The UTSPH at Brownsville is part of the Regional Academic
Health Center of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Our building is located
on the University of Texas Brownsville Campus, adjacent to the UTB/TSC
Life and Health Sciences Building. The Regional Campus of the School
of Public Health was established in January 2001. Six faculty members
and various support staff occupy the building which was partially completed
in January 2002. The faculty have a wide range of expertise, and extensive
experience in research and teaching. Research is a major part of the
expectations of all faculty as part of the University Of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston. All faculty are well published and have embarked
on research programs and grant writing upon arrival in Brownsville.
Links with established scientists at the Houston campus as well as other
institutions such as UTHSC- San Antonio, University of Texas at Dallas,
Baylor College of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control, University
of Colorado, University of Texas at Brownsville, etc. are well established.
Further, research links with the medical community across the border
area have also been established in order to conduct research on both
sides of the border.
In 2008 extension of the building now provides a 6000 square foot wet
laboratory space with two suites of dedicated rooms and an open laboratory
for research and field studies. The first suite includes i) a negative
pressure BSL3 laboratory with anteroom ii) a dark room housing a FACSCanto
fluorescent cell analyzer, and other imaging equipment, iii) a PCR room
for real time PCR (ABI 7900), a positive pressure tissue culture room
with 2 Class IIA hoods, and a chemistry area for liquid and mass spectrometry
(Agilent LC/MS) with fume hood and chemical storage. The BSL3 room is
entirely self-contained with two Type IIB cabinets, incubators, freezers
and centrifuges and a bench top autoclave for high risk material. On
one side of the main suite there is BSL2 bench space with well-designed
bays for specialized activities. In a second suite with less restricted
access further dedicated rooms are provided for the autoclave and for
centrifuges and other common use equipment. Beyond the two specialized
suites is a large general laboratory with the least restricted access,
comprising about 2,500 square feet. This space allows field studies
to occupy areas for handling, aliquotting and storing of field specimens,
and has space for students to pursue projects under supervision. This
laboratory includes Type IIA cabinets for handling blood specimens.
On the floor below a large open space with restricted access is dedicated
to a battery of freezers for archiving specimens, liquid nitrogen, general
storage, and space for equipment used occasionally, such as the freeze
dryer, also with limited cardkey access. The entire laboratory is supplied
with deionized and Millipore quality water, and with vacuum lines. Piped
CO2, nitrogen and air is also available.
The laboratory is under the direction of Dr. S Fisher-Hoch (MD, FRCPath
Virology) supported by experienced molecular biology faculty, in particular
Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo (Ph.D. Microbiology), and has two trained technicians.
The strategy for development of the laboratory component of this exciting
new facility is provision of high-technology, high-throughput assays
for screening field specimens. This core laboratory is supported by
several NIH grants including 2P20 MD 000170-06 Center of Excellence
for Diabetes in Americans of Mexican Descent.
Clinical:
Our Clinical Research Unit (CRU) is located at Valley Baptist Medical
Center-Brownsville, which is one of two large hospitals in Brownsville.
The not-for-profit hospital is the largest in Brownsville and is about
a mile from the campus. The CRU is currently funded by the Center for
Clinical and Translational Science Award. There is a medical director,
two registered nurses and field staff. The 2,385 sq.ft. clinic consists
of six rooms- four examination rooms, a laboratory, a waiting room with
TV, a kitchen area and two large offices. There are two restrooms. It
is furnished with phlebotomy chair and other chairs, wheelchairs, tables
and desks, coffee maker, refrigerator and a minus 70 freezer for specimens.
A pleasant large patient waiting area has television, easy chairs, tables
and receptionist. The clinic is equipped with anthropometric scales
for weight and height, a Quantum X bioelectric body composition analyzer,
twoYSI Select 2300 Biochemistry Analyzers (Glucostat) , a Coulter Counter
and electrocardiograph and ice chest. It is run by a Medical Director
and two nurses and has five trained field staff. All staff are NIH trained
in GCP. Two vans are dedicated to field visits.
Community Outreach Center
Also completed in 2008 is a community outreach center of about 2500
square feet with space for a community library/teaching room, with on
line access, and interview room, a play room for children, offices and
an examination room for specimen collection.
