Rice University, Houston Methodist launch new institute to revolutionize health care through AI, innovation

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Rice University and Houston Methodist have partnered to create the Digital Health Institute, combining advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and interdisciplinary expertise to transform health care. Photos courtesy

Rice University and Houston Methodist have established through a multi-year joint effort the Digital Health Institute, which aims to transform healthcare through advanced technology and the collaborative expertises of the university and hospital.

Rice’s leadership in engineering, digital health and artificial intelligence will combine with Houston Methodist’s academic medicine and research infrastructure.

“This partnership embodies Rice’s bold vision to lead at the forefront of innovation in health and responsible AI,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches says in a news release. “By combining our strengths with Houston Methodist, we are creating a transformative platform to address critical challenges in healthcare with solutions that are ethical, accessible and impactful. This initiative exemplifies our commitment to driving interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing global health for the benefit of humanity.”

Leading the initiative will be Rice’s Ashutosh Sabharwal, the Ernest Dell Butcher Professor of Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Houston Methodist’s Dr. Khurram Nasir, the Centennial Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine, and Dr. William Zoghbi, division chief of cardiovascular prevention and wellness. Rice and Houston Methodist have worked previously with the Center for Neural Systems Restoration that opened earlier this year and the Center for Human Performance that was established in 2022.

The Digital Health Institute allows for both institutions to share data, and resources that focus on key areas like the early detection through AI algorithms for early diagnosis of cancer, infections, cardiovascular diseases and other conditions, predictive analytics that utilize real-time monitoring that can predict and prevent events such as strokes and heart failure, and the development of novel sensors, wearables and ingestibles to innovate new remote monitoring and care pathways.

The Digital Health Institute will also work to utilize more personalized medicine efforts, developments of new novel and assistive technologies, expansion of telemedicine, and proactive self-care management through AI-driven patient self-management.

“This partnership between our institutions marks a bold new chapter in driving meaningful innovation at the intersection of healthcare and technology through solutions that are both visionary and practical,” Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, adds. “Our long-standing relationship with Rice University has produced impactful collaborations, but this initiative is by far the most transformative endeavor in our shared commitment of leading medicine through innovation.”

Rice President Reginald DesRoches and Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom announced the new partnership at the Ion. Photo courtesy of Rice

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The Bookout Center will focus on enhancing the use of robotics and imaging in medicine. Photo via Houston Methodist

Houston Methodist establishes new center focused on robotics, imaging

medical innovation

A groundbreaking new institution is coming to Houston Methodist.

The Bookout Center will build on the success of the Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE).

The new center will focus on enhancing the use of robotics and imaging in medicine. Virtual reality, robotics, AI, and other technologies will all play a part in the support that The Bookout Center will provide for health care professionals at all levels and specialties. High-resolution imaging and diagnostics will also be part of the forward-thinking research center.

The Bookout Center, which will be housed in the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, is the result of an undisclosed donation amount from Ann and John F. Bookout III. At the age of 100, John’s father, also named John Bookout, is an active Houston Methodist Board member and served as its chair from 1991 until 2007.

“We’re excited and humbled to have the support of the Bookout family,” Marc L. Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, says in a press release. “The Bookouts believe in what our physicians, researchers and scientists do to bring life-changing treatments to our patients and community, and this gift will help us build on our legacy of leading medicine. We are so very grateful for this gift.”

A medical director for The Bookout Center has already been named. The role will be filled by Alan Lumsden, the Walter W. Fondren III Presidential Distinguished Chair in the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. Dr. Lumsden will work alongside Dr. Stuart Corr, newly appointed director of Innovation Engineering for The Bookout Center, and associate professor of Bioengineering, to develop, implement, and lead the center’s activities.

"The Bookout Center will complement our existing programs with robust research, clinical trials and the expertise to develop further innovation in these fields,” Lumsden says. “We are grateful to the Bookouts for giving us the opportunity to lead the world in developing and refining these life-saving technologies, which will continue to improve outcomes and recovery times for patients.”

The new institute will be run by director Alan Lumsden, the Walter W. Fondren III Presidential Distinguished Chair in the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. Photo via TMC.edu

Houston Methodist received its second largest gift in the hospital's 102-year history. Courtesy of Methodist Hospital/Facebook

Houston hospital receives anonymous $50M donation to support specialty treatments

big time gift

On the heels of kicking off construction for a $1.4 billion hospital tower at the Texas Medical Center, Houston Methodist has announced an anonymous $50 million gift.

The donation is the second largest received in the 102-year history of Houston Methodist.

Coupled with matching gifts and other sources of money, the gift’s overall impact will exceed $154 million, Houston Methodist says. Among the areas that will benefit from the funds are orthopedics, sports medicine, neuroprosthetics, gastrointestinal medicine, and immunology.

