Department of Internal Medicine ALUM NI N EW SL ET T ER November 2025 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH (UTMB HEALTH)
A Message to Our Alumni from Dr. Salim Hayek, Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine Dear Colleagues, Dr. Barney Karnath and Dr. Marc Shabot have been working on something special: documenting the history of our Department over the last 134 years. As I go through what they have assembled, I keep coming back to how many of you are deeply woven into this story. The residents and students you taught. The programs you have built. The way you kept us moving forward despite hurricanes, budget cuts, and everything else that comes our way. I inherited something special built by you, the people who refused to let it fail. That strong foundation is still here, and we are building on it. I want you to see where we are now. We have held our annual CME conference, Essentials in Internal Medicine for 35 years now, which is truly remarkable. But this coming year—April 9-11, 2026—we are doing something different. We’re making it true reunion. Not just CME lectures (though we’ll have those), but actual time on campus with tours of facilities that likely did not exist when you were here. There will be time for conversations with faculty you mentored, and a chance to see what the place looks like now. We are planning some special events as well, though I am still finalizing details. Last year, following a national search, I was asked to become the next Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. I won’t lie: it’s a big job, and I feel the weight of it. But I have got good people around me, and that includes you. About one year ago, we launched a program called “Moving Medicine Forward”. It is built around six principles that we are putting up signs for on the walls: Transparency, Rewarding Achievement, Excellence in Patient Care, Value, Career Building, and One Team. I know mission statements can feel like wallpaper, but we are trying to make decisions through that lens. So here’s what’s been happening. We have grown significantly. Over twenty-one new physicians joined us this year, and our patient volume hit nearly 118,000 visits. That’s up 17% in a year, which tells me that Southeast Texas really does need us badly. Our research portfolio is stronger than it’s been in years with 148 active grants, $13.7 million in total funding, up 46% from last year. We reopened the Palliative Care Clinic in September and are rebuilding the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology under the leadership of Dr. Maurice Willis who many of you already know as a longstanding UTMB leader and program director. We are also rolling out AI documentation tools across divisions. I was skeptical about AI’s utility until I saw our faculty actually getting their notes done more quickly, and going home at reasonable hours.
Here is something that did not surprise me: the latest AAMC faculty survey showed greater than 80% job satisfaction in our department. That’s higher than our peer institutions and higher than most departments here at UTMB. It did not surprise me because the culture of UTMB is what makes our institution special. The values you built into this department, including looking out for each other and putting patients first, haven’t gone anywhere. UTMB is very different now than when most of you were here. We are a real multi-campus system which spans far beyond Galveston alone. We now have UTMB campuses with hospitals and clinics in League City, Clear Lake, and Angleton. Of course, Internal Medicine is central to that growth, which changes what we are training residents for. As you well know, most of our residents are not headed to academic jobs. Among other purposes, we are preparing physicians to lead clinics in underserved areas, bring subspecialty care to populations that never had that access before, and build research programs where none existed. It’s a broader mission than we have ever had in the past. I’m writing partly because we need your help. You know a great deal about what did and did not work here, and I need to hear that from you. If you are at another institution and you know someone who would be a great divisional research leader, we are hiring for those roles. If you can support the Department financially, that money goes directly into the development of special programs such as our new substance abuse clinic led by Dr. Carlos Dostal. As you know, recruitment packages and seed grants are what help us compete nationally. Finally, just the way you talk about UTMB when colleagues ask, helps shape our reputation far more than any marketing campaign ever could. Come to Galveston in April if you can. Walk around campus. Meet the new faculty. See the residents who remind you of yourself twenty or thirty or more years ago. I’d like to shake your hand and thank you in person. This Department wouldn’t be what it is without you. Warm regards,
Salim Hayek, MD Edward Randall and Edward Randall Jr. Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine Chief Transformation Officer sahayek@utmb.edu
P.S. If April doesn’t work, email me anyway. I mean it when I say my door is open to alumni.
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imedalum@utmb.edu
UTMB Internal Medicine Alumni Society