Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Texas faced serious physician shortages in health care professions. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) prioritizes building the health care workforce in Dallas and across Texas through nationally recognized education and partnerships with local independent school districts (ISDs) and health care providers, addressing the critical demand for health care professionals and strengthening community ties. 

Within the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, the faculty and pharmacy residents collaborate with other professionals across the enterprise, serving patients through partnerships with other health care institutions, community pharmacies and clinics. In 2021, the TTUHSC School of Nursing expanded its Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program by launching its first class at the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center site, benefiting from a partnership with the Methodist Health System and the area’s rapid growth and accessibility.  

The Texas Comptroller reported in 2022 that the state had the fourth-lowest nurse-to-population ratio, with only 9.62 nurses per 1,000 residents. With 1,215 students from the greater DFW area enrolled across the university, TTUHSC continues its dedication to addressing workforce needs and expanding access to care. 

While these partnerships with health care systems provide unparalleled opportunities for the students within the nursing and pharmacy programs, TTUHSC has taken an interest in igniting a passion for health care at an even younger age. 

To form a robust health care workforce pipeline, TTUHSC makes strategic partnerships with local ISDs. The university’s programs ignite passion in young students early and utilize cutting-edge simulation training and hands-on experiences in the Dallas–Fort Worth region. Student training prepares young learners with the practical skills and up-to-date knowledge necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly-evolving industry. 

In February 2024, the School of Nursing and the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy in Dallas hosted a visit for the NAF Academy – a national nonprofit that unites schools and businesses to better prepare students for college, career, and future success – in Dallas ISD, including students from Sunset High School, Hillcrest High School, Bryan Adams High School and Skyline High School. Students participated in hands-on experiences in the simulation center, including health assessment, IV insertion, maternal-fetal assessment and gastrointestinal tube management, as well as spending time in the School of Pharmacy sterile products lab, where they learned the correct handwashing procedures and important steps to follow as they prepared medication for IV bags. By working with a panel of students and faculty, high school students were engaged and able to learn about the nursing and pharmacy professions. 

The Red Bag tours, which take place on campus, also allow students from across the Metroplex to learn about TTUHSC’s offerings in a similar way and deepen their interest in a health care career path. A key piece of what makes these events effective is that current students lead the experiences, connecting to younger students who are mere steps behind on their own journeys.  

These partnerships help bridge the gap between academic understanding and real-world application, and create well-prepared professionals who are ready to enter the health care workforce. By fostering innovation and a passion for learning, students grow into better health care leaders, improve patient care and address health care shortages. 

The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) continues to play a critical role in maintaining and improving Texas infrastructure as more people move to the Lone Star State than ever before.  

Several UTA researchers are currently working on state- and federally funded projects that promise to shape a more sustainable future for Texas and beyond. These projects include fixing and improving roads using plastic-infused asphalt, making concrete “greener,” developing ways to make highway bridges last longer and helping the state maximize road projects.  

These projects are a testament to UTA’s high-quality faculty and the University’s commitment to finding innovative solutions for the state’s most significant infrastructure issues.  

Plastic roads 

Sahadat Hossain, director of UTA’s Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability (SWIS) and a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, is passionate about eliminating waste. That passion led to the creation of plastic-infused asphalt that could offer a sustainable solution to road repair. 

This project began five years ago with a $342,588 grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to study the feasibility of plastic roads. Three years later, he received more than $1.5 million grants from the Dallas and Fort Worth districts of TxDOT. The Dallas project aims to implement the “plastic road” material on Texas highways and the Fort Worth project aims to improve the durability of highway pavement and shoulders. Such projects were a first in Texas. 

“We are taking one problem, which is plastic pollution, and we’re using it to fix another problem: deteriorating roads,” Hossain said. “This is the perfect example of sustainable engineering solutions.” 

Last year, his plastic material was used to repair sections of UTA parking lots. But he hasn’t stopped there. Hossain’s plastic-infused asphalt was laid on the road in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Hossain said that road has provided results that bode well for Texas, as it has been able to withstand extreme heat.  

