News Highlights - October 20, 2026
Kudos
Elmquist to Receive APS Distinguished Lectureship Award
Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Research, has been named the recipient of the 2027 Solomon A. Berson Distinguished Lectureship from the American Physiological Society (APS) Endocrinology & Metabolism Section. Founded in 1887, APS is among the oldest and most influential scientific organizations dedicated to physiology research, education, and scientific exchange.
Presented annually to an established investigator who has made major and meritorious contributions to the field of endocrinology and metabolism, the lectureship is among the section’s highest honors. The award recognizes Dr. Elmquist’s influential contributions to understanding the neural and hormonal mechanisms that regulate body weight, appetite, energy balance, and metabolism.
“This recognition is a great honor,” Dr. Elmquist said. “I have been fortunate to work with outstanding colleagues and trainees throughout my career, and I am humbled to join the distinguished scientists who have previously received this award.”
The award is named for Solomon A. Berson, M.D., a pioneering physician-scientist whose work in endocrinology and diabetes research helped lay the foundation for modern diagnostic testing and transformed clinical physiology.
As the recipient, Dr. Elmquist will deliver the Solomon A. Berson Award Lecture at the 2027 American Physiology Summit in Denver next April. Organized by the APS, the summit is the society’s flagship annual scientific meeting.
Dr. Elmquist’s selection marks the second consecutive year a UT Southwestern investigator has received the honor. Philipp Scherer, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Touchstone Diabetes Center, received the honor in 2026, underscoring the institution’s leadership in metabolism, obesity, diabetes, and endocrine research. The inaugural recipient, in 1994, was Jean Wilson, M.D., the first director of UT Southwestern’s Medical Scientist Training Program. ■
Dr. Elmquist holds the Carl H. Westcott Distinguished Chair in Medical Research; the J.D. and Maggie E. Wilson Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Research; and the Maclin Family Distinguished Professorship in Medical Science, in Honor of Dr. Roy A. Binkley. Dr. Scherer holds the Gifford O. Touchstone, Jr. and Randolph G. Touchstone Distinguished Chair in Diabetes Research, and the Touchstone/West Distinguished Chair in Diabetes Research.
Onukwuli Selected for National Leadership Development Program
Cassidy Onukwuli, M.D., an Assistant Professor in the Division of Nephrology, has been selected by the American Society of Nephrology to participate in Fostering Innovative Leaders in Nephrology and Dialysis (FIND), a competitive leadership development program for early-career kidney health professionals.
FIND combines didactic instruction, experiential learning, and leadership development to prepare future leaders in nephrology and dialysis care. The program aims to advance kidney health through innovation, improvements in clinical care, and advocacy for policies that enhance outcomes and experiences for people living with kidney disease.
Dr. Onukwuli was chosen from a national pool of applicants for the prestigious program, which is supported through a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
“We are very grateful to the American Society of Nephrology for creating this program and for the selection of Dr. Onukwuli,” said Miguel Vazquez, M.D., Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Nephrology. “We are confident that FIND will be a valuable resource as Dr. Onukwuli continues her professional development as a faculty member committed to providing care for patients with kidney disease.” ■
Williams to Chair Neuroscience Track at ObesityWeek 2026
Kevin Williams, Ph.D., a Professor in the Center for Hypothalamic Research, is serving as Chair of the Neuroscience track for ObesityWeek 2026, The Obesity Society’s 44th annual meeting, Nov. 14-17 in Washington, D.C. The international meeting brings together researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, and policy leaders to share advances across basic, translational, and clinical obesity research.
As Track Chair, Dr. Williams has helped develop a scientific program highlighting recent discoveries in how the brain regulates metabolism, eating behavior, and body weight. He said recent identification of neural circuits and signals involved in metabolism and food intake is changing scientists’ understanding of obesity and could ultimately inform its treatment.
The Neuroscience Track features sessions examining the gut-brain axis, developmental influences on obesity, the neurobiology of eating behavior, melanocortin signaling, and differences in patient response to incretin-based therapies.
“The hope is that the Neuroscience track programming and other sessions at ObesityWeek can help us put the pieces together,” Dr. Williams said. He emphasized the importance of bringing basic scientists and clinicians together to discuss new findings, challenge existing ideas, and develop collaborations that advance our understanding and treatment of obesity. ■
Clinical Practice
Team Completes Eight Lung Transplants in 11 Days
The UT Southwestern Lung Transplant team performed eight double-lung transplants in 11 days, an extraordinary milestone that reflects both the generosity of organ donors and the expertise required to carry out one of medicine’s most complex procedures. For each transplant, a donor and family made the decision to give others a chance at life during a time of profound loss.
