Changing the world

Texas Medical Center rising as a global health hub: New star doc & programs gainUN notice

Peter Hotez is enough of a medical superstar that Bill Clinton knows him by hisfirst name. Now, he calls the Texas Medical Center home.

Whether it's a cancer breakthrough or the rehabilitation of a congresswoman shot on the job, the Texas Medical Center has a high national profile across nearly every advanced medical discipline. But with prestigious new programs and doctors setting up here, Houston is also making a name for itself in the world of global health initiatives, according to the United Nations Dispatch.

Where global health initiatives are concerned, Houston and Baylor College of Medicine have been home to the highly regarded Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative since 1996. With a network of clinics and satellite centers across Africa and Eastern Europe, BIPAI provides HIV/AIDS treatment for 80,000 children worldwide, more than any other program.

But that's just the beginning. This summer BCM and Texas Children's Hospital landed a coup when they recruited Dr. Peter Hotez, an expert in tropical and neglected diseases described by the Dispatch as "an international health force of nature." Hotez joined the staff at both hospitals on Aug. 1 and is serving as founding dean of the new National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, the first program of its kind in the United States.

“Dr. Peter Hotez is an iconic figure in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development,” Baylor CEO and president Dr. Paul Klotman said in announcing Hotez's hiring. “His work has impacted millions of the world’s poorest people. With his leadership in these new programs at Baylor and Texas Children’s, our commitment to global medicine is accelerated to the top tier of academic institutions. He is truly a remarkable leader.”

This summer BCM and Texas Children's Hospital landed a coup when they recruited Dr. Peter Hotez, an expert in tropical and neglected diseases described by the Dispatch as "an international health force of nature."

Dr. Hotez brings with him his nonprofit, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, which relocated its vaccine development program and 20 researchers to Houston (specifically to Texas Children's Feigin Center) from Washington, D.C. In Houston, the institute will be working on the first-ever hookworm disease vaccine.

Baylor and Texas Children's also announced earlier this year that the programs are founding a Texas Children's Center for Global Health. Led by renowned researcher Dr. Russell E. Ware, the program will focus on underserved populations to "address major causes of child morbidity and mortality globally. It will also provide screening, treatment and education to positively impact critical global health issues affecting children such as sickle cell disease, malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition and cancer." The program's first initiative will be to screen and treat children for sickle cell anemia in Luanda, Angola.

As the United Nations Dispatch points out, it's not just that Texas Medical Center programs are changing to match global health initiatives. The discipline of global health is also increasingly focused on many noncommunicable diseases that the medical center specializes in — as demonstrated by the first-ever U.N. high level meeting on noncommunicable diseases in September.

For this and many other areas of global health, many will continue to look to Houston as a leader.

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SKIN IN THE GAME

Renowned Hill Country tattoo artist inks new sacred geometry app

Photo courtesy of Dillon Forte

Dillion Forte at his "tattoo ranch" in the Texas Hill Country.

In the world of tattooing, there may seem to be few better rat traps left to build, but Dillon Forte aims to change that. In October, the renowned Wimberley-based tattoo artist and entrepreneur introduced a new iPadOS app to bring ancient symbology into the digital age.

Forte has made a worldwide name for his black dot work (a contemporary take on stick-and-poke techniques) and ambitious undertakings like tattooing underwater and opening a “tattoo ranch.” His ink appears on Usher, Chris Hemsworth, and Kehlani.

Still, he is most recognized for his sacred geometry designs, using patterns to convey various meanings. His interest led him to create the Sacred Geometry Drawing App, a convenient way for novices and experts to develop and export their creations.

The app grew out of his own practice. Over the past decade, he has used tablets and freehand techniques to achieve his highly symmetrical artwork but grew to realize existing tools were not always easy to use.

“The app is an attempt and fulfillment of my desire to make sacred geometry accessible and bring the ability to create into the fingertips of as many people as possible,” Forte tells CultureMap via email, adding a tagline: “symmetry made simply.”

He says he wished the app was available when developing his signature style as a tattoo artist, but it was designed with a broad range of users in mind. He hopes that designers, educators, and artists will find a use for it.

A short intro to the app's capabilities is available on YouTube. It looks like a standard drawing app, starting with a blank canvas and some tools like pens, pencils, colors, and of course, straight line and dot makers.

A "symmetry index" anchors the functionality and expands it to something between 2D art and 3D modeling. In addition to generating shapes like repeating patterns and spirals, the app also creates 3D shapes with grids, so that the artist can map their design in real space or even create sculptures. There is also an index for explaining the spiritual meaning of some standard designs.

“Geometry often prompts an intimidating feeling when it comes to making art,” Forte continues. “The fundamentally complex and often academic nature of math-based art can induce a sense of fear in the potential user instead of creating a sense of awe. The purpose of the sacred geometry app is to cultivate the latter."

Creatives interested in constructing their own geometric masterpieces can download the app at the App Store for free, and in-app purchases are available.

technology apps tattoos arts