President’s listening tour visits Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital

(Photo by UTHealth Houston)

President Melina R. Kibbe, MD, visited Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital on April 27 as part of her ongoing UTHealth Houston listening tour. The visit included a walkthrough of the hospital and a town hall to engage with faculty, staff, and learners.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to visit Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and learn directly from the teams who make such a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients every day,’ Kibbe said.

To begin the visit, Kibbe met with hospital leadership for an executive overview presentation. The session provided a high-level look at ongoing initiatives, operational priorities, and opportunities for continued collaboration across clinical and academic missions.

A hub for high-impact care and clinical training

Harris Health LBJ is the busiest Level III trauma center in Texas and ranks among the top 10 in the United States, with more than 80,000 visits each year. A primary teaching hospital of McGovern Medical School, the hospital is home to 698 physicians, 166 advanced practitioners, and 1,367 residents and fellows, as well as 70 medical students from McGovern Medical School each month.

“The students love it here. They get a lot of hands-on learning with a lot of patients with complex medical conditions, and it’s very service-oriented,” said Tien Ko, MD, chief of staff at Harris Health LBJ and the Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Distinguished Professor in Surgery at McGovern Medical School.

During the tour, hospital leadership shared progress on the new John M. O’Quinn Hospital, which is slated to open in early 2029. The new hospital, which had its groundbreaking in May 2024 and a topping-off ceremony in January 2026, will meet the increasing demand for healthcare on the northeast side of Houston, as well as provide additional training opportunities for McGovern Medical School students.

Innovation at the point of care

Following the overview, Kibbe participated in a guided tour of key clinical areas, where she met with faculty and care teams to learn more about patient care delivery and innovation across departments.

The tour included stops in the emergency center, surgery department, medical intensive care unit, outpatient clinic, urgent care and ambulatory surgery center, and the Food Farmacy, which provides healthy meals, diet advice, and cooking classes for cancer patients and survivors who may be experiencing food insecurity.

At each location, clinical leaders and staff shared insights into their work, highlighting interdisciplinary collaboration, patient-centered care, and efforts to address the needs of the surrounding community.

Voices across the institution

Following the tour, the visit concluded with a town hall, where Kibbe joined faculty, staff, and trainees for a series of research presentations and an open discussion.

Faculty from surgery, emergency medicine, and internal medicine shared brief overviews of their work, underscoring the breadth and impact of research taking place across the institution.

“Harris Health has a mission to treat the most vulnerable patients and to do that while also educating the next generation,” said Jonah Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Surgery at McGovern Medical School. “The expansion of research at Harris Health, and particularly LBJ Hospital, really integrates that mission into both clinical health services research and a broader research enterprise.”

Kibbe then turned the floor over to physicians and staff at LBJ Hospital to highlight what they were most proud of in their time at Harris Health, as well as present new opportunities for growth.

A central theme of the feedback was collaboration, with many highlighting the strong partnerships that support both patient care and education at the hospital.

“The thing that I’m most proud of is all the relationships and collaboration that we have been able to make,” said Cristina Murdock, MD, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Joan and Stanford Alexander Professor in Gerontology, and interim director of the Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at the medical school.

Mohammed Zare, MD, MS, associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at McGovern Medical School and assistant chief of staff for Community Health Programs in Harris Health, added, “I’m really proud of working as a team here. We’re very collaborative, and I appreciate the school giving us an opportunity and the freedom to do what we’re good at. I’m thankful for the trust in us and letting us continue to do what we’re doing.”

Curtis Wray, MD, MS, professor in the Department of Surgery at McGovern Medical School, pointed to opportunities for continued growth as the region’s population expands and demand for care increases.

“With the expanding population in Houston, and the school’s backing, I think we can hopefully move the needle on how we take care of significant numbers of patients,” Wray said. “Everybody talks about population health management, and it’s a challenging topic, but I think we have a great opportunity to provide a lot of next-generation care for a large population.”

Kibbe’s visit to Harris Health LBJ Hospital highlighted the strength of its clinical programs, the dedication of its teams, and the shared commitment to advancing healthcare for patients across the region.

“The dedication, collaboration, and sense of purpose I witnessed throughout the visit is truly inspiring,” Kibbe said. “I look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership as we work together to advance care for the communities we serve.”