2025 JUN. EDITION
Welcome to the summer as we prepare for the matriculation of our sixth class of students next month. With the 89th Texas State Legislature recently concluding, I am proud to report that the Legislature has recognized our progress and the journey ahead to reach our full capacity of enrolling 120 students per year. We successfully advocated for additional funding to support our ongoing expansion, and the State has granted us an additional $30 million over the next biennium for growth. Approximately two-thirds of this funding will be allocated towards personnel, including new faculty and staff positions.
In the coming year, we will be hiring several new educators, including Assistant Deans of Foundational Science, Teaching and Learning Innovation, and Clinical Skills. New staff members will join us to further our collective efforts. The Family Care Center will expand its services with the addition of a new pediatrician and OB-GYN. Our research initiatives will also grow, as we plan to hire several new research-intensive faculty members and conduct a research strategic planning process over the summer.
This is a significant moment for the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, and I am delighted to share it with you!
- Jon McCullers
We are excited to share that we have successfully migrated and launched the new website software, Modern Campus, which is a university-wide effort. You have probably noticed by now that our website has a new look and feel, which is a result of the migration. Thank you for your patience while we implemented this new change.
This session is designed for hiring managers interested in learning best practices for recruiting top candidates for their open positions. Two sessions will be available in July to attend. Participants will only need to sign up for one of the options provided, either July 17 or July 24.
The Class of 2029 is having an ice cream social on July 14 at 12:30 p.m. and the whole college is invited. Join the newest class to enter the college and help welcome them while enjoying a refreshing treat.
MS3 Ethan Blythe served with ‘Doctor of the Day’ at the Texas state capitol. On his experience, he commented that “it was a great experience! I attended with Dr. Jorge Duchicela as part of my rural rotation. I had the opportunity to be introduced on the floor of the House and Senate and then saw both representatives and their staff in clinic throughout the day.”
The Class of 2028 celebrated their last day of classes for the 2024-2025 academic school year. Congratulations as you continue your medical education journey and are one step closer to finishing your medical degrees.
Jennifer Ezuruike, MS2, attended the Society for Investigative Dermatology annual conference and presented her group’s work on whether calcium channel blockers might play a role in triggering stasis dermatitis, a chronic and itchy rash that affects the lower legs. They’re exploring this unexpected connection to help improve both heart and skin health.
Kaylah Perez (MS3), Mariana Garcia (MS1), and Kaylyn Calderon (Incoming MS1) were all recently awarded scholarships from the Hispanic Health Coalition! These honors reflect their dedication to primary care and community-focused service. From hands-on involvement to academic achievement and leadership, each student represents our mission to improve health in underserved areas across Texas.
Diego F. Alvarez, M.D., Ph.D. is “thrilled to announce the triumphant completion of our revamped pre-matriculation program, and we couldn't be prouder of the brilliant students and dedicated executive team who made it all happen. A huge round of applause and heartfelt kudos to all the students for their hard work and commitment. And a massive thank you to them for trusting us with the opportunity to guide and train such a talented cohort. We can't wait to see the amazing things they'll accomplish!”
Niazur Rahman, Ph.D., MSc, M.D., clinical assistant professor for anatomy for the department of Biomedical Sciences.
The Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute's Community Conversations event was this past month in Kashmere Gardens. We had a massive turnout with our community members, representatives from all over the city, folks from the commissioners office, including Adrian Garcia and representatives from Rodney Ellis's as well, SETRAC, and Baylor College of Medicine.
Lola E. Adepoju, Ph.D., M.P.H., chaired one of the keynote sessions at the recently completed AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. The session, titled 'Health Equity, Performance Metrics, and Insurers', brought together a diverse group of experts—from health care providers, researchers and insurers to community and faith leaders—each offering a unique perspective on what it takes to move from intention to action. We explored the challenges of standardizing social needs metrics, the role of payers in advancing access, and how to embed performance measures that reflect the realities and needs of the people we serve.
We continue to grow our dynamic team of consummate professionals. Let us welcome the newest members to join our college:
David del Pino, director of education technology, and Colin Davis, Ph.D., instructional designer II, presented their research on ‘Change Management for low resistance: a collaborative and relationship-building framework’ at the 2025 Information Technology in Academic Medicine Conference sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Information Resources.
The College of Medicine helped host the Joint Admissions Medical Program (JAMP) students this summer. The program is a joint effort between the medical schools and the public and private universities of Texas. JAMP assists students in acquiring the skills and knowledge to be successful by providing mentoring, summer enrichment programs, scholarships, and ultimately, acceptance to one of the Texas medical schools. Pictured are this year’s attendees at a celebratory dinner for the completion of the program.
Diego F. Alvarez, M.D., Ph.D., is “delighted to extend a huge welcome to the very first Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) students joining the college! Please join us in celebrating Kaylyn Calderon and Rose Greze, who have officially joined our ranks as admitted medical students. Kaylyn and Rose recently completed our pre-matriculation program, and we were incredibly impressed. They both demonstrated exceptional preparation and maturity throughout the course, truly setting a high bar for our incoming classes.
The future of our program is in incredibly capable hands with students like Kaylyn and Rose leading the way. We're so grateful to these talented ‘JAMPers’ for allowing us to train them and be a part of their journey into medicine!”
Health Commons Academic and Community Circles, along with other partners, planned and hosted the “Feeding Our Future” film documentary and dinner to raise awareness and funds for food security in the Third Ward. Held at the Third Ward Multiservice Center, approximately 100 partners and residents attended.
Avani Dave, Executive Director, Business and Finance Operations, was recently selected to participate in the 2025–26 National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). Congratulations to Avani on such a prestigious and exciting opportunity.
The UH Health Family Care Center staff participated in the Basic Life Support (BLS) Training facilitated by the University of Houston Fire and Safety Department. We aim to have each clinic team member trained and certified to provide basic life support in the case of emergencies. As noted by the American Heart Association, “CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.”
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.
