Gift Bag Collections

Every year, the UH Health Family Care Center hosts a holiday effort for our patients, many of whom may struggle to provide gifts or holiday meals for their families. This year, we are hosting a donation drive called "Giving Season" where you will have the opportunity to create care package gift bags for the patients we see in December! There are still a few days left to pick up a bag and spread some joy this year to our patients!

Gift bags can be picked up and dropped off at the Family Care Center or the College of Medicine (Dean’s Office). Each gift bag has a list of six items attached; we ask that you purchase 4 of the 6 items and check off what has been purchased before returning to the drop-box.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Rebecca Negri.

Upcoming Town Hall

Join us on Monday, December 1st from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. in TBL 2100 for an important town hall. Dean McCullers and Vice Dean Scott will open the session with key updates you won’t want to miss, followed by additional insights from faculty on accreditation and the current state of the college. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and receive real-time answers. We hope to see you there!

Holiday Appreciation Luncheon

Mark your calendars! UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine will host its annual holiday appreciation luncheon on Tuesday, December 2.

Office of Research Update

The Office of Research is proud to announce that they are now processing requests via our Zendesk ticketing system. For any questions or concerns moving forward, please email uhcomor@central.uh.edu.

American Public Health Association Annual Meeting

Our students Genardine Arizala and Surabhi Kumthekar recently presented their research at the APHA Annual Meeting and Expo in Washington, D.C. Their study, “VESSEL: Piloting a Wellness Group with Vietnamese American Elders,” explores how tailored wellness groups can help older Vietnamese American adults improve mental health and access the care they need. The meeting and expo is a national platform where more than 10,000 public health experts share research.

Pulse4Life at the TAFP

Camilla Argueas, MS3, presented her research at the Texas Association of Family Physicians (TAFP) conference this month. Arguedas represented the college while speaking about the Pulse4Life cardiovascular screening initiative. Her presentation was titled 'Bridging the Gap: From Cardiovascular Screening to Continuity of Care, The Pulse4Life Initiative —A Community-Based Primary Care Model for Underserved Populations in Houston’s East End.'

Prestigious Appointment Announced

Breanna Chachere, MS4, was selected to serve on the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Commission on Health of the Public and Science from December 15, 2025 to December 15, 2026.

Service Learning Project

The Teddy bear hospital suture clinic Service Learning Project was a huge success! The session was hosted by Suture Surgical Collaborative and sponsored by Student Affairs. HCA residents Dr. Qaraqe PGY-1 and Dr. Hayes PGY-2 led an interactive suturing session where medical students practiced their new skills on teddy bears which were donated to the women’s hospital children’s ER.

Healthcare for the Homeless

Students, faculty, and staff joined in celebrating 25 years of compassion, connection, and progress at the Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston 25th Anniversary Luncheon, honoring an incredible legacy of care in our community.

Presentation at Texas Medical Center Conference

Stephen Scott, M.D., M.P.H., recently presented at the Envision Showcasing Healthcare Innovation Conference at the Texas Medical Center. This annual conference shines a light on how healthtech companies within the world’s largest medical complex are shaping the future.

Learn Serve Lead

Jacqueline E. Levesque, A.Ed., presented 'The Practical GME Finance Primer: Understanding Medicare GME Funding' at the Association of American Medical Colleges Learn Serve Lead Conference 2025.

Welcome New Staff to the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine!

We continue to grow our dynamic team of consummate professionals. Let us welcome the newest members to join our college:

• Amanda Elizondo, community health worker II, Household Centered Care/Healthy Connections, Community Health. A Corpus Christi native, she has several years of experience supporting families across South Texas by providing health education, advocacy and support. In this new role, she will be responsible for participant recruitment, community and participant engagement, and facilitating participant home visits.


• David Palmer, research tech supervisor. In his new role, David will be working with Ben King, Ph.D., M.P.H., a team of investigators and clinicians at UH and Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston to coordinate the AHA-funded implementation study of hypertension guidelines in a clinic for patients experiencing homelessness.


• Snigda Pervala, graduated from the University of Houston in 2025 with her master’s in engineering data science and began working at the College of Medicine in 2024 as a student worker. Snigdha was recently hired full-time, as an Instructional Manager in Biomedical Sciences, where she will be working in anatomy, research and data analysis.

Association of American Medical Colleges Conference

Faculty and staff from the College of Medicine attended Learn Serve Lead: The AAMC Annual Meeting, joining academic medicine leaders from across the nation to share ideas, insights and innovation in medical education.