As we look forward to celebrating the holiday season, winding down 2022 and welcoming the New Year, I hope that you join me in finding much to celebrate as the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine community. We have a wonderful group of medical students whom we have the honor of teaching and training to become physicians; we have a dedicated faculty and staff who work hard to accomplish our college’s mission; and we have a beautiful new building that is a welcoming place to study and work. I find purpose, meaning and joy in what we are doing together, and my hope is that you do as well. I am grateful for the contribution that each one of you makes to our College of Medicine. I wish you a joyful holiday season!
- Steve Spann
Our values inform how we treat ourselves and how we treat others. At our college, the RISE values provide important guidance in shaping the future of medicine for a better tomorrow. These values are:
How do you relate to our RISE values? To be featured in next month’s edition of The Pulse, please email uhcomcom@central.uh.edu.
Congratulations to Diamondneshay Ward, third year medical student, who was elected to serve as the student representative to the Harris County Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors for 2023. She is replacing a fellow Cougar medical student, Ashlynn Mills, who served in this role for the past 2 years.
Congratulations to Breanna Chachere, third year medical student, for her appointment as the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Student Liaison to the Student National Medical Association (SNMA).
The Health Career Collaborative is an exciting and innovative link between Yates High School students and Fertitta Family College of Medicine medical students, designed to bring to life the possibilities of further studies and careers in health care. On 10/26/2022, the medical student mentors taught high schoolers about skin layers, wounds and wound care with a hands-on suturing practice. Check out our social media @uhmedicine for pictures!
Dr. Lola Adepoju was invited as a speaker, alongside NIH Health Equity Director, Dr Martin Mendoza; State Representative Donna Howard, and Austin Mayor Steve Adler at the Texas A&M University Health Equity Innovation Summit: Future Directions in Personalized Medicine, Genomics and Clinical Care Health Equity Innovation Summit – Future Directions in Personalized Medicine, Genomics, and Clinical Research+Care.
We are joyful and excited to see our team continue to grow. Let us join together to extend a warm and hearty welcome to the newest members of the college.
Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine Staff Council is committed to creating the best work environment for you. Members include: Lupita Curiel, Carla Ben, Monica McKey, Ashley Schwartz, Kara Karstedt, Mirla Lopez, Sandy Alvarez and Matt Spieldenner. We are eager to get to know you and what you value most in a work experience so that we can better represent those interests to our leaders who share our desire to provide more opportunities for professional development and career growth, while creating a more rewarding overall team experience.
We have a few events in planning for this academic year to help realize these goals. These activities are designed to strengthen our work community and advance our professional goals as we dare to unite our efforts to make building the future of medicine a reality. We encourage you to look for upcoming events and new developments in future editions of The Pulse.
The UH Health Family Care Center is available to take care of the health care needs of UH faculty, staff and their families along with residents of surrounding communities. With Fertitta Family College of Medicine faculty as providers, the clinic offers pediatric and adult primary care, women's health and mental health services, integrated behavioral health, as well as outpatient psychological and psychiatric consultation services. November marked the launch of our University and community wide marketing campaign which included features on AccessUH, UH GO, and more. As our coverage continues to expand, we are pleased to say that most major insurances are now in-network, including UH Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Select. To learn more, call 832-UHCARES or visit our website: uh.edu/familycarecenter.
Pediatric Student Interest Group visited the pediatric unit at HCA Kingwood in October. Students handed out goodie bags, played games, and visited with patients while dressed in fun costumes. We are so proud of our awesome students who are making a difference in the community.
Student National Medical Association students represented the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine and the UH Health Family Care Center at the 2022 Black Heritage Festival! The two day-long festival featured community leaders, local artists, guest speakers, exhibits, poets, and crafts people while celebrating diversity, culture and heritage.
Community Health hosted the second Tre Talk, dinner, and health discussion, for Third Ward residents. Dr. Munish Chawla, lifestyle medicine physician from Peaceful Planet, presented on diabetes prevention and healthy lifestyle. Partners included Change Happens! and Houston Praise and Worship Center. Doshi House provided three tasty, plant-based courses. Nineteen community residents participated, many from SHAPE Community Center Elders or Ambassadors groups.
The Independent Student Analysis (ISA) is a student opinion survey. It consists of 72 required items plus additional items that address issues of particular importance to students.
Students from all years in the curriculum form a student committee that is responsible for designing and conducting the survey, analyzing response data, and preparing the data tables and the narrative of the ISA report.
The ISA is one of four major components of a medical school's accreditation package. It provides a comprehensive picture of students' perceptions of their medical school.
As the year comes to a close, we would like to take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of our remarkable faculty and staff. Thank you for being a part of our community and congratulations on your achievements!
Do you have something you’d like to share college wide? Email uhcomcom@central.uh.edu with details for consideration in next month’s edition of The Pulse.
Kind regards,
Stephen J. Spann, M.D., M.B.A.
Founding Dean, Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine
UH Vice-President for Medical Affairs
Humana Endowed Dean's Chair in Medicine