Concrete research 

UTA is tackling the challenge of more eco-friendly concrete from another angle. 

Maria Konsta-Gdoutos, a civil engineering professor and the associate director for the Center for Advanced Construction Materials, received a $10 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to create the Tier 1 University Transportation Center (UTC) for Durable and Resilient Transportation Infrastructure (DuRe-Transp).  

With this grant, Konsta-Gdoutos aims to develop a new age of greener and more energy-efficient concrete with 30% lower manufacturing, operational and maintenance costs. It targets a 50% extended lifetime and a significant reduction in harmful net greenhouse gas emissions in transportation infrastructure. 

“We will improve the durability, extend the life and make for cleaner transportation infrastructure,” Konsta-Gdoutos said. “This research will spearhead a holistic program to revitalize the nation’s transportation infrastructure and drive the development of standard guidelines for the formulation and deployment of the next generation of resilient and durable construction materials.” 

Roads and bridges

Texas has the second-most bridges in the United States after California, 30% of which do not have sufficient height, width or capacity to handle the increasing volume and type of traffic using them. 

That’s why Nur Yazdani, a civil engineering professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, received a three-year, $997,275 grant from TxDOT to evaluate the performance of selected deteriorating and aging highway bridges. His approach includes non-destructive evaluation (NDE), on-site load testing and computer simulation to help engineers determine the current condition of bridges and decide which need repair and how best to accomplish that. 

This project could have far-reaching effects on bridge infrastructure nationwide. 

Another project in the works could potentially touch all corners of Texas. Mohsen Shahandashti, an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, received a $200,000 grant from TxDOT last year to develop a price estimation and visualization tool for the state agency. 

This tool will aid TxDOT in assessing and pricing contracts for major infrastructure works. 

“The unit price will be different in Amarillo than in the Rio Grande Valley or in Houston or in North Texas,” Shahandashti said. “How much a cubic foot of concrete costs in those different locales varies greatly. This tool will help TxDOT issue the right costs for a certain project in a certain part of Texas.” 

Peter Crouch, dean of UTA’s College of Engineering, said the University is a hub of infrastructure research in Texas. 

“It isn’t just the individual motorist who will benefit from these projects, it is the overall taxpayer,” Crouch said. “If we can dedicate a portion of the savings on roads to higher education or secondary schools or parks, everybody benefits.” 

The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is investing in its faculty and its future with its recently launched Recruiting Innovative Scholars for Excellence initiative, or RISE 100. 

RISE 100 represents a substantial investment in the future of UTA. Through this initiative, the University seeks to hire more than 100 new tenure-system faculty over the next three years, increasing the size of the faculty significantly. Hiring at this scale often takes up to 15 years; UTA seeks to achieve its faculty hiring goals by 2026. 

“To create the impact we want on the state of Texas, our nation and beyond, we must expand our faculty and recruit innovative scholars who push the boundaries of discovery,” said Jennifer Cowley, president of UTA. “Our excellence as a national research university is defined by the success of our faculty and their contributions to our mission. In every corner of this campus, you will find researchers and scientists brimming with ambition, ingenuity and promise.” 

UTA is hiring scholars with expertise in areas that impact Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, supporting the growth and development of the region’s economy, society and culture. Areas of focus include cluster hires in community-engaged research, semiconductor technology and brain health—allowing UTA to immediately boost its expertise in these critical areas. 

UTA’s first hire under the RISE 100 initiative was Hongtei Eric Tseng, a renowned expert in automotive vehicle autonomy with more than 100 U.S. patents to his name. Tseng helped develop or enhance self-driving capabilities, backup assist technology and roll stability control systems on Ford and Volvo vehicles.  

UTA recruited Tseng with key support from the Governor’s University Research Initiative, a program launched by Texas Governor Greg Abbott that helps the state’s public universities attract distinguished researchers who can help bolster both the standing of the state’s higher education institutions and its economic development efforts. 

Another recently recruited faculty member, Kathleen Preble, joined UTA’s community-engaged research cluster, where she focuses on improving access to services among those impacted by gender-based violence and human trafficking.  