“Houston Methodist is honored to have the support of generous donors who entrust us to continue building on our legacy of leading medicine,” Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, says in a news release.

“This donor represents the giving spirit of the Houston community and believes in the unparalleled work our physicians, researchers, and staff do to bring lifesaving and life-changing treatments to our patients throughout the city and the country,” Boom adds. “We’re humbled to have this support and excited for what it will help us accomplish in the future.”

Highlights of the gift’s impact include:

  • Creation of an endowed position for the Houston Methodist Neuromodulation & Recovery Laboratory in collaboration with Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering.
  • Support of the Center for Musculoskeletal Regeneration and Joint Preservation and Outcomes Laboratory.
  • Establishment of at least 20 endowments and support of special programs in areas such as imaging, nursing, ophthalmology, reconstructive surgery, surgery, and women’s health.

Earlier this month, Houston Methodist said it started construction on the 26-story Centennial Tower at the Texas Medical Center.

Set to open in 2027, the tower will include a larger emergency department and hundreds of patient beds, among other features. The new tower will replace Houston Methodist’s Houston Main building and West Pavilion.

Houston Methodist received millions in donations to support cancer patients. Courtesy of Methodist Hospital/Facebook

Houston hospital receives $37M in donations to continue its life-saving cancer care

guardian angels

A $25 million gift will support expansion of research conducted at the Houston Methodist Cancer Center and may help the center earn top-tier federal designation.

In honor of the $25 million donation from Dr. Mary Neal and husband Ron Neal, the cancer center is being renamed the Houston Methodist Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center. The hospital system will raise an additional $12 million in matching funds, bringing the total to $37 million.

Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, says the Bellaire couple's gift "plays an important role in advancing our leading medicine mission and bringing potentially life-saving cancer treatments to more patients throughout Houston and the nation."

Mary Neal, previously in private practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist, is now a part-time volunteer physician at Houston Methodist's San Jose Clinic. Ron Neal is co-founder and co-owner of offshore development company Houston Energy. He also is CEO of Houston-based HEQ Deepwater, a more than $400 million venture formed earlier this year by Houston Energy and Houston-based private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners to buy deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico.

With the donation from Dr. Mary Neal and husband Ron Neal, the cancer center is being renamed the Houston Methodist Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center. Photo courtesy of Houston Methodist

The Neals' donation will boost ongoing research led by Dr. Jenny Chang, director of the cancer center and Emily Herrmann Presidential Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research. Chang's research has advanced cancer therapy with breakthroughs such as targeted drugs for treatment of breast cancer.

Mary Neal says she and her husband believe their contribution "will further advance pivotal and innovative research beyond chemotherapy and radiation."

The gift also will fund and retain three endowed chairs and complementary funding for early stage research and therapies, support recruitment and fellowship training, and expand clinical trials at all of the community hospitals within Houston Methodist. Part of the gift is dedicated to cancer innovation efforts within the Center for Drug Repositioning and Development.

"Our vision for the Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center is to grow our network of cancer physicians offering comprehensive care with the latest technologies and clinical trials so that patients across the region have the best access to cancer care," Chang says. "While the gift from the Neal family will have direct impact for patients at the community level in areas that are often deserts for cancer care, my hope is that it will also propel our ongoing research and work to the national level toward NCI designation."

Cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) meet rigorous standards for research and clinical care. The Neals' gift is aimed at elevating research done at the cancer center and helping retain talent to accelerate Houston Methodist's pursuit of NCI designation.

Texas is home to four NCI-designated cancer centers:

  • Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine.
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, also in Houston.
  • Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
  • Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

NCI designation represents "the highest federal rating a cancer center can achieve," according to the University of Chicago's NCI-designated cancer center. "It's the gold standard for cancer programs, and is bestowed upon the nation's top cancer centers in recognition of their innovative research and leading-edge treatments."

This designation can lead to benefits such as more research grants, quicker access to clinical trials for cancer treatments, and stepped-up recruitment of high-profile cancer researchers.

"At any given time, hundreds of research studies are under way at the cancer centers, ranging from basic laboratory research to clinical assessments of new treatments," the NCI says. "Many of these studies are collaborative and may involve several cancer centers, as well as other partners in industry and the community."

Houston Methodist is offering COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment thanks to a new partnership with Soleo Health. Photo via Getty Images

Houston hospital taps Texas company to offer in-home COVID-19 treatment

home care

Houston Methodist has tapped Frisco-based Soleo Health to provide in-home monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 patients in the Houston area.

