The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, is thought to have once said, "Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity." At Houston Methodist, this ancient wisdom is at the heart of its mission to meet the most demanding challenges faced by patients and their physicians. Our culture of science in the service of medicine has furthered our global collaborative network that transitions proof-of-concept medical research to clinical impact and educates healthcare professionals in the latest medical breakthroughs. I am pleased to share our annual report highlighting some of the notable achievements of the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. Our Department of Neurosurgery was awarded a highly competitive $1.6M T32 training grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a first-of-its-kind postdoctoral program, Neural Control of Organ Degeneration and Regeneration, which trains a new generation of scientists in clinically translatable research that bridges the gap between neuroscience and other medical specialties and speeds the development of next-generation therapies. The clinical mentorship element of our program is rather rare for postdoctoral training programs. The unique environment at Houston Methodist where the Research Institute is merged with the hospital fosters a translational medicine approach to academic bench science. In 2022, we further enriched our connections when Houston Methodist officially became the eighth institutional member of the Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC)—one of the largest inter-institutional academic cooperatives in the nation focused on building collaborative, biomedical research groups and interdisciplinary training opportunities for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. Over the years, we’ve greatly valued our collaborations with the GCC and our membership provides a wonderful opportunity to add our many strengths to the consortium. Our academic community has been very productive in obtaining $87.6M in extramural funding and contributing 1,740 peer-reviewed publications to the academic literature. Although we are moving beyond the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to monitor the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and assess neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory complications that can occur after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. To prepare for future challenges from infectious diseases, we’re actively growing our infectious disease academic programs. We also continue to make strides in various medical specialties, including testing the safety and efficacy of nerve transfers to restore some of the lost hand function in patients with complete spinal cord injuries and investigating if an antibiotic and opioid cocktail injected directly into the knee joint can reduce postsurgical pain. Recently, we also received FDA approval for a new treatment for chronic constipation. As we chart a path into the future, I am confident that our teams’ collaborative spirit, creativity and commitment to driving the cycle of translation will serve as the impetus for the next generation of healthcare solutions. None of this work would be possible without the dedication and support of our visionary Houston Methodist Academic Institute board members, generous donors and dedicated faculty and staff. Our work together has established Houston Methodist as a leading academic medical center, and I am honored to be a part of this journey to the future of medicine.

Houston Methodist Academic Institute Board Members

Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr. Senior Chair Martha S. DeBusk, Chair W. Benjamin Moreland, Vice Chair John F. Bookout, Jr., Chairman Emeritus Edward R. Allen, III, PhD David C. Baggett, Jr. Steven Birdwell Marc L. Boom, MD P. Embry Canterbury David Chao Ernest D. Cockrell, II Martin S. Craighead W. Leslie Doggett Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., MD, D. Phil. Edward A. Jones Evan H. Katz Edwin H. Knight Francis S. Y. Lee, MD, PhD Kevin J. Lilly Steven S. Looke Ransom C. Lummis David A. Modesett Gregory V. Nelson Joe Bob Perkins Mary Eliza Shaper Suzanne H. Smith H. Dirk Sostman, MD Douglas E. Swanson, Jr. David M. Underwood, Jr. Amy L. Waer, MD Joseph C. "Rusty" Walter, III Martha S. Walton