The University of Texas Medical Branch

In 2002, UTMB was granted the contract to provide specialty medical services via telemedicine to the approximately 3,500 National Science Foundation (NSF) researchers and support personnel who rotate through Antarctica in a given year. The contract was awarded by Raytheon Polar Services Co. (RPS), of Centennial, Colo., the logistical support contractor – more... for the NSF in Antarctica. Through the U.S. Antarctic Program, established in 1956, the NSF maintains three year-round scientific stations in Antarctica: Palmer, McMurdo and Amundsen -Scott South Pole stations, and two ice-strengthened research vessels. The pristine environment makes the area ideal for research in a variety of disciplines, but the brutal temperatures and prevailing darkness make evacuation of sick or injured personnel often dangerous at best and impossible during much of the year. Although stations are staffed by a physician with emergency medicine experience, as well as a physician's assistant, medical resources for on-site specialty care are limited. Specialty services such as orthopaedics, neurology, ophthalmology, dermatology, urology, neurosurgery, oral surgery and vascular surgery are provided. Because of UTMB's international reputation in telemedicine, the company contacted experts at the university for assistance in installing new video and audio equipment. UTMB subsequently provided RPS with some of the equipment that was crucial for the a remote surgery, in which stateside physicians assisted a South Pole physician in repairing a worker's knee tendon damaged in a fall. – lessMore from ZoomInfo »

The University of Texas Medical Branch Employer Reviews

Working at The University of Texas Medical Branch