President’s Gala establishes endowment in caregiving, honors Karen and Ronald Herrmann

Shared by

(From left) Rev. Dr. Robert F. Fuller, invocator, First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, Morgan Fuller, Ronald and Karen Herrmann, President’s Gala 2019 honorees, Mary Henrich and William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, president.

View the Gala video

View and download Gala photos

UT Health San Antonio honored philanthropists Karen and Ronald Herrmann at the annual President’s Gala on Sept. 21.

A record attendance of 1,800 guests, including more than 700 UT Health San Antonio students, helped raise over $500,000 to establish the Karen and Ronald Herrmann Endowment for Research to Advance Excellence in Caregiving.

This endowment will support innovative research to develop and test new models of care, clinical trials, intervention delivery and emerging technologies to address the needs of diverse caregiving families in South Texas.

Karen and Ronald Herrmann pose with Dr. Eileen Breslin, dean, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing.

The gala also marked the 50th anniversary of the School of Nursing at UT Health San Antonio and its continued service to the South Texas community.

In a surprise announcement, UT Health San Antonio President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, told the crowd that the Herrmanns have given $1 million to establish in the School of Nursing the Karen and Ronald Herrmann Distinguished Chair in Caregiver Research.

“This exceptional generosity will forever be a notable milestone in the school’s history and will catalyze needed research on how best to support those who will serve as caregivers in the future,” Dr. Henrich said.

Dr. Henrich praised the Herrmanns for their passion and community service.

“Each of them has left an indelible mark on the thousands of people who know and love them and the numerous organizations, in San Antonio, Texas and our nation, for which they have served as volunteers and generous supporters,” he said. “Their passion and longstanding support have extended to a wide range of organizations whose missions include education, health, arts, wildlife conservation and historical preservation. We at UT Health San Antonio are very proud and extremely honored to have been beneficiaries of not only their treasure, but of their time and friendship.”

Baylor graduate Karen Herrmann has served on the School of Nursing’s Advisory Council and is a member of the board of governors of the Mays Cancer Center, among many other volunteer and philanthropic endeavors.

Ronald Herrmann, a St. Mary’s University undergraduate and law school graduate, “has committed himself to countless professional, civic and charitable organizations over his lifetime,” Dr. Henrich said. He is “an active conservationist, bird hunter, fishing enthusiast, outdoorsman, historian and world traveler.”

Dr. Henrich also recognized and praised faculty and alumni of the School of Nursing.

“Thank God for our School of Nursing and all nurses everywhere who serve, along with all caregivers, the missions of care, education and research,” he said.

—

Excerpts from Dr. Henrich’s address:

“The Herrmann endowment—Endowment for Research to Advance Excellence in Caregiving—that we establish tonight focuses on the underappreciated topic of caregiving, as we aim to find ways to be more resourceful, more creative and more appreciative of the people whose lives are devoted to others. Tonight, as we celebrate the founding of our decorated nursing school 50 years ago, we marry two natural companions: the science of caregiving to the nursing profession. After all, nursing and care are the key components in healing. Anyone who has been hospitalized knows that, in a hospital, a patient spends under an hour a day with physicians, but 23 hours with nurses.

“No one disputes the growing demand for caregivers and caregiving. But, you might ask, what characteristics define the very essence of the best care? What is it that cements the bond between patient and caregiver and then propels both participants to triumph over debilitating illness, depression and anxiety? My answer is that at the core of the best care is human kindness, itself animated by empathy and by love.

“Kindness is evident and effective in many forms – a simple touch, a smile, maybe a kind word. And it must be remembered that nurses and all health professionals who provide such care take an inviolable and sacred oath to render care to everyone, to abide by the precept that each human life is precious.

“We would be wise to follow the vocation that nursing teaches and become caregivers ourselves—and in doing this we must remember also to be caregivers to all.  Because everyone counts. Everyone matters. There are no exceptions.

“The following video offers three short examples of human kindness in action, as it pays tribute to the profession, the calling, that is nursing.”

View the video

We extend heartfelt thanks to the cast members in our 2019 UT Health San Antonio President’s Gala video:

Irene Sandate, DNP, RN, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing Classes of 1995 (MSN) and 2018 (DNP)

Monica Tellez, RN, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing Class of 2017 (BSN)

Carole White, Ph.D., RN, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, Professor, Nancy Smith Hurd Chair in Geriatric Nursing and Aging Studies

Kiki and Michael Foster, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing Caring for the Caregiver Stakeholder Alliance Council

Natasha Bakunda, RN, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing Long Scholar, MSN candidate, Class of 2020

Executive order is chance to expand kidney donation, JAMA article says

Shared by

Members of the University Transplant Center, a clinical partnership of UT Health San Antonio and University Health System, authored a viewpoint piece published Sept. 20 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the article, Elizabeth Thomas, D.O., Jennifer Milton, RN, M.B.A., and Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., discussed the Advancing American Kidney Health Executive Order signed in July by President Donald Trump. They deem it an important opportunity to enhance organ donation.

Elizabeth Thomas, D.O., left, and Jennifer Milton, RN, M.B.A., of the University Transplant Center

“The executive order must be recognized for opening the conversation surrounding the burden of kidney disease in the United States, establishing policies to decrease the incidence of kidney failure, and improving the quality of life through research and more effective strategies,” the authors wrote. “But the order should also be used as an important opportunity to improve living donor support and expansion, and to maximize deceased donor organs.”

