This issue of The Pulse highlights several examples of our medical students’ leadership, service learning and community engagement. I am very proud of all the contributions that our medical students make to improving the health and health care of our population. I believe that these experiences are preparing them to be leaders in their future practices, the communities they will serve and the broader health care system. Through these experiences, they are developing knowledge, attitudes and skills typically not learned in traditional classroom or clinical learning settings. Thank you, medical students, for all that you do to help the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine accomplish our mission!
- Steve Spann
Kennedi Wilson MS4 and Sidnee Wilson MS2 were awarded $4,500 through the UH Population Health Graduate Student Mini-Grant program for their Back-to-School Bash project which their student organization, VOICES, first hosted in 2021. Last Fall, VOICES was able to serve approximately 400 individuals and families in the Third Ward Community. For more information on this initiative, view the final report for the project.
Amber Hurd M2 and Isabella Martingano M2 were asked to speak about their project with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship at their Celebration of Service event. They are working with Legacy Community Health to create a video series for their adolescent health clinic highlighting various topics from STI screening to navigating health insurance and advocating for oneself. They have helped recruit a group of teen ambassadors to help them write the scripts and appear in the video series. It's a modern way of not only educating this age group, but also empowering them to spread and educate their own peers.
MS2 students Amani Halawa, Annabella Awazi, and Jessica Medrano won first place at the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Annual Session & Primary Care Summit. Their research was a part of the Summer Health Equity Research Program (SHERP) through the Humana Institute, and they were mentored by Omolola Adepoju, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Jiangtao Luo, Ph.D.
The Med Gala will be on Saturday, February 17 and is only open to students. To purchase your ticket, please click here.
Sara Elkins, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, is a clinical associate professor in the Department of .
Ramiro Echeverry, M.D., emergency medicine physician, clinical assistant professor in the Correctional Health Division of the Department of Clinical Sciences.
Jacqueline Levesque, A.Ed., presented at the Association of American Medical Colleges Conference, Learn Serve Lead segment. This is the first time that anyone from the Tilman J. Fertitta College of Medicine has lectured at the national meeting
Winston Liaw, M.D., M.P.H., was the Pre-Conference Workshop Keynote speaker discussing the critical role of researchers in shaping the future of artificial intelligence in primary care at the North American Primary Care Research Group.
Kevin Rowland, Ph.D., is working with Swansea University (located in Wales, UK) to pioneer the College of Medicine’s first international research exchange program. Participants will spend one month working at the exchange school on biomedical science-based research projects, with the first exchange anticipated to occur in the summer of 2024.
Amber Zulfiqar, M.D., M.Ed., graduated last December from the University of Houston College of Education and received a Master’s Degree in Education.
We continue to grow our dynamic team of consummate professionals. Let us welcome the newest members to join our college:
The Monthly Staff Council Meeting will be held on February 1, from 1 to 3 p.m. All staff members are encouraged to attend and learn more about the University. If you would like to present questions to the Staff Council prior to the meeting, please submit them here.
Spearheaded by the Family Medicine Interest Group, with assistance from the Emergency Medicine Interest Group and the Orthopedic Surgery Student Interest Group, Fertitta Family College of Medicine students volunteered at the Chevron Houston Marathon earlier this month. Student volunteers were at the Medical Aid stations based along the race course to provide necessary relief. At the aid stations, they assessed and provided treatment for patients as needed. They typically required TLC and/or minor care such as getting their blood pressure checked, icing muscle cramps and hydration.
The Healthy Connections team hosted their third Health Education Lunch & Learn Series for Cuney Homes residents in collaboration with the Houston Health Department, Houston Housing Authority, We Rise for Our Future Cuney +3rd Ward and Healthier HOU. The workshop “Say ‘No’ to Stress” featured information about the different types of stress, how they might increase over the holidays, how to manage stress, mental health awareness and resources and services in the area. The UH Family Care Clinic joined us to provide resources and information on the behavioral health services available in the clinic. Over 45 residents joined the team and are looking forward to future series in the spring. Previous workshops included High blood Pressure and Diabetes educational information.
College of Medicine students were at the Compress & Shock event at Boynton Chapel United Methodist Church. They taught members of our community proper CPR technique and how to effectively use an AED machine.
LCME Full Accreditation Survey Visit
“First and foremost: THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Mock Site Visit, with particular acknowledgement to Wendy Evans for her expert logistical preparations, Leslie Rojas and Tres Radford for their support throughout the visit, and all who worked so hard to get our DCI completed and submitted.
I’ve said before and will say again: everyone in the College of Medicine, whether you think you do or not and whether you meet with the LCME or not, has a role in our accreditation. The activities that we are doing now are to document and capture all of the activities that each of us do every day, which is the true work of accreditation. Everyone in the College of Medicine has a lot to be proud of. While we spend most of our time focused on the problems and the things that have gone wrong, we have done a lot of things right and we need to remember that.”
Donald Briscoe, M.D., FAAFP Associate Dean, Medical Education
Thank you to everyone that helped make the FCC’s first ever Jolly Holiday Party a massive success!
At the University of Houston, we care about you. In addition to you practicing self-care, we believe in the strength of a community that cares for our fellow Coogs. We have a number of resources to support your mental health and overall wellness. Learn more about our available resources here.
Need Support Now?
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call CAPS crisis support 24/7 at 713-743-5454, or for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline call or text 988, or chat online at 988 Lifeline Chat and Text.
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.
