They think big in Texas. A distinguished group of physicians and medical researchers have announced an ambitious plan to build a state-of-the-art biomedical research institute and medical school in Cleveland, Texas, northeast of Houston.
The Southeast Texas Biomedical Research Institute is the brainchild of Houston cardiologist Glover O.L. Johnson, Jr., who serves as its chairman. The tall, gregarious African-American physician, an Army veteran, is passionate in the pursuit of his dream, which has the following objectives:
— Introduce breakthrough technologies for the detection, monitoring and eventual cure of emerging diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and Ebola;
— Train healthcare professionals from Third World nations to implement effective and efficient disease countermeasures;
— Conduct a multi-year study of cardiovascular disease among underserved populations in Southeast Texas;
— Build and staff a premier medical school that will actively recruit qualified minority students to address the acute shortage of physicians in the United States.
“The medical concerns we intend to address through the institute are important to all Americans,” Johnson notes. “Many life-threatening diseases such as HIV/AIDS originate in less developed countries but eventually migrate to the United States and the first line of defense is in those nations.
“Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in our country, causing more than 650,000 fatalities a year. Multi-generational studies of cardiovascular disease that are ongoing in various parts of the country have led to significant advances in prevention and treatment, and our program in Southeast Texas should lead to similar breakthroughs.”
Johnson says immigrants are helping address physician shortages in the United States, “but we have a huge untapped resource right here in America in our minority populations. Only three percent of all students accepted in U.S. medical schools are African-American and fewer than 10 percent of physicians in our region are African-American, Hispanic or Native American. When you have a serious illness, you need a qualified physician to cure you–the doctor’s race is not a factor.”
Johnson and his Board have obtained endorsement from prominent medical researchers and practitioners, as well as the enthusiastic support of the City of Cleveland. A major fundraising effort is under way, with a Gala planned for Sept. 27 in Houston. The group will host a wine and cheese reception for interested parties on May 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Red Cat Jazz Cafe, 924 Congress Street, in downtown Houston. More on the institute is available on its Web site, www.setbri.org.
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