Focused on Improving Health and Moving Forward
As the pandemic enters its third year, the UT Southwestern commitment to solving the challenges of COVID-19 continues alongside ongoing research and medical innovation in numerous other areas. It is gratifying to witness the many exciting breakthroughs taking place at UTSW, and I appreciate your ongoing support, which makes these efforts possible.
Last November, a groundbreaking for the Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building ushered in a new era for biomedical research and technology in North Texas. This facility, a joint effort of UTSW and UT Dallas, will also serve as the home of a new Department of Biomedical Engineering at UT Southwestern. Leading the Department is Samuel Achilefu, Ph.D., who joined UT Southwestern Feb. 1 from the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His research interests include nanotechnology and image-guided cancer surgery. You can read more about the potential of this collaboration, the new Department, and Dr. Achilefu in this issue of Pathways. Generous gifts from Texas Instruments, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, the Hillcrest Foundation, and Sara and David Martineau have led the way in making this project a reality.
Another major initiative underway is the planning and design of a new state psychiatric hospital in Dallas, which UT Southwestern was asked to lead at the request of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Last year, the Texas Legislature appropriated more than $282 million for the project, which will bring the first state-funded psychiatric hospital to Dallas-Fort Worth. When completed, as early as 2025, UT Southwestern will also operate the hospital, which will expand opportunities to advance research into the causes of mental illnesses, improve treatments, expand the mental health workforce, and fill a critical need for inpatient mental health care in our region.
In education, UT Southwestern remains focused on strengthening its commitment to diversity and inclusion, with one of the latest efforts involving the launch of a Postbaccalaureate to Ph.D. Program to help prepare students from underrepresented communities pursue doctorates in biomedical science. This project is being supported by the Communities Foundation of Texas, a longtime advocate of our work.
I hope you will find that these stories and others reinforce your support of and dedication to the educational, clinical, and investigative efforts here at UT Southwestern. We are grateful for your steadfastness as we navigate these challenging times and continue to move forward in our mission.
