2025 JUL. EDITION
A few weeks ago we welcomed the Class of 2029 to the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. They spent the first two weeks getting oriented to medical school and getting to know their classmates and our faculty and staff, and by the second week I could tell they were ready to dive into real classes. This is our fourth consecutive class of 60; beginning this year we will begin to expand the classes again to reach our target goal of 120 students per year a few years from now. This was also another first for me as Dean – since I started last September, this was my first orientation as well. It was also my first White Coat ceremony as Dean. The ceremony was joyous (and a bit raucous) as families and friends celebrated in a packed house along with our new students. Congratulations to our new student doctors! The work that is starting now is not easy – medical students need to learn an entire new language, more than 15,000 words of medical terminology and accompanying concepts. That process starts now, and I am very confident that this class is ready for the challenge.
- Jon McCullers
Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine welcomes the Class of 2029. Dean, Jonathan A. McCullers, M.D. 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 our Annual White Coat Ceremony! View a recording of the ceremony here.
The Fertitta College of Medicine was fortunate to send two MS2s, Dana Alcin and Niku Tabatabai, to the RISE: Developing Future Leaders in Academic Medicine & Science in Washington, D.C. According to Alcin and Tabatabai, “The RISE Leadership Conference was such an incredible opportunity to connect with medical students from across the nation and learn from one another. We engaged with over 80 medical students from across the country in meaningful conversations on effective storytelling, understanding each other’s temperament types, and staying grounded in our purpose.”
The Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP), a national program out of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, has officially launched its fourth annual cohort, which includes our very own MS2s, Dana Alcin and Sabrina Jones. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment!
Cori Grant, Ph.D., M.B.A., research assistant professor. Grant’s work focuses on implementation science and chronic disease management. She has extensive experience leading mixed-methods research and quality improvement initiatives across academic and industry settings. Prior to the University of Houston, she served as an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Niraj Mehta, M.D., clinical associate professor. Mehta is an internal medicine physician who will be serving as course co-director in physicians, patients, and populations (PPP). He will also be guiding clinical skills education across the curriculum. Mehta comes to us from Baylor College of Medicine, where he was a beloved educator and cared for patients at Ben Taub Hospital. Make sure to ask him about the Cupcake Man Project, a program that he started to celebrate the birthdays of patients in the hospital.
Esther Soundar, MD, M.P.H., clinical associate professor of pathology, for the department of Biomedical Sciences. Soundar will serve as a co-course director for both the Renal Course and the Hematology & Lymphatic Systems Course. In addition, she will be teaching across the curriculum, contributing her expertise to multiple areas of our program.
We continue to grow our dynamic team of consummate professionals. Let us welcome the newest members to join our college:
The UH Centennial Innovation Awards recognize and support the creativity and dedication of UH staff who drive meaningful change. Whether you’ve successfully implemented an innovative idea or have a bold new concept that could transform UH, we have this great award to honor your contributions to the University. This year, David Garcia, Rushil Daivala, and Mirla Lopez were the recipients of this impressive award.
The Houston Heart Walk is on October 25 at Helix Park and you are invited! This family and pet-friendly event is more than just a walk—it’s an opportunity to unite, take action, and save lives. The American Heart Association’s goal is to ensure that at least one person in every household is confident and prepared to perform CPR. By joining the Heart Walk, you’ll be helping to expand our reach and turn bystanders into lifesavers.
Students from the Class of 2029 visited the Houston Recovery Center (HRC) as part of their week’s Clinical Focus Session: Our Community, Our Mission. Students engaged with Chief Executive Officer, Leonard Kincaid, LCDC, LPC, MBA, who provided a tour of the faculty and answered students’ questions about services and programs that HRC provides to the Houston community. Kincaid has participated in this and other educational activities at the Fertitta College of Medicine for several years and is a treasured partner of the college.
Jamie M. Everett, M.D. was recently promoted to Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences.
David Garcia was recently promoted to Senior Director, College IT Infrastructure & Data Analytics.
Stephen Scott, M.D., M.P.H. was recently promoted to Vice Dean for Education.
The UH Health Family Care Center held its first Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) workshop, ‘What’s the MLP and How Can We Help’, in conjunction with Lone Star Legal Aid, to great success. There were roughly 20 people in attendance that were able to learn about the many free legal services that are offered by this new initiative. Keep an eye out for future workshops on the horizon.
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.