The achievement highlights the experience of a program that has performed more than 1,200 lung transplants, making it the largest lung transplant program in North Texas and the second largest in Texas. UT Southwestern consistently ranks among the nation’s leading lung transplant centers and is recognized for treating patients with advanced pulmonary diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and other conditions that can lead to end-stage lung failure.
The accomplishment is notable because lung transplantation demands extraordinary coordination and timing. Donor lungs must be evaluated, transported, and transplanted within a limited timeframe, while specialized teams prepare recipients and manage their care before, during, and after surgery. Successfully performing eight transplants in 11 days reflects the experience and capacity of a program equipped to handle a sustained volume of complex cases.
“Eight double-lung transplants in 11 days is a remarkable accomplishment for any transplant program,” said Fernando Torres, M.D., a Professor and Clinical Chief in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. “It reflects the dedication of our multidisciplinary team and our ability to coordinate every aspect of the transplant process, from donor organ evaluation to surgery and postoperative care. Most important, it represents eight lives changed through the generosity of eight donor families.” ■
Research Report
Research Identifies Potential Biomarkers for Tuberculosis in Children With HIV
A study led by Lenette Lu, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, identified a blood-based immune signature that may help detect tuberculosis (TB) in children living with HIV, a group at particularly high risk for severe disease and poor outcomes. The findings, published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, showed that Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antibody functions involving IgA and Fc receptors were associated with active TB disease and declined as children responded to treatment.
The study’s co-first authors were Ye jin Kang, M.D., Clinical Fellow in Pediatric Pulmonology; Pei Lu, Ph.D., Research Associate in the Lu laboratory; and Amyn A. Malik, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health.
The researchers analyzed blood samples from Kenyan children with HIV using advanced antibody profiling and machine-learning approaches. From 156 antibody characteristics examined, they identified six immune features that distinguished children with TB from those without the disease and tracked with treatment response. The combined signature predicted active TB with accuracy comparable to several existing host-based biomarkers.
“Because diagnosing TB in children is particularly challenging with current microbiological and imaging tools, the findings suggest that measuring antibody functions could complement existing tests and help identify children who would benefit from earlier treatment,” Dr. Lu said. “The study also advances understanding of how the immune system responds to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in children living with HIV.” ■
Study Points to New Target for Preventing Chronic Kidney Disease
A new study in Science Translational Medicine led by Marie Christelle Saade, M.D., a Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) participant in the laboratory of Samir M. Parikh, M.D., Professor and Chair, identifies quinolinic acid as a potential driver of kidney damage and the progression from acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD).
AKI affects millions of patients worldwide each year and is a major risk factor for developing CKD, but the biological mechanisms underlying that transition remain unclear. In a series of experiments involving mouse models and human patient samples, Dr. Saade and colleagues found that quinolinic acid, a metabolite produced during the breakdown of tryptophan, accumulates after kidney injury and appears to worsen kidney function, inflammation, and fibrosis.
The researchers showed that increasing quinolinic acid levels aggravated kidney injury, while genetic approaches that reduced its production protected against both acute and chronic kidney damage in animal models. Analyses of kidney biopsies from patients with AKI revealed quinolinic acid accumulation in injured regions of the kidney, and children with CKD had higher urinary levels of the metabolite than healthy controls.
“Our findings identify quinolinic acid as a potential contributor to the progression of kidney injury and suggest that preventing its accumulation may help protect the kidney from long-term damage,” Dr. Saade said. “We hope this work will lead to new approaches to slow or prevent the transition from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease.”
The study adds to a growing body of research from the Parikh laboratory examining how metabolic changes influence kidney injury and recovery. By identifying quinolinic acid as a potential contributor to disease progression, the findings provide a foundation for future studies aimed at improving outcomes after acute kidney injury. ■
Dr. Parikh holds the Donald W. Seldin Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine and the Ruth W. and Milton P. Levy, Sr. Chair in Molecular Nephrology.
Geriatrics Researchers Participate in Multicenter Trial Addressing Care Planning and Health Equity
Three members of the Division of Geriatric Medicine contributed to a multicenter clinical trial published in JAMA that examined approaches to advance care planning among Black and White older adults with serious illness. The EQUAL ACP randomized trial enrolled 789 participants across sites in the southern United States and found that both facilitated and self-guided approaches led to high rates of advance care planning, supporting efforts to improve access to patient-centered serious illness care.
UT Southwestern was one of the participating study sites. The local team included Ramona Rhodes, M.D., Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and the study’s initial site principal investigator; Anupama Gangavati, M.D., Associate Professor in the Division and Director of Home Health Services, who later assumed the site PI role; and Sherone Williams-Bryant, B.A., Research Study Coordinator in the Division. All three were co-authors on the publication.