New faculty like Tseng and Preble are indicative of the caliber of expertise coming to the University. 

“UTA has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hire faculty who will continue our trajectory as a research one university, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and advancing a robust culture of innovation and discovery,” said Tamara L. Brown, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.  

UTA is a laboratory for innovation, where business incubator programs and research collaborations support startups and established companies in sectors such as aerospace, health care and manufacturing, fueling economic growth, creating jobs and enhancing community vitality. 

Examples of UTA ingenuity include: 

• A chemist and his graduate students developing the first methods to identify and characterize all the various irregular forms of amyloid beta, which researchers suspect may be key to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
  

• An electrical engineering researcher maximizing the power of light in the operations of semiconductor chips to make them more efficient, powerful and bright—with applications for self-driving vehicles, satellite technology and space exploration. 
  

• A public health researcher launching a program that teaches paramedics how to better identify and treat patients who could be suffering from dementia. 
  

Located in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, UTA serves more than 41,000 students and is both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. In recent years, UTA has set its sights on monumental impact through research, achieving and maintaining the R-1: Doctoral University–Very High Research Activity designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. 

With its commitment to opportunity, academic excellence and groundbreaking discovery, UTA has reimagined what an elite research university can look like.  

“Our distinctly Maverick approach is what makes us a national treasure,” Cowley said.  

Driven to empower women with a new approach to women’s health, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health is actively shaping lives in communities across Texas, with a home base at the TTUHSC Dallas campus. As an important institute within TTUHSC, the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health has access to outstanding resources including physicians and researchers who have a passion for women’s health. The central office in Dallas helps the leadership team identify opportunities and speakers, enabling them to bring these resources into West Texas communities.

Current research shows that medical conditions often respond differently in men and women. The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health is devoted to revolutionizing health care by recognizing and treating women as individuals through scientific investigation, patient service and community impact.  

Through a research grant program, the institute has provided more than $3.5 million in funding for clinical research helping to identify biological differences between men and women in dozens of medical conditions that had not been well studied. From there, the findings are put into practice through educational modules for medical, nursing and pharmacy students, including those enrolled at TTUHSC, as well as patients. This education ensures best practices are made available in clinics as soon as possible. 

The institute serves Texas communities by coordinating events and activities across their five regional offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Lubbock, the Permian Basin and San Angelo. Educational and inspirational speakers travel to speak to guests at luncheons and other events that take place across several locations—including author Mary Claire Haver, M.D., and other health and wellness experts. These insightful guest speakers encourage women to realize the importance of personalized medicine and advocate for themselves in health care situations. Each event helps attendees navigate the intricacies of women’s health more confidently and proactively. 

The education provided by the institute covers a wide range of learners. In addition to empowering adult women, activities within the institute speak to younger Texans as well, visiting regions across the state to educate young girls and college students on health-related topics.  

There are many area-specific opportunities and events, such as fundraising events and local outreach, where the institute offers services tailored to the specific needs of each region.  

In April 2024, the institute held a “No Pain, All Gain: Bexa’s Portable Breast Health Solution” event in Dallas, where Monique Gary, M.D., the medical director for Bexa, and Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at TTUHSC Lance McMahon, Ph.D., spoke and educated their audiences.  

The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health is currently launching a program called “Access to Breast Health for Texans,” which uses portable Bexa Breast exams. They will offer “pop-up” clinics in churches and community centers in rural areas to better serve women who do not get mammograms regularly. 

Through these activities and events, the institute’s initiatives serve to educate health care practitioners and students and ensure that women receive personalized, cutting-edge care. For 15 years, the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health has continued to work toward bringing women the personalized medical attention they deserve. 

The University of Texas at Arlington’s innovative 150,000-square-foot Smart Hospital/School of Social Work Building sets the standard for nursing education in Texas. 

The facility, which opened in 2023, features dozens of medical robots capable of simulating a wide variety of situations and conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, respiratory distress—even childbirth. The immersive tools allow students the chance to best prepare for what they can expect in the workforce.

