Cheema Earns Early Career Research Award at Preventive Cardiology Congress
Ameer (Haider) Cheema, M.D., a third-year Internal Medicine resident, has received an Early Career Research Award from the American Society of Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) at its Annual Congress. His project, “Statin Prescription Patterns After New Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis in Adults Aged 40-75,” was selected among the top three abstracts submitted to the meeting, recognizing the strength and impact of his research.
The ASPC Early Career Research Award recognizes top abstracts submitted by trainees and early-career clinicians, with finalists invited to present their work in a featured session at the Annual Congress.
“This recognition reflects the Department’s longstanding leadership in preventive cardiology,” Dr. Cheema said. “UT Southwestern has played a prominent role in the field through faculty such as Dr. Amit Khera, a past ASPC president, and continues to train physicians who advance research and clinical care in cardiovascular risk prevention.”
Following completion of his residency, Dr. Cheema will join the faculty in the Division of Hospital Medicine. ■
In Case You Missed It
UT Southwestern Celebrates Longtime Employees for Decades of Service
Twelve members of the Department are among those being honored this week for achieving significant career milestones. These include, pictured clockwise from upper left, Robert Toto, M.D., a Professor in the Division of Nephrology and Associate Dean of Translational Science, with 40 years of service; Eric Steen, M.D., a Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, with 35 years of service; Vera Campbell, C-TAGME, a GME Program Coordinator III in the Division of Cardiology; Jay Horton, M.D., a Professor in the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases and Director of the Center for Human Nutrition; Arnecia Robinson, a Senior Administrative Assistant II in the Division of Hospital Medicine; Mark Thompson, B.S., Assistant Director of Academic and Research Facilities; and Belinda Vicioso, M.D.,a Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine; each with 30 years of service; and new members of the Quarter Century Club (QCC), which recognizes 25 years of continuous service, James de Lemos, M.D., a Professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiology; Anwarul Ferdous, Ph.D., Lab Manager in the Harry S. Moss Heart Center; Temple Howell-Stampley, M.D., M.B.A., a Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies; Nan Jiang, M.S., a Senior Research Scientist in the Harry S. Moss Heart Center; and Darren McGuire, M.D.,a Professor in the Division of Cardiology. ■
Dr. Toto is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and holder of the Mary M. Conroy Professorship in Kidney Disease.
Dr. Horton holds the Distinguished University Chair in Human Nutrition, the Center for Human Nutrition Director’s Endowed Chair, and the Scott Grundy Director’s Chair.
Dr. Vicioso holds the Jose Garcia, M.D. Professorship in Internal Medicine.
Dr. de Lemos holds the Sweetheart Ball-Kern Wildenthal, M.D., Ph.D. Distinguished Chair in Cardiology.
Dr. Howell-Stampley holds the Cissy and W. Plack Carr, Jr. Professorship in Medical Education and the P. Eugene Jones, Ph.D., PA-C Professorship in Physician Assistant Studies.
Dr. McGuire is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and holder of the Jere H. Mitchell, M.D. Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Science.