HOUSTON? We have a Problem

[The ATX]

Originally Posted by JManc

Part of the UT System, yes but in no way connected to UT Austin.

Yup, people confuse the UT System with just UT-Austin. UT-Austin is by far the largest entity in the system, but there are also other large schools like UTEP, UTSA, etc. that are part of the UT System but not connected to UT-Austin.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by JManc

Part of the UT System, yes but in no way connected to UT Austin.

I think they are kind of connected.

I say that because there's a "UT Health Houston School of Public Health" right across MLK from the UT Austin campus.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2795...5410&entry=ttu

ETA:I mean, UT Health Houston isn't controlled by, or a part of, UT Austin. But there are institutional ties in a way that there are not between BCM and Baylor, who cut all ties 55 years ago.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by The ATX

Yup, people confuse the UT System with just UT-Austin. UT-Austin is by far the largest entity in the system, but there are also other large schools like UTEP, UTSA, etc. that are part of the UT System but not connected to UT-Austin.

I don't confuse them. I went to UT Austin for a short time a gazillion years ago. Seems like I spent most of my time trying to find a parking place or walking to or from a student parking lot near I-35.

ETA: Or riding those rattle-trap shuttle buses they had at the time.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

I think they are kind of connected.

I say that because there's a "UT Health Houston School of Public Health" right across MLK from the UT Austin campus.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2795...5410&entry=ttu

I worked for UTHealth for 5 years. Trust me. Not affiliated with UT Austin other than the UT System. They have branches and cooperate with other institutions; joint degree programs with (UT) MD Anderson for example. UT Austin has their own medical school now anyway. Dell.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by JManc

I worked for UTHealth for 5 years. Trust me. Not affiliated with UT Austin other than the UT System. They have branches and cooperate with other institutions; joint degree programs with (UT) MD Anderson for example. UT Austin has their own medical school now anyway. Dell.

Yeah, I know. As I added to my previous post, UT Health Houston isn't controlled by, or a part of, UT Austin. But there are institutional ties in a way that there are not between BCM and Baylor, who cut all ties 55 years ago.

I think it was unintentionally misleading (for people who don't know) to compare them to Baylor/BCM.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by JManc

UT Austin has their own medical school now anyway. Dell.

Yeah, it's just a couple of blocks from that UT Health Houston (in Austin) thing.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

Yeah, it's just a couple of blocks from that UT Health Houston (in Austin) thing.

Yeah. The SPH is pretty big and I think they have satellite campuses throughout Texas in addition to Austin. Dallas, SATX, El Paso and so on.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by Trae

But Massachusetts lifts up the Boston area because that's basically all MA has as far as major cities. The State of Texas isn't going to put that much focus on Houston like MA does with Mass, but even then every major university in Texas has their most major medical schools in Houston: University of Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, University of Houston, etc.

Totally agreed this isn't a fair comparison, and that Mass is functionally a giant city-state: no matter how far away you are from Boston, you know where your bread gets buttered. Plus Beacon Hill bends over backwards for biotech, especially the home-grown stuff. That being said, MIT is a private university, has nothing to do with the UMass system, and gets waaay more federal and private money than state grants. Same with Harvard Medical, Tufts, BU Medical, etc.

UMass' med school is in Worcester.

Originally Posted by Trae

I think the TMC can be both underrated and overrated at the same time. It's a unique area that not many cities in the country have but has been lacking in research dollars, but that has changed. I do think it is funny people thought Houston just put all their hospitals in one area so the rest of the metro lacked coverage. Every corner of the Houston metro area has several medical centers serving them.

I think this is a more realistic angle to go for. The TMC already has a few hospitals with high rankings for specific subfields of medicine; the move is to lean into these specialties even more heavily. Research dollars will eventually follow. Plus, doesn't the TMC draw large numbers from wealthy and upper middle class Mexico? That's a pretty unique value position among American biotech and medical centers.