The Houston Methodist health care system has a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aimed at boosting access to COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment for underserved and disadvantaged patients in the Houston area.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. If administered within 10 days of the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, the one-time therapy can neutralize the virus and prevent symptoms from worsening.

Soleo, a provider of specialized pharmacy services that has a location in Houston, says treating COVID-19 patients at home with monoclonal antibodies is expected to help reduce hospital admissions.

"By teaming up with Houston Methodist to help patients receive therapy and stay in their homes, we are helping reduce the chance of increased infections and the spread of COVID-19 in a hospital setting," Shahram Badrei of Houston, regional business leader at Soleo, says in a news release.

Houston Methodist reported in May that it had administered monoclonal antibodies to nearly 4,200 patients since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorization for the treatment last November. The health care system said it was rolling out monoclonal antibody therapy at its more than 40 clinics in the Houston area. Houston Methodist ranks among the largest providers of monoclonal antibodies in the U.S.

Harris County, the state's most populous county, has recorded the most COVID-19 cases (539,000) and deaths (nearly 7,900) of any county in Texas.

"Houston Methodist continues to serve the Houston area and beyond in the fight against COVID-19 through patient care and its commitment to research that brings promising new therapies to fight the disease," Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, said in May.

Peter Pisters is one of the top 10 CEOs, according to Glassdoor. Photo courtesy of MD Anderson

3 Houston head honchos rank among America's top CEOs in new report

best of

Three Houston-area CEOs are doing a exemplary job of leading, says a new report.

Dr. Peter Pisters (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Marc Boom (Houston Methodist), and Worthing Jackman (Waste Connections) appear on Glassdoor's new list of the top 100 CEOs for 2021.

Pisters scored particularly well; he ranked third overall on the prestigious list and earned a 99-percent approval rating from MD Anderson employees who shared anonymous feedback on the Glassdoor platform, which publishes reviews and salary information for employers.

Meanwhile, Boom ranked 60 overall with a 93 percent approval, while Jackman came in at 76 overall with a 92 percent approval.

Other Texas executives appearing on the new Glassdoor list are:

  • Seventh-ranked Charles Butt, CEO of San Antonio-based H-E-B (96 percent).
  • Fourth-ranked Gary Kelly, who just announced he's stepping down as CEO of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (98 percent approval).
  • 55th-ranked Sean Yalamanchi, chairman and president of Richardson-based Infovision (93 percent approval).

"Over the past year, company leaders around the world faced unprecedented challenges to support employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the employees have spoken and it's clear that these CEOs excelled and found new ways to support their people when the world of work flipped upside down," Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor's CEO, says in a news release.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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Texas university to lead new FAA tech center focused on drones

taking flight

The Texas A&M University System will run the Federal Aviation Administration’s new Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies, which will focus on innovations like commercial drones.

“Texas is the perfect place for our new Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a release. “From drones delivering your packages to powered lift technologies like air taxis, we are at the cusp of an aviation revolution. The [center] will ensure we make that dream a reality and unleash American innovation safely.”

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, included creation of the center in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The center will consist of an airspace laboratory, flight demonstration zones, and testing corridors.

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will lead the initiative, testing unstaffed aircraft systems and other advanced technologies. The Corpus Christi campus houses the Autonomy Research Institute, an FAA-designated test site. The new center will be at Texas A&M University-Fort Worth.

The College Station-based Texas A&M system says the center will “bring together” its 19 institutions, along with partners such as the University of North Texas in Denton and Southern Methodist University in University Park.

According to a Department of Transportation news release, the center will play “a pivotal role” in ensuring the safe operation of advanced aviation technologies in public airspace.

The Department of Transportation says it chose the Texas A&M system to manage the new center because of its:

  • Proximity to major international airports and the FAA’s regional headquarters in Fort Worth
  • Existing infrastructure for testing of advanced aviation technologies
  • Strong academic programs and industry partnerships

“I’m confident this new research and testing center will help the private sector create thousands of high-paying jobs and grow the Texas economy through billions in new investments,” Cruz said.

“This is a significant win for Texas that will impact communities across our state,” the senator added, “and I will continue to pursue policies that create new jobs, and ensure the Lone Star State continues to lead the way in innovation and the manufacturing of emerging aviation technologies.”

Texas Republicans are pushing to move NASA headquarters to Houston

space city

Two federal lawmakers from Texas are spearheading a campaign to relocate NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to the Johnson Space Center in Houston’s Clear Lake area. Houston faces competition on this front, though, as lawmakers from two other states are also vying for this NASA prize.

With NASA’s headquarters lease in D.C. set to end in 2028, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, a Republican whose congressional district includes the Johnson Space Center, recently wrote a letter to President Trump touting the Houston area as a prime location for NASA’s headquarters.