Encouraging living donors

Living donors who give a kidney to a family member or other person with end-stage kidney disease often spare the recipient from requiring dialysis, which is estimated to cost health care systems $89,000 per patient per year once dialysis has begun, the authors wrote. Living donor kidney transplants also lead to better outcomes, with five- and 10-year kidney graft survival rates exceeding those of patients who receive kidneys from diseased donors.

Campaigns to educate the public about the importance and safety of living kidney donation are needed for donation rates to improve, the authors wrote. The executive order tackles financial burdens many living donors face such as lost wages, travel costs and other expenses, but the authors highlighted the need to also ensure living donors have adequate insurance coverage for any medical needs after donation.

“The need to better support living donors is important not only to reduce the burden of end-stage organ failure, but also from the obligation of the community to support those generous individuals willing to be donors,” the authors wrote. “Their gift is a sacrifice that deserves gratitude.”

Maximizing deceased-donor organs

Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., director of the University Transplant Center, speaks at the recent opening of the Laredo transplant clinic.

The executive order “introduces strategies to improve the use of organs from deceased donors, but more can be done,” the authors said. Expanding the number of people who opt in to become registered donors at the time of their death should be the subject of educational campaigns and even encouragement of registration via smartphone apps, the authors wrote.

Measures should be taken to increase transplants from deceased donors by better utilization of allocated kidneys, including high KDPI kidneys or from donors designated as increased risk by the U.S. Public Health Service, the authors wrote. KDPI, short for kidney donor profile index, is a summary of the risk of kidney graft failure based on multiple donor factors.

To reduce the number of unused organs, transplantation programs would benefit from access to high-quality biopsies to rapidly evaluate the organs. In addition, the authors wrote, “Physicians and patients should understand that the benefits of good organ function far outweigh the risks of infection in the majority of cases.”

# # #

Stay connected with UT Health San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, now called UT Health San Antonio®, is one of the country’s leading health sciences universities. With missions of teaching, research, healing and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced 36,500 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.

Spirit Week: It’s coming!

Shared by

What we do every day is nothing short of incredible. At UT Health San Antonio, a team of faculty, staff, students and residents inspires each other to achieve our shared goal of a healthier tomorrow. We’re dedicating a week to celebrate the people whose passion drives our progress in transforming education, research and patient care. Learn more about Spirit Week, including the schedule of events, here.

People. Passion. Progress.
Oct. 7-11

The man behind the alarms

Shared by

UT Health San Antonio Physical Safety Manager Carl Wellington
Carl Wellington, UT Health San Antonio Physical Safety Manager

For most of us, the flashing lights and piercing sound of fire alarms ringing means it’s time to get up from our workstation, make our way to the nearest exit and wait for the “all clear.” For UT Health San Antonio Physical Safety Manager Carl Wellington, those alarms hold the opposite meaning – it’s time to work.  

Wellington, who emigrated to the United States from Trinidad, served 22 years in the United States Air Force, including four as a bioenvironmental engineering instructor. After his military service concluded in 2001, he transitioned to his role at UT Health San Antonio where he is tasked with implementing effective fire and life safety compliance programs, which includes testing the organization’s fire alarms. His other responsibilities in the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department include occupational environment evaluation and control, ergometry, emergency and evacuation preparedness, statuary codes compliance and construction plan review.  

UT Health San Antonio Physical Safety: Emmanuel Buabeng, Carl Wellington, and Marcos Chavez
UT Health San Antonio Physical Safety: Emmanuel Buabeng, Carl Wellington, and Marcos Chavez

 

“EHS’s strategic objectives are intrinsic to making lives better,” Wellington said. “Our physical safety division’s advanced readiness posture assures student, faculty, and staff well-being through precautionary services coupled with highly effective emergency response programs.”

Though a normal workday runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wellington and the rest of the EHS physical safety division are on call 24/7 and available to provide fire and life safety systems operations support, no matter the time of day.  

Wellington said his personal mission is “to get the job done correctly and to the best of my ability so students, faculty and staff can confidently make lives better in safe environments.” 

Wellington recounted his favorite story at UT Health San Antonio: an employee started a fire in a microwave while attempting to dry a piece of clothing. “That individual literally lost his pants,” he joked. The incident required the evacuation of an entire multi-story building.

He also praised his coworkers saying they “give full effort every day and I wish I could do more than thank them for their selfless support. My heartfelt advice to them is: feel pride in all you do, even when demand far exceeds what little energy you have left to give.” He went on to sum up his experience at UT Health San Antonio as an “invaluable and unparalleled learning opportunity.”  

Next time you see the lights flashing and hear those alarms ringing, remember the man on the other side, and how every part of the organization works together to make lives better, no matter their role. 

LINC seeking proposals for interprofessional projects

Shared by

The Office of Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration (LINC), within Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs, has released a request for proposals (RFP) from faculty to advance interprofessional education pilot projects at UT Health San Antonio. Grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 will be awarded, and submissions demonstrating interprofessional collaboration by two or more co-Principal Investigators from different schools will be prioritized.  Please see the RFP for more details, including deadlines for letters of intent and full applications.

View the RFP