The Smart Hospital also has 25 virtual reality (VR) headsets that provide students with three levels of course experience. Thanks to the VR environment, UT Arlington nursing students can experience simulation training in everything from mental health crises to trauma-care scenarios such as cardiac arrest, in which students must shock their patients with virtual defibrillators. 

Clinical Assistant Professor Jennifer Roye, who is also assistant dean of simulation and technology in UTA’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation , said Smart Hospital technology allows students to expand their thinking.  

“That’s what simulations are about,” Roye said. “You have a safe area where you can practice these skills.” 

Though located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, the Smart Hospital—and UTA as a whole—is also emphasizing the medical needs of rural Texans. In 2024, UTA became the nation’s first university to use a new type of virtual immersion room as a nurse training tool. 

The Igloo Immersion Room is a 13-foot-by-13-foot space made of screens that transports nursing students to anywhere their care skills could be needed, all in a safe, supervised space. Housed under UTA’s Center for Rural Health and Nursing, the Igloo primarily trains students on unique rural health situations, which can range from home health visits to more serious incidents. 

“Our nursing students already use simulation in all of their clinical practice during nursing school, but this was a way for them to be able to get something that no other school has,” said Aspen Drude, manager of the Center for Rural Health and Nursing.  

UTA President Jennifer Cowley notes that the Igloo is just the latest example of UTA’s commitment to leading on the forefront of nursing education. 

“UTA is known for its innovation and the impact its nurses make across Texas,” she said. “This Igloo is one more example of our continued innovation.” 

The Smart Hospital also shares space with UTA’s School of Social Work, opening the doors to unique learning opportunities for students looking to serve others. 

“Collaborative work within this building will set the stage for the future of health care and social work,” says Tamara L. Brown, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “We know that when professionals in social work and nursing collaborate, patients have better outcomes.” 

In spring of 2024, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) celebrated a ribbon cutting to mark the opening of their newly renovated Dallas campus. The Dallas location allows Dallas–Fort Worth area students access to TTUHSC’s prestigious programs without having to journey west. The university’s ties to the region have advanced health care in Texas for years, with many TTUHSC alumni currently living in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. Now, the state-of-the-art Dallas campus is a welcoming space that area students can call their own.

Home to the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, multiple programs within the School of Nursing and the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, the newly renovated classrooms and facilities in Dallas allow top-tier health care education for students and professionals in each of these fields.

The Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy was the first TTUHSC school established in Dallas, educating students in the area since 1999. With more than 200 students in the Metroplex, learners get to pursue a wide variety of concentrations and treat a diverse group of patients in both rural and urban communities. The school proudly offers advanced research, training programs and resources, including considerable dedicated laboratory research space on the Dallas campus.

Hundreds of nursing students are living in the Dallas–Fort Worth region while completing TTUHSC programs online, at the Dallas campus and at a separate site in Mansfield. Students are enrolled in the Dallas and Mansfield-based BSN programs and online in the RN-BSN and graduate (MSN/DNP) programs. The School of Nursing also offers an accelerated BSN program, which started in 2013 and has graduated 223 students since its inception in Dallas. Cutting-edge facilities at the new Dallas campus include a simulation center, which helps students improve patient service and clinical judgment in a safe, high-tech learning environment.

The Dallas TTUHSC campus also continues to be the home base for the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, which was established to create a new approach to women’s health care and has stood beside women and their health needs for more than 15 years. Additionally, TTUHSC officially welcomed The Cooper Institute as part of its organization in November 2024 with the unveiling of its new name—the Kenneth H. Cooper Institute at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The institute focuses on research and education to promote preventive medicine across all stages of life.

The university aims to better lives in Texas by elevating Dallas, influencing and enhancing health care in markets across the state.

“Our goal for our Metroplex location is to make our nationally recognized academic instruction accessible in order to help address the shortage of health care professionals,” says TTUHSC President Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D.

With 1,314 students from the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex enrolled across the TTUHSC enterprise, the renovated facilities on the Dallas campus provide a space where students in the community can conduct innovative learning and collaborate with fellow students and professionals to help shape the future of health for the Metroplex and for the state.