New members of the Faculty of Medicine, appointed between October 1, 2006 and November 30, 2006,  were introduced at a reception on December 13, 2006.  These receptions are held as an opportunity for new faculty members to meet the UTMB community.  Click here for a listing of the new faculty.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Pictured: Dr. Sankar Mitra, Vice Chair;  and new faculty member, Dr.  Alexey V. Gribenko, Assistant Professor

Dr. Gribenko's main research interests are structure-function relationships in proteins. Over the past ten years he has been involved in a variety of research projects ranging from characterizing metal and target binding properties of a human prostate cancer-related protein S100P, to discovering and characterizing a new member of the S100 subfamily of calcium-binding proteins, to analyzing contribution of surface charge-charge interactions to the protein stability and using this knowledge to rationally design proteins and enzymes with increased thermostability. Currently he is working on a project aimed at understanding molecular basis of cooperative and allosteric properties of the E.coli cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP).

Neurology

Pictured: New faculty member, Dr. Avraham R. Amit, Associate Professor
 

Dr. Amit's specialty is pediatric neurology with an interest in epilepsy.

Otolaryngology

Pictured: New faculty members, Drs. Vicente A. Resto, Assistant Professor and Susan D. McCammon, Assistant Professor; and Dr. Shawn Newlands, Chair

Dr. Resto is a nationally recognized and respected otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, whose work includes comprehensive medical and surgical care of adults and children with disorders of the head and neck. He serves as the director of Reconstructive Surgery.  Clinically, Resto focuses on the advanced practice of head and neck surgery, with particular interest in skull base and reconstructive surgery, including microvascular reconstruction and Moh’s reconstruction, as well as sentinel lymph node mapping in squamous cell cancers of the skin and aerodigestive tract. Scientifically, he directs a basic science laboratory focused on the study of the molecular mechanisms important for lymphatic metastasis and tumor tolerance.  Dr. Resto is married to Margaret Resto and has a son, Vicente Jr. and daughter, Isabel, both 2 years old.

Dr. McCammon serves as the director of the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Treatment Conference.
Additionally, she is a clinical mentor in the Longitudinal Clinical Experience for graduate students in the Institute for the Medical Humanities at UTMB. Dr. McCammon is married to Tom McCammon who is a faculty member in the Department of Anesthesiology at UTMB. Tom did his Anesthesiology residency as well as a fellowship in Cardiovascular Anesthesiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They do not have children. She remains active as a performing musician and is looking forward to working with chamber music groups and small choirs in the Galveston area.
 

Pediatrics

Pictured: New faculty members, Drs. Rafael A. Fonseca, Assistant Professor, Amyn K. Jiwani, Assistant Professor, M. Antonieta Guerrero-Plata, Instructor, and Xavier Villa, Associate Professor; and Dr. Lawrence Stanberry, Chair

Dr. Fonseca will provide patient care in the Division of Pediatric Specialty Services and the Normal Newborn Nursery.

Dr. Jiwani brings a wealth of experience in the areas of pediatric cardiology and echocardiography. He is available to provide comprehensive pediatric cardiology services, including diagnostic evaluation, treatment and management of simple and complex congenital and acquired cardiac diseases. His other services include the provision of counseling to expectant mothers with a fetus diagnosed with complex structural cardiac lesions.

Dr. Guerrero-Plata is a talented researcher who will  complement the successful research program in respiratory infections currently conducted in the department.

Dr. Villa is one of a handful of physicians worldwide who have completed fellowships in both pediatric critical care medicine and pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. In addition to his role as division director, he will support the Pediatric Critical
Care Program, serving as attending in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.  Villa’s unique qualifications allow him to advance the practice of pediatrics, particularly in the area of sedation during pediatric endoscopy. His clinical interests include endoscopic procedures, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and liver disease in children.

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