NEWS OF THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER — VOL. 4 / NO. 5 — JUNE 2017 Bracing for MEASLES Is Texas poised for an outbreak? p. 18 TECO: POWERING THE TMC, p. 6 THOMAS STREET: A LEADER IN HIV/AIDS CARE, p. 15 MATERNAL MORTALITY IN TEXAS, p. 32 BARTLETT STREET LANDING $439,990 From the $370’s From the $740’s Museum District EaDo University Place MUSEUM TERRACE SKYLINE$479,900 $899,000 $464,900 ONMuseum INDIANA District Montrose Museum District SKYLINE ON INDIANA $945,000 From the $380’s $699,990 Montrose EaDo Montrose A FULL-SERVICE REAL ESTATE COMPANY 713-868-7226 UrbanLiving.com 5023 Washington Avenue TREC Broker #476135 An Equal Housing Lender. NMLS 70345 EXPERT JOINT REPLACEMENT ACCELERATES YOUR RECOVERY. At Houston Methodist Hospital, our Rapid Recovery program for joint replacement gets you back to your active lifestyle — faster. Personalized to your specifi c needs, this comprehensive approach: • Utilizes the latest pain control methods before, during and after surgery • Starts rehabilitation sooner to accelerate recovery • Gets you home quickly, often in one day To fi nd a joint doctor in your area, call 713.441.9000 or visit houstonmethodist.org/rapidrecovery to learn more. President’s Perspective TMC | PULSE Vol. 4 No. 5 June 2017 President and Chief Executive Officer William F. McKeon Vice President of Communications Christen Bagley Pulse Editor Maggie Galehouse [email protected] Digital News Editor Shea Connelly [email protected] Staff Writers Alexandra Becker Shanley Chien Christine Hall Britni N. Riley Mark Mulligan/© Houston Chronicle. Used with permission. with Used Chronicle. Houston Mark Mulligan/© Photojournalist Cody Duty WILLIAM F. McKEON President and Chief Executive Officer, Contributing Photographer Texas Medical Center Nick de la Torre ublic attitude toward certain diseases and conditions can be perplexing, as this month’s NEWSROOM Pcover story on measles suggests. Over the course of my own life, I have noticed this most 713-791-8812 acutely in regard to mental illness. While I have observed some progression of society’s under- [email protected] standing and support of mental illness, we’ve got a long way to go. During my formative years, mental illness carried a social stigma of shame. It was never dis- ADVERTISING cussed. I remember two classmates of mine who were clearly suffering from mental illness and Felicia Zbranek-Zeitman then suddenly disappeared from school, never to return. Treatment alternatives at the time were 713-791-8829 extremely crude, often involving isolation, heavy sedation and/or rudimentary shock therapy. [email protected] I often wonder if my classmates were ever able to recover and return to productive lives. Over the past decades, though, we have begun to address the stigma attached to mental DISTRIBUTION illness. Today, adolescents are certainly more open to seeking help and discussing mental Daniel Martinez health issues. While progress has been made in developing therapeutics that are more refined 713-791-6136 in addressing symptoms, the time spent and side-effects endured when finding the optimal [email protected] drug can be daunting. New technologies utilizing DNA sequencing and analysis, however, offer new hope in determining the ideal drug for each patient. READ US ONLINE Finally, legislation in recent years is attempting to bring parity to reimbursement for tmc.edu/news mental illness treatment to match that of physical illness. This is long overdue and an important step forward in addressing the multiple layers of shame and discrimination associated with FOLLOW US mental illness. @TXMedCenter There is no vaccine for depression, for bipolar disorder, for an eating disorder. Thousands @texasmedcenter of years ago, we understood the essential connection between our mental and physical health. @thetexasmedicalcenter Perhaps we need to look back to move forward. TMC Pulse is an award-winning monthly publication of the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Permission from the editor is required to reprint any material. 2 tmc» pulse | june 2017 Table of Contents june 2017 5 13 25 26 A Bath and For Mothers and Babies, My Favorite Patient Died Headaches You Can a Shower Safety First Because She Had a Set Your Clock To ................................. ................................. Pre-Existing Condition ................................. Experts offer summer food The March of Dimes Perinatal ................................. Researchers are studying the circa- safety tips. Safety Center launches. An essay by Dr. Tim Garson. dian rhythm of cluster headaches. 