Congratulations Zainab Jimoh!

Congratulations to Zainab Jimoh who was selected as the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) Coordinator for Texas Academy of Family Physicians! Zainab will represent her fellow student members and best interests of TAFP when serving as a liaison between the resident and student leader forum, the FMIG network and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Region 1 FMIG Coordinator.

Abstract Advances to Semifinals

Elliot Flint and Nabeel Ahmad’s abstract for the Dermatology Section of the National Medical Association's Medical Student Dermatology Symposium in honor of A. Paul Kelly, MD has been selected as a semifinalist and accepted to move forward in the process of selection for Finalists and presentation at the National NMA Annual Meeting.

Welcome Dr. Bray to the Fertitta Family College of Medicine!

James H. Bray, Ph.D. joined as a Clinical Psychologist and the new Chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department. Please welcome our newest faculty member.

Dr. Starks Completes M.B.A.

Congratulations to Steven Starks, M.D., F.A.P.A. for completing his M.B.A. as part of the Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale.

Making an Imprint on Future Clinical Psychologists

Behavioral & Social Sciences Faculty Psychologists in the UH Health Family Care Center have completed year-long practicum training experiences for 7 doctoral students in clinical psychology. Bill Elder, Ph.D., Mo Grissom, Ph.D., Emaan Lehardy, Ph.D., and Dave Curtis, Ph.D. provided initial training experiences for these students in partnership with their main campus professors in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. King Judges Divisional and State Competitions

Ben King, Ph.D., M.P.H., served as the judge for the Gulf Coast Division research day and was invited to participate as one of 4 judges in the statewide competition. This was the research presentation competition for residents in all HCA residency programs, statewide. Our HCA division (GCD) swept the competition! With winners taking 1st, 2nd (tied), and 3rd place in the scores.

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:

• Daniella Hernandez joined Community Health on June 1, 2023 as a Program Manager II