Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital is pleased to welcome Ravikanth Papani, M.D., to its specialty physician group. Papani is board-certified in pulmonology, critical care, and internal medicine. He is opening a new practice – Houston Methodist Pulmonary Specialists at Clear Lake – that will focus on a range of chronic lung conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, pulmonary hypertension, sleep apnea, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Papani earned his medical degree from...

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is pleased to welcome rheumatologist Niharika Ganti, M.D., to Houston Methodist Rheumatology Associates at Aliana. Ganti comes to Houston Methodist Sugar Land from Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. She has moved her practice to the new Houston Methodist Comprehensive Care Center in Aliana, located at 10745 W. Grand Parkway South, Suite 200 in Richmond, TX. Ganti specializes in diagnosing and treating a range of rheumatological conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, psoriatic...

University of Texas System Chancellor James B. Milliken announced that William R. “Billy” Murphy, Jr., vice president, and executive officer of King Ranch, Inc., will be the new CEO of University Lands. Murphy has more than 15 years of legal and land management experience, including in the oil, gas, and mineral sector, as well as renewable resources. At King Ranch, he manages the sustained development of roughly 1 million acres that includes the largest privately-owned...

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital will start the new year by opening a multispecialty facility in Aliana. This new Houston Methodist Comprehensive Care Center is designed to meet the growing health and wellness needs of families in Richmond and surrounding areas. The facility will offer primary care and a variety of specialty care – including orthopedics and sports medicine, rheumatology, and physical therapy – complete with onsite lab services for quick and accurate test results....

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is pleased to welcome board-certified urologist Zachary Mucher, M.D. Dr. Mucher is joining Laura Martinez, M.D., at Houston Methodist Urology Associates, located in Medical Office Building 2, Suite 401 on the Houston Methodist Sugar Land campus. Dr. Mucher earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and completed his urology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He has received several awards,...

Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital is pleased to welcome gastroenterologist Valentine Millien, M.D., Ph.D., to its medical staff. Millien is opening a new office for Houston Methodist Gastroenterology Associates at Clear Lake – located at 14903 El Camino Real in the Houston Methodist Primary Care Group building – to serve patients from across the Bay Area. She specializes in a wide range of gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, including reflux, indigestion, inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel...

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is pleased to welcome board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, Joseph Elias, M.D., to its medical staff. Elias will open a new practice, Houston Methodist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Associates at Sugar Land, with two office locations on the Houston Methodist Sugar Land campus. He will treat spine and musculoskeletal injuries and perform electrodiagnostic (EMG/NCS) testing and ultrasound injections at the Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine building located in Sugar...

The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved a measure naming Dr. Ben Raimer the president of the University of Texas Medical Branch, effective immediately. Raimer was appointed interim president of UTMB in August 2019 with the expectation that he would be in the position for a short period while a national search for a new president was conducted. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit. As interim president, Raimer has steered the 130-year-old medical...