10 Spotlight: Denise Castillo-Rhodes 28 Solutions 29 Curated: Humanae (work in progress) 37 On the Side: Stacey Berg, M.D. 38 Field Notes 40 Calendar Madisson Somero at MD Anderson’s Prom Party Palooza. Story on page 30. on the cover: Exeldy Perez, a licensed vocational nurse at Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services, holds a single dose of the MMR II vaccine. tmc» pulse | june 2017 3 Houston’s Iconic Luxury High-Rise Mosaic on Hermann Park Apartments 5927 Almeda Rd. Houston, TX 77004 855-228-8025 www.LiveMosaicHouston.com [email protected] 4 tmc» pulse | june 2017 A Bath and a Shower Experts offer summer food safety tips By Britni N. Riley ummer means backyard barbecues and picnics Sin the park. But as temperatures rise in Houston, bacteria blooms in the summer foods we love. “As much fun as it is to cook during the sum- mertime, it is important to remember that food is a main way that disease can be spread,” said Richard When it comes to Bradley, M.D., professor of emergency medicine at preparing raw fish and McGovern Medical School at The University of meats, such as sushi or beef Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). carpaccio, using extra caution “The risk can be easily managed if we follow sound is the key to avoiding illness. steps to make sure that we maximize our safety.” “Any time you serve raw meat The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or fish, you are going to increase the risk of estimates that 48 million cases of foodborne illness, or foodborne illness,” Bradley said. “To manage that food poisoning, occur in the United States each year. The number one cause of risk, it is best to make sure the meat comes from a reli- These cases come in the form of well-known patho- foodborne infection in the U.S. able source ... Make sure it is prepared the exact way it gens, including salmonella, norovirus and E. coli, in at the present time is produce— is supposed to be prepared and minimize the amount addition to several caused by “unspecified agents”— of time it sits at room temperature.” a group of less understood bacteria that can cause spinach and lettuce. Both doctors also recommend taking extra severe stomach sickness. care when barbecuing anything from chicken to Bacteria on food grows faster in warmer tempera- — HERBERT L. DUPONT, M.D. cheeseburgers. tures, and the conditions under which most people Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at “There is an E. coli pathogen that produces a very cook and eat outdoors are not always favorable. So it’s UTHealth School of Public Health severe disease called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli— a double whammy. and that is found in beef,” DuPont said. “When you Herbert L. DuPont, M.D., director of the Center Because of this, DuPont recommends giving grind up the beef, you’re putting the surface of the beef for Infectious Diseases at UTHealth School of Public raw produce a “bath and a shower” before serving it in the middle of the patty. For that reason, if you have Health, said the best way to avoid food-related illness to guests. a hamburger, it’s got to be cooked all the way through. this summer is to take precautions with every step of “You take the lettuce, spinach or carrots or what- I wouldn’t eat a hamburger that had a pink center the food preparation process. ever you are going to eat, you put them in a sink with because of the danger of picking up this E. coli bug.” “The number one cause of foodborne infection water, mix them all up, and then you put them in a col- Both doctors agree that the risk of food poison- in the U.S. at the present time is produce—spinach ander and let water run through them,” DuPont said. ing is greatly reduced by cooking meat at the proper and lettuce,” DuPont said. “You need to not assume “And with that, you will render all of these food items temperature, not leaving it out at room temperature that lettuce and spinach has been cleaned… even if safe. You should be doing the same thing with berries for long periods of time and not placing cooked meat it says ‘three times washed’ ... We have cultured those and grapes—give them a bath and a shower, let them where raw meat has been without cleaning the lettuce leaves and they are very contaminated.” dry out, and it will be a big factor in reducing disease.” area properly. Foodborne illnesses can result in nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and, occasionally, fever. TIPS FOR SUMMER COOKING Symptoms can last anywhere from four to 24 hours, and sometimes longer. • Hot food must stay hot • Don’t cross-contaminate • Wash hands with warm • Keep food refrigerated “If you have tried some Imodium or another and cold food must raw and cooked foods water and soap for at until it is ready to over-the-counter medication and that has not helped stay cold least 15 seconds after be eaten and you are beginning to feel light-headed, pale, touching raw meat, sweaty, confused and dehydrated, that is certainly chicken and fish a good time to call your health care provider,” Bradley said.