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Talk to Patients About: Varicella - 09/19/2024

The varicella-zoster virus  does double-duty: It can cause chickenpox when you’re young and reactivate later in life as a painful, blistery rash called shingles. Well, there’s a vaccine for each disease.

Talk to Patients About: Rubella - 09/19/2024

The virus that causes rubella often appears deceptively mild — so mild in fact that one-quarter to half of people infected with it will have no symptoms at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccination is the best protection.

CMS Ups Seasonal Flu Vaccine Payment - 09/09/2024

On Aug. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services increased payments to physicians for influenza vaccines and updated which codes physicians should use when billing for the service during the 2024-25 flu season.

New Tyler Medical School Wins Approval - 08/09/2024

 The University of Texas Board of Regents late last month unanimously approved the first medical school in East Texas – and the 16th in the state – at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler.

Science: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism; Physicians Fight to Reassure, Immunize - 08/09/2024

Physicians repeat it over and over: Vaccines like the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine do not cause autism; they are safe and effective. Yet the decades-old false claim that vaccines do cause autism has convinced millions of parents not to give their children potentially lifesaving shots and could lead more to opt out, according to Texas physicians.

TMA Grants to Help Your Practice Improve Local Vaccination Rates - 07/16/2024

Apply for a grant. Vaccines Defend What Matters (formerly Be Wise – Immunize) is TMA’s integrated, multimedia public health education and advocacy effort to overcome vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccination rates in Texas. 

Living Legacy: TMA Archive Preserves Medicine's Past - 06/04/2024

TMA’s archive is vital resource for member physicians, medical historians, genealogists, and educators as well as TMA boards, councils, and committees, which lean on documented precedent when crafting internal policy.

New TMA Policies Aim to Strengthen Physician Workforce Pipeline - 05/14/2024

Among others, top new policies direct TMA to study ways to assist unmatched medical graduates and to advocate for increased per-resident funding to offset medical schools’ teaching costs – a rate that has not budged since 2008. Read more.

TMA Vaccination Grants Connect Hard-to-Reach Patients; Apply by May 1 - 03/28/2024

Dozens of patients in the Lubbock area are up to date on their vaccinations thanks to a local impact grant from the Texas Medical Association, which has opened the latest 2024 application cycle for vaccine outreach programs until May 1.

Mumps: Virus Causes Puffy Cheeks and Sometimes, Serious Complications - 03/27/2024

The bottom line: Mumps is a viral contagious disease. People know mumps for patients’ swollen cheeks and jaw, but patients also suffer fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. Outbreaks occur every year in the United States and Texas. The MMR vaccine protects people against this disease.

Deadline: TMA Scholarship Fosters Diversity in Medicine - 02/27/2024

As Match Day nears, so does the deadline to apply for a Texas Medical Association scholarship helping to ensure the physician workforce more closely mirrors the population it serves.

Measles: Updated Information and Resources Available to Fight Rising Cases - 02/21/2024

As measles cases continue to rise in Texas and across the U.S., the Texas Medical Association and Texas Hospital Association have created a document to help physicians and other health care professionals combat the highly contagious respiratory illness. The document provides the latest recommendations for diagnosing and reporting measles, immunizations, infection prevention and control, and post-exposure prophylaxis and exclusion.

Pregnant? Make Sure You’re Vaccinated to Protect Yourself, Baby From Disease - 02/21/2024

Vaccinations before and during pregnancy are important to protect both mother and baby. Three vaccinations are recommended: flu, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis), and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella).

A Helping Hand for Future Physicians: The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship - 12/19/2023

Medical school can be an expensive undertaking. The Diversity in Medicine Scholarship aims to make pursuing this noble profession more accessible.

Corpus Hospital Revives Emergency Medicine Residency Program - 12/15/2023

Following a grassroots advocacy effort by local physicians, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi recently reversed its plan to close the CHRISTUS Health-Texas A&M Spohn Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency program in 2026. The program will continue at least through 2029 thanks to funding from the Nueces County Hospital District.

Education Board Approves Curriculum Standards on HPV Vaccines - 12/14/2023

The State Board of Education has approved health education standards that would require public schools to teach the importance of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines beginning in seventh grade.

Apply for a Grant to Help Promote Vaccines - 12/14/2023

More than ever, medicine needs its soldiers to promote the safety, efficacy, and importance of vaccines.

Corpus Hospital Closes ER Residency - 10/24/2023

Christus Spohn Hospital recently announced its plan to close its emergency medicine residency program in June 2026. This came as a shock to the medical community. The statement from Christus cited consideration of the availability of resources as the reason for the unexpected closure. Read the op-ed.

Unlocking Doors: Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program Connects Students with Mentors - 10/21/2023

When the Texas Medical Association founded its Diversity in Medicine Scholarship Program in 1998 to diversify the physician workforce, Dr. Ramamurthy became both a contributor and a mentor to students who receive the scholarships. “When you’re mentoring students, one of the things that you want them to understand is that you’re somebody they can talk to who is not only there as a teacher, but as a friend,” she said. Other top donors to the Diversity in Medicine Scholarship serve voluntarily as mentors to student awardees. TMA encourages those arrangements because they can benefit both parties.

Inspiring Choices: Mentorship Can Boost African-American Representation in Medicine - 10/20/2023

African Americans are underrepresented in medicine. Mentorship can help them choose medical careers.

TMA Expands Health Promotion Impact with 2018 Grants - 10/20/2023

This year TMA will have some new tools to improve the health of all Texans thanks to more than $572,000 in grants from TMA Foundation. In the fight against cancer, TMA will launch a new HPV Social Media Campaign, which

Fulfilling a Dream - 10/20/2023

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has largely dispensed with lectures and focuses more on group learning and practical experience. This and other innovations dovetail with the school's focus on public health, which is vital in a region notorious for high poverty and chronic health problems.

Rotations, Residency Applications, Testing Fees? TMA Low-Interest Loans Can Help - 10/03/2023

As a medical student, Zachary Hamilton, MD, had no idea how he was going to pay for his fourth-year residency applications and travel expenses to interviews. Then he heard about and applied for a TMA low-interest educational loan.

Build Immunization Awareness During August - 09/11/2023

If you weren’t already aware, August is National Immunization Awareness Month. As a physician, you’re aware of how important vaccines are for public health. But some of your patients might not know or understand the benefits of getting vaccinated. Whether you’re talking to parents of young children, senior citizens, or anyone in between, TMA’s Be Wise – Immunize has some tools you can use.

Update: Ten Measles Cases Reported in Texas - 09/11/2023

Ten cases of measles have been reported in Texas this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said in a statement Wednesday. The 10th case is an adult who was visiting Guadalupe County from the Philippines, where there is an ongoing measles outbreak, the statement said.