It has been a joy to welcome our new students from the Class of 2028 this month; they started their orientation on July 15th, began their CFS-1 week on July 22nd, and we celebrated their entry into the medical profession as student physicians with the White Coat Ceremony on July 27th. They are an impressive group, and the oath they composed and recited at the end of their White Coat Ceremony provides evidence of their commitment to the values, duties and obligations of the profession, as well as their commitment to advocate for their patients and for improving the health and health care of the population. And we are committed to supporting these students throughout their time in medical school here, and to doing everything we can to ensure that they become successful, compassionate physicians! Please join me in welcoming the Class of 2028 to our College of Medicine.
- Steve Spann
Save the Date and celebrate a remarkable journey as we honor Dean Stephen J. Spann’s retirement. Let’s raise a glass to years of dedication, cherished memories, and the exciting adventures ahead! The celebration will be in ALC 1200 and Prefunction Area on August 13, 2024 from 4:30 - 6:00 P.M. RSVP will be provided soon.
"My work is in medical humanities, an interdisciplinary field that thinks critically about health-related language and practices. I joined the College of Medicine in 2020 because I care about the well-being and professional development of medical students, and I’m committed to the College’s goal of relieving the suffering of historically oppressed populations."
"What do I enjoy most? Apart from trouncing Dr. Liaw in ping-pong, my favorite aspects of this job are teaching—in the classroom, but also informally—and helping students with their creative and reflective writing."
Fun Facts About Dr. Nash A few things you might not know about me are: (1) I’ve encountered three bears, on separate occasions, in the wild; (2) I’ve been over the highest commercially rafted waterfall on the planet; (3) my wife is a super-talented veterinarian; (4) my daughter is a budding chef, actress, artist, creative writer, and yet…cannot do a somersault.
Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine welcomes the Class of 2028. Founding Dean, Stephen J. Spann and other leadership addressed incoming students and sought to inspire them as they donned the symbols of their commitment: white coats for the first time heralding the official start of their medical journeys. We are proud to present the 2024 White Coat Ceremony!
The Houston Global Health Collaborative has awarded Mathew Mendoza MS2, an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, with a Student Research and Service Grant. Mendoza has partnered with FitCuney Homes on his research project to shed light on and address the barriers and enablers to physical activity in Houston’s oldest and largest federally subsidized housing complex, Cuney Homes. The project seeks to gather insights directly from residents and community stakeholders to inform and adapt physical activity interventions for a healthier and thriving Cuney Homes and Third Ward.
The Humana Integrated Health Systems Sciences Institute hosted its annual Summer Health Equity Research Program (SHERP) which brought together 18 students from the colleges of medicine, business, education, liberal arts, and social work to create novel solutions to pressing issues in health care. Students heard from industry leaders and learned data analysis techniques that were used to quantify their assigned topics. The program culminated in a Shark Tank style competition, where students pitched their solutions to experts in the health care field. The winning team consisted of Salenah Cartier (Education), Shielene Vargas (Medicine), Ayobami Akerele (GSW), and Erica Rey (Education), who presented on Leveraging Technology to Address Mental Health Treatment. The students were coached by David Curtis, Ph.D., Sara Elkins Ph.D., and M. Mahbub Hossain M.D., M.P.H., Dr. P.H..
As Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Kristin Kassaw, M.D., has been a tireless advocate for our students, leading an exemplary team to support student academic success, well-being, career development and residency placement. As one example, she has further developed and enhanced career advising, ensured the quality and timeliness of medical student performance evaluations (MSPEs, or “Dean’s letter’) for residency applications, and led the team in following up with our students throughout the process. A successful match is of course the result of everyone’s efforts – students, staff, and faculty – and Dr. Kassaw’s leadership has been an essential component of the process. Along with continued enhancement of student academic and career advising, student wellbeing, financial aid services, and student support, she will oversee the expansion and further development of our learning communities in addition to continuing to teach and provide clinical service.
Since his arrival just under one year ago, Terrence Ma, Ph.D., M.B.A., in his role as Assistant Dean for Assessment and Quality Improvement has been instrumental in rebuilding our assessment and evaluation unit, provided timely and thoughtful leadership to our formal quality improvement processes, chaired and reorganized the work of the quality improvement committee, provided countless hours of consultation and engagement with our faculty, staff, and students, volunteered for and delivered ongoing faculty development in assessment, teaching, and learning, and played a key role in the preparation for our recent LCME site visit. With his promotion, he will continue to oversee assessment, evaluation, and quality improvement as well as formally oversee our accreditation processes, maintain ongoing review, and ensure timely and accurate reporting.
Jamie Everett, M.D., is among 40 high-achieving pathologists, pathology residents, and medical laboratory professionals under age 40 who have just been named to the prestigious American Society for Clinical Pathology 2024 40 Under Forty list.
The Texas Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP) has awarded Bich-May Nguyen, M.D., M.P.H., FAAFP, with the Diversity and Health Equity Leadership Award. This award recognizes the contributions of a TAFP member who advocates for health equity, encourage increased representation from groups historically underrepresented in medicine, and/or promote inclusivity in health care settings and in organized medicine.
Congratulations to Kathleen Guillon, Stephen Butler Ph.D., LP, CHSE, CHSOS, and Leroy Ozores on receiving a Cougar Kudos for the month of June!
We’d also like to recognize Riley Battenfield, Carlos Fuentes, Areli Mbaye, Mary Tipton, and the Office of Student Affairs for their Cougar Kudos nominations.
We are also proud to announce several well-earned promotions at the College. Congratulations to our new Clinical Professors: Omolola E. Adepoju, Ph.D., M.P.H., Donald A. Briscoe, M.D., FAAFP, Gregorio Gomez, Ph.D., Maureen Grissom, Ph.D., Jacqueline E. Levesque, A.Ed., Kimberly A. Pilkinton, M.D., M.P.H. and David Raskin, Ph.D.
The UH Health Family Care Center hosted its second Back to School Block Party with Boynton Chapel on Friday, July 26th. Local students and their families were able to pick up backpacks, school supplies and snacks and enjoyed ice cream and a vendor fair. The clinic gave away 417 backpacks and provided sports physicals and vaccines to the students. Thank you to all who helped put this event together!
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.
