Texas Tech Health Check

Send us Fan Mail To celebrate Nurse Practitioner Week , we invited three NPs, Renee Garcia, APRN, Mandy Glikas, DNP, and Shawn Reeves, APRN, to describe what they do, how and why they became nurse practitioners and what advice they have for someone considering becoming one. In 2025, there were nearly 400,000 nurse practitioners. For over 60 years, nurse practitioners have been providing primary, a...

Send us Fan Mail Male infertility can be caused by a number of medical conditions, but masculinity is not one of them. Adnan Achkar, M.D. , is a urologist at Texas Tech Physicians and an assistant professor in the Schol of Medicine. He explains what male infertility is, different causes, evaluation, how they treat it and more importantly, guidance in regard to treatment and even sperm retrieval. 

Send us Fan Mail As you prepare to celebrate Halloween with your kiddos, there are some things to keep in mind as you get ready to celebrate. Trevor Bassett, M.D. , and Seth Smith, M.D. , pediatricians with Texas Tech Physicians and both assistant professors in the TTUHSC School of Medicine, are the guests for this episode. They share with us things to consider as you and your child pick out costu...

Send us Fan Mail Allergy and respiratory illness season is upon us again. How can you tell the difference between allergies, a cold and other respiratory viruses and how can you protect yourself or manage your symptoms? James Tarbox, M.D. , is an allergist and immunologist with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. Dr....

Send us Fan Mail You don't have to spend a lot of time outside this fall to enjoy the benefits to your mental health. Even a small ritual, such as lighting a scented candle which reminds you of fall helps. Why do so many of us look forward to the autumn season, when the days are shorter and the weather colder? Logan Winkelman, Ph. D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Co...

Send us Fan Mail September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Bilal Abid, M.D ., a hematologist and oncologist with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor in the School of Medicine , is our guest expert for the episode. He took the time to talk to us about blood cancers -- different types of blood cancers, symptoms, treatments, reoccurrences, and how even children are at risk and how we can s...

Send us Fan Mail About 20% of children experience bullying annually, although it's likely underreported. Now that children have been back to school for a few weeks, parents might want to check on their child for any problems at school. Our expert for this episode is James Barnett, Ph. D. , clinical child and adolscent psycholigst at Texas Tech Physicians and assistant professor in the School...

Send us Fan Mail Back-to-school sometimes means back to getting sick for some kiddos and their families. Stephanie Stroever, Ph. D. , is an assistant professor in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. Dr. Stroever tells us why back-to-school season means more people will find themselves sick and what steps we can take to prevent us and our loved ones from getting sic...

Send us Fan Mail Routine cancer screenings have been proven to lead to better health outcomes and an increase in survival rates in the U.S. Finding cancer before it spreads can significantly improve outcomes. Bayless Drum, M.D. , generalist in obstetrics and gynecology with Texas Tech Physicians and an assistant professor with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, ex...

Send us Fan Mail Aging gracefully isn't limited to what we see on the outside. Older adults are better at setting boundaries, have more freedom and emotional intelligence and fewer stressors, plus they're able to focus on what's truly meaningful. Gayle Ayers, D.O. , is a geriatric psychiatrist with Texas Tech Physicians and also is with the TTUHSC Garrison Institute in Aging Memory...

Send us Fan Mail As loneliness increases and as famous people's lives appear to have become more transparent, some people are falling into parasocial relationships. Our guest expert for this episode is James Barnett, Ph. D. , clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the TTUHSC School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. He answers guest host Haely's questions about parasocial re...

Send us Fan Mail Many of us enjoy a flavorful or tender piece of steak or even fajita tacos, but if we’re watching our budget as well as our health, what are some good alternate sources of protein? After all, everyone needs protein in their diet. Whether it’s animal based or plant-based, land or sea, pork or poultry, a powder or a bar, planning meals and snacks and making sure to include protein c...

