2025 APR. EDITION
In the next few weeks we will be graduating our second class of physicians from the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. This will be my first commencement as Dean, and I couldn’t be prouder of our graduates. Commencement marks a profound milestone, celebrating years of intense study, personal sacrifice, and professional growth. It signifies not just the completion of an academic journey, but the formal entry into a lifelong commitment to continued learning, care for patients, and giving back to the community. This transition point honors the resilience and dedication of graduates, while also acknowledging the trust society places in them as future physicians. I look forward to joining our graduates as they celebrate with family, friends, and their teachers in the College.
- Jon McCullers
Please join us at the next Professional Development Lunch & Learn event on Thursday, May 29, from 12 PM to 1 PM to learn about "Recovering from Perfection: Using Principles of Emotional Intelligence to Cope with Life's Greatest Wins and Losses." The event will take place at TBL 2100 on the 2nd Floor.
Registration is required to ensure all participants receive their complimentary lunch. Please be sure to RSVP here by Friday, May 23.
Congratulations to Iliana Sanchez, MS4, for receiving the Outstanding Medical Student in Emergency Medicine award from the Texas College of Emergency Physicians (TCEP)! This honor highlights her exceptional clinical and academic performance during the emergency medicine (EM) rotation, impressive USMLE Step 2 scores, and dedication to the field through involvement in EM-focused extracurriculars.
Big congratulations to the Fertitta College of Medicine students awarded Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) Alliance Scholarships by the Texas Medical Association! Your dedication to service, academic excellence and community care is shaping the future of medicine!
Hannah Winter, MS2, presented her research on "Perceived Social Support and Health Behaviors Among Black Adults: Stress and Loneliness as Mediating Factors" at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Conference.
Raven Hollis, MS1, attended the Student National Medical Association’s Annual Medical Education Conference and presented her research on distal radius fractures.
Brendan Rosamond, MS3, was recently selected to be on Medical Student Task Force (MSTF) and the Committee on Medical Student Education’s (CMSE) medical student liaison of the American College of Surgeons. Congratulations on such stellar achievements.
Michelle A. Carroll Turpin, Ph.D. along with her colleagues and co-PIs at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and College of Education were recognized at the President’s Circle Award ceremony for having been awarded almost 2 million dollars in grant funding through the National Science Foundation for two STEM mentorship programs, STEM RISE and RESET in STEM. Pictured LR are colleagues and co-PIs- Jacqueline Ekeoba, Ph.D., Michelle Carroll Turpin, Ph.D., Donna Stokes, Ph.D., April L. Hawkins-Peters, Ph.D., and Mariam Afzal Manuel, Ph.D.,
Ben King, Ph.D., M.P.H has recently had his new research, Optimal Delay Time to Initiate Anticoagulation After Ischemic Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation: A Pragmatic, Response-Adaptive Randomized Clinical Trial, published in the online JAMA Neurology journal.
Lani K. Ackerman, M.D., has recently returned from a remote medical school in Nepal. While there, she assisted in teaching, course development, and faculty development of new courses in medical ethics and clinical skills and communications.
Omolola E. Adepoju, Ph.D., M.P.H., recently received a grant from the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) to present her work on Comparing Healthcare Systems in Ghana and the U.S.: Lessons for Equity, Access, and Policy.
We continue to grow our dynamic team of consummate professionals. Let us welcome the newest members to join our college:
“My whole family needed support — physically, mentally and socially,” Hutcherson says. “After years of searching, we found it all in one place at UH. Their collaborative, holistic approach to health care is transforming one family at a time.” Learn more about how the UH Health Family Care Center is helping Hutcherson and others in our community.
David S. Buck, M.D., M.P.H., is leading a team to help fundraise for the American Heart Association (AHA) Health Walk this fall. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help or participate, please visit their team site or contact him at dsbuck@central.uh.edu.
April 4 was Community Health Worker (CHW) Day, and we want to shout out to our team of CHWs who are committed to empowering, educating and advocating for our neighboring communities. Thank you for your passion for improving access and use of social, community and health resources!
Nisa Watts was recently promoted to program manager II – LIC. In her new role she will oversee and support the dedicated program coordinators across all six LIC clerkships—Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Surgery. Additionally, she will collaborate closely with clerkship directors, clinical preceptors, and key stakeholders to enhance the program’s structure and effectiveness. Congratulations on your promotion!
The UH Health Family Care Center sponsored a privacy fence banner for Blackshear Elementary, a local school. This partnership is a big step for the clinic as it builds strong relationships in the Third Ward!
Faculty and staff from the Family Care Center and College of Medicine and students from the college came together for Black Men's Wellness Day, a health-screening focused 5K. Over 400 men were screened for common health issues, like high blood pressure and diabetes. The clinic was able to provide educational materials and scheduled several new patients.
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.