“A central location among NASA’s centers and the geographical center of the United States, Houston offers the ideal location for NASA to return to its core mission of space exploration and to do so at a substantially lower operating cost than in Washington, D.C.,” the letter states.

Cruz is chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Babin is chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Both committees deal with NASA matters. Twenty-five other federal lawmakers from Texas, all Republicans, signed the letter.

In the letter, legislators maintain that shifting NASA’s headquarters to the Houston area makes sense because “a seismic disconnect between NASA’s headquarters and its missions has opened the door to bureaucratic micromanagement and an erosion of [NASA] centers’ interdependence.”

Founded in 1961, the $1.5 billion, 1,620-acre Johnson Space Center hosts NASA’s mission control and astronaut training operations. More than 12,000 employees work at the 100-building complex.

According to the state comptroller, the center generates an annual economic impact of $4.7 billion for Texas, and directly and indirectly supports more than 52,000 public and private jobs.

In pitching the Johnson Space Center for NASA’s HQ, the letter points out that Texas is home to more than 2,000 aerospace, aviation, and defense-related companies. Among them are Elon Musk’s SpaceX, based in the newly established South Texas town of Starbase; Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines, both based in Houston; and Firefly Aerospace, based in the Austin suburb of Cedar Park.

The letter also notes the recent creation of the Texas Space Commission, which promotes innovation in the space and commercial aerospace sectors.

Furthermore, the letter cites Houston-area assets for NASA such as:

  • A strong business environment.
  • A low level of state government regulation.
  • A cost of living that’s half of what it is in the D.C. area.

“Moving the NASA headquarters to Texas will create more jobs, save taxpayer dollars, and reinvigorate America’s space agency,” the letter says.

Last November, NASA said it was hunting for about 375,000 to 525,000 square feet of office space in the D.C. area to house the agency’s headquarters workforce. About 2,500 people work at the agency’s main offices. NASA’s announcement set off a scramble among three states to lure the agency’s headquarters.

Aside from officials in Texas, politicians in Florida and Ohio are pressing NASA to move its headquarters to their states. Florida and Ohio both host major NASA facilities.

NASA might take a different approach, however. “NASA is weighing closing its headquarters and scattering responsibilities among the states, a move that has the potential to dilute its coordination and influence in Washington,” Politico reported in March.

Meanwhile, Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents D.C., introduced legislation in March that would prohibit relocating a federal agency’s headquarters (including NASA’s) away from the D.C. area without permission from Congress.

“Moving federal agencies is not about saving taxpayer money and will degrade the vital services provided to all Americans across the country,” Norton said in a news release. “In the 1990s, the Bureau of Land Management moved its wildfire staff out West, only to move them back when Congress demanded briefings on new wildfires.”

Houston research breakthrough could pave way for next-gen superconductors

Quantum Breakthrough

A study from researchers at Rice University, published in Nature Communications, could lead to future advances in superconductors with the potential to transform energy use.

The study revealed that electrons in strange metals, which exhibit unusual resistance to electricity and behave strangely at low temperatures, become more entangled at a specific tipping point, shedding new light on these materials.

A team led by Rice’s Qimiao Si, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Physics and Astronomy, used quantum Fisher information (QFI), a concept from quantum metrology, to measure how electron interactions evolve under extreme conditions. The research team also included Rice’s Yuan Fang, Yiming Wang, Mounica Mahankali and Lei Chen along with Haoyu Hu of the Donostia International Physics Center and Silke Paschen of the Vienna University of Technology. Their work showed that the quantum phenomenon of electron entanglement peaks at a quantum critical point, which is the transition between two states of matter.

“Our findings reveal that strange metals exhibit a unique entanglement pattern, which offers a new lens to understand their exotic behavior,” Si said in a news release. “By leveraging quantum information theory, we are uncovering deep quantum correlations that were previously inaccessible.”

The researchers examined a theoretical framework known as the Kondo lattice, which explains how magnetic moments interact with surrounding electrons. At a critical transition point, these interactions intensify to the extent that the quasiparticles—key to understanding electrical behavior—disappear. Using QFI, the team traced this loss of quasiparticles to the growing entanglement of electron spins, which peaks precisely at the quantum critical point.

In terms of future use, the materials share a close connection with high-temperature superconductors, which have the potential to transmit electricity without energy loss, according to the researchers. By unblocking their properties, researchers believe this could revolutionize power grids and make energy transmission more efficient.

The team also found that quantum information tools can be applied to other “exotic materials” and quantum technologies.

“By integrating quantum information science with condensed matter physics, we are pivoting in a new direction in materials research,” Si said in the release.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

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