Send us Fan Mail More than 200 million people around the world are infected with schistosomiasis , one of the neglected tropical diseases. It is caused by parasitic worms and prevalent in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia with close to 800 million people at risk for infection. If we in the U.S. are not in immediate threat of contracting the disease, why should we want to know more ab...

Send us Fan Mail Cataract surgery is one of the most common operations in the U.S. While most of us associate cataracts with older adults, anyone can get cataracts for a number of reasons. Our guest for this episode is Catherine Reppa, M.D. , ophthalmologist with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Reppa def...

Send us Fan Mail Do you wake up tired or with a headache, even after sleeping all night? You might need a sleep study. Or you just might need to improve your sleep hygiene. Terri Carroll, NP, is a nurse practitioner with Texas Tech Physicians Amarillo Sleep Clinic. She tells us why we need a good night’s sleep, gives us tips on how to get restful sleep, explains what happens during a sleep study a...

Send us Fan Mail Think about the last time your head hurt. Headaches are a common condition and one of the most common causes of pain and a major reason people miss work or school and visit a doctor according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke . There are different reasons we get headaches, different tests to learn more about the headaches and different treatments. Hyun...

Send us Fan Mail Hot flashes and sleep disturbances get most of the attention when we talk about menopause, but there are another set of symptoms that often goes completely unmentioned due to discomfort or embarrassment. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, or GSM, affects up to 87 percent of all post-menopausal women, impacting everything from pelvic comfort to urinary health. Our guest expert fo...

Send us Fan Mail Global health headlines have recently been dominated by hantavirus . With several confirmed cases and tragic fatalities, you might be wondering how this family of viruses typically associated with rural and agricultural regions appeared in the middle of the ocean. You might also wonder if you or your loved ones are at risk. Our guest expert for this episode is Tushi Singh, M.D. ,...

Send us Fan Mail Every year from May 6 - 12, we celebrate National Nurses Week . For this episode, we invited three nurses who, when combined, have over 130 years of experience. Cathy Galey, Cynthia Hester and Donna Thames sat with us and shared their insights on how they became interested in nursing, their experience in nursing school and training, challenges and changes to their careers, the imp...

Send us Fan Mail Menopause is a natural part of aging, yet it remains one of the most scary and misunderstood stages of a woman’s life. For this episode, our guest expert helps us separate fact from fiction regarding this transition. David Rogers, M.D. , an OB/GYN with Texas Tech Physicians and associate professor and vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the TTUHSC Schoo...

Send us Fan Mail April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month , and child abuse isn’t always easy to spot. For this episode, our guest expert talks to us about child neglect and its effect on children. Lynn Jennings, Ph. D. , assistant professor and assistant program director at the clinical mental health counseling program with the School of Health Professions answers our questions about neglec...

Send us Fan Mail Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the U.S., but about 8% of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society . Guest expert for this episode, Tyler Mouw, M.D., is chief and fellowship program director for the division of surgical oncology, and a surgical oncologist with Texas Tech Physicians and assistant professor in the Texas Tech University He...

Send us Fan Mail At some point, nearly all of us will experience back pain. If and how we recover depends on the type of back pain and sometimes our fear of pain. Phil Sizer, Ph. D., PT, is a physical therapist and Endowed Professor in Pain Science as well as Associate Vice President for Research Innovation at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Sizer explains the different kinds of...

Send us Fan Mail Some claim that smoking helps make them calm, but the cigarette or vape is more than likely what caused them to feel irritable and anxious in the first place. For this episode, produced by our media relations intern Haely Shirley, we find out the effects of smoking, vaping and related products on young adults bodies and their mental health and the improvement on both when you quit...

Send us Fan Mail Vasectomies are minor surgical procedures intended to provide permanent contraception. They are a simpler, faster, safer and less expensive procedure compared to tubal ligation or hysterectomy. It's also not unusual to schedule the procedure around televised sports events. Mar Moncrief, PA , urology, Texas Tech Physicians, explains what patients can expect when they undergo t...