Features File:
Stories about our people and programs
UT Experts Developing Interventions
to Improve Children’s Math Skills
The United States is not making the grade.
The 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows the United States ranks 12th of 25 countries among eighth graders in math and science skills. In the No. 1 and No. 2 spots: Singapore and the Republic of Korea.
“There is a critical need right now in this country to do research on math. We need to identify the skills that children need to improve upon, and hone in on factors that can predict development. We really want to answer the question, ‘Why do some children succeed at math and others do not?’ There is an epidemic when it comes to children who just don’t have basic math skills,” said Steven A. Hecht, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics in the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
The Faces of Our Future
Health Care Providers
The minority population continues to grow within our nation and that means patients are more diverse than ever. Through various recruitment and retention programs, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston addresses the need for diversity among our future health care providers.
The goal of increasing diversity among health care students is linked to research showing underserved patients may be better reached by physicians from similar backgrounds. According to a study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, patients who are of the same race as their health care provider report more satisfaction with their physician.
UT Houston Responds to Need
for More Geriatric Specialists
As the country faces a critical shortage of health care workers to meet the needs of millions of aging baby boomers, researchers and clinicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston are rising to the challenge by training and educating those who will be on the front lines of care.
That response includes a new geriatric fellowship at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston; the interdisciplinary Houston Geriatric Education Center established with a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the Center on Aging and a geriatric nurse practitioner program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing; and the addition of geriatric specialists across the university.