The study addressed longstanding disparities in advance care planning and serious illness care and demonstrated that structured outreach, including support from trained lay facilitators, can successfully engage diverse groups of older adults in conversations about future medical decision-making.
“This publication highlights our division’s involvement in impactful, multicenter, patient-centered research addressing health disparities and improving care for older adults,” said Dr. Gangavati. “The study was also accompanied by an invited JAMA editorial, further emphasizing its clinical relevance.” ■
Addison, Hu Co-Author National Atrial Fibrillation Quality Measures
Daniel Addison, M.D., an Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology and its Director of Translational Research, and Associate Director for Survivorship Outcomes Research in the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center,and Gene Hu, M.D., a clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellow, are among the authors of a new American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology report establishing updated clinical performance and quality measures for the care of patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common sustained heart rhythm disorder.
Published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the report outlines five performance measures and 16 quality measures designed to help clinicians and health systems deliver evidence-based, equitable care for patients with atrial fibrillation. The measures emphasize comprehensive evaluation of newly diagnosed patients, stroke-risk assessment, appropriate use of anticoagulation, lifestyle and risk-factor management, rhythm-control strategies, catheter ablation, and reducing disparities in care.
The writing committee developed the measures from recommendations in the 2023 ACC/AHA guideline for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation.
“Atrial fibrillation affects more than 10 million U.S. adults and is associated with increased risks of stroke, heart failure, mortality, and substantial healthcare costs,” Dr. Addison said. “The updated measures are intended to help translate scientific evidence into clinical practice and improve the quality and equity of care for patients with the condition.” ■
Study Examines AI Software Use Among Commercially Insured Patients
A new study led by Arthur Hong, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, found that county-funded indigent care programs provide an important source of health coverage for low-income Texans who are ineligible for Medicaid, but access to services varies widely across the state.
Published in Health Affairs Scholar, the study examined indigent care programs in all 254 Texas counties. The researchers found that while these programs can help uninsured residents access medical care, eligibility requirements, covered services, and public reporting differed substantially from county to county. Only 39 counties offered income eligibility at or above 138% of the federal poverty level, and just five counties met the study’s criteria for broad eligibility and comprehensive services. All five were located in metropolitan areas.
The analysis also identified gaps in program oversight and transparency. More than half of Texas counties had not submitted required annual reports, and researchers found 19 counties whose programs appeared inconsistent with at least one state requirement, including income eligibility standards or mandated benefits.
According to the authors, county indigent care programs represent an often-overlooked part of the health care safety net, particularly for people excluded from Medicaid because of income or immigration-related restrictions. The findings suggest that stronger state reporting requirements and oversight could help improve access to care and reduce geographic disparities, especially in rural areas. ■
Education & Training
NHLBI-Funded Program Offers Dedicated Research Time During Residency
Residents interested in pursuing a career in cardiovascular, pulmonary, or hematology research may apply for the University of Texas - Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (NHLBI R38) Resident Research Training in Heart, Lung, and Blood Disorders program, which provides protected research time, mentorship, and career development support during residency. The program supports up to two Internal Medicine or Pediatrics residents each year who wish to spend one to two years conducting basic, translational, or clinical research related to heart, lung, or blood disorders.
Beginning July 1, 2027, participants will devote 80% effort to research while continuing limited clinical activities, additional research training, or coursework during the remaining 20% of their time. The program includes salary and fringe support, project and training funds, travel support, structured research education, professional development coaching, and mentorship from a faculty-led committee. Participants also have opportunities to network with research trainees and investigators across UT Southwestern.
Eligible applicants must be residents in good standing and meet NIH training grant eligibility requirements. Applications are due by Dec. 15, 2026, with selected residents beginning the program in July 2027. ■
Personnel Update
Taylor Appointed Division Administrator for Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Leah Taylor, B.A., has been appointed Division Operations Administrator for the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, after serving in that role for the Division of Nephrology since 2023.
Ms. Taylor brings more than 15 years of experience in academic medicine administration, with expertise spanning operations, research administration, budget management, faculty affairs, and organizational leadership. In her role with Nephrology, she oversaw administrative operations supporting the division's clinical, research, and educational missions and worked closely with leadership on strategic planning, financial oversight, faculty recruitment, and grant administration. She also led efforts to strengthen operational processes, improve financial management, and enhance the effectiveness of administrative teams.
Ms. Taylor joined UT Southwestern in 2008 as an Administrative Associate in the Department of Physiology, where she supported research laboratories and managed budgets, grant administration, and faculty onboarding activities. She later advanced to Senior Administrative Associate and then Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist in the Division of Nephrology before her appointment as Division Operations Administrator.
Ms. Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta and is currently pursuing an Executive M.B.A. degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. ■