Bonnie Petrie
Bioscience & Medicine Reporterbonnie@TPR.org
BlueSky: @bonniepetrie.bsky.social
Bonnie Petrie covers bioscience and medicine for Texas Public Radio and is the host of the Petrie Dish podcast, which explores the intersection of science, medicine, and life in the 2020s. She also brings you the latest research happening at UT Health San Antonio in a weekly report called Science & Medicine.
Bonnie grew up on the Canadian border in northern New York, but called Texas home for more than 20 years. She has twice been nominated for the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in recognition of her work in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, but claims she's still too young for all that. She has also received many Edward R Murrow, Associated Press, and other journalism awards. She and Petrie Dish have been honored with several Gracie Awards from The Alliance for Women in Media, including personal recognition as the best host of a local show in the nation.
Bonnie is mom to a college student, two dogs, two cats and spends her free time solving family mysteries using genetic genealogy.
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Chronic kidney disease with no clear cause is killing young people who do physical labor in Central America at an alarming rate. A UT Health San Antonio researcher has spent a decade looking for answers, and this summer, he'll study similar workers in San Antonio to see if clues he uncovers here can save lives there. -
One of the handiest tools in our immune system is an enzyme called apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide — better known as APOBECs.
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The same mRNA technology President Trump called a medical miracle is now under attack by his own administration, and the stakes go far beyond vaccines. TPR's Bonnie Petrie talks with two San Antonio scientists about the technology's history, its current uncertainty, and its future potential. -
No candidate in either crowded field cleared the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff. -
A new center for the study of chronic infectious diseases aims to develop treatments for illnesses like Valley fever, tuberculosis, HIV, and Long COVID that disproportionately affect South Texas communities. Led by Dr. Barbara Taylor, the center seeks to attract top researchers and serve as a hub for clinical trials and community-focused care.
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In March, around 90% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, which has been linked to serious physical and mental health challenges. What is vitamin D? How do you get it? What can happen if you don't get enough? What is enough? TPR's Bonnie Petrie talks about her own March madness with a Boston University doctor who has been studying this chemical — that isn't actually a vitamin — for decades. -
Exercise can improve function and slow disease progression in people with Parkinson's disease, but why? A UT Health San Antonio researcher is studying patients who exercise and play virtual reality games to see if she can figure out the answer.
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A study of two groups of 70-year-olds found that branched-chain amino acids combined with exercise improve physical function and quality of life. Exercise alone did not.
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The diversion center would focus on low-level offenders who have untreated mental illness, intellectual or developmental disorders, or substance use disorders. The goal would be to ease jail overcrowding while saving taxpayers money and improving outcomes for those who avoid jail. -
From COVID-19 research to Parkinson's disease therapies, these statistical experts turn numbers into answers, helping doctors make evidence-based decisions that improve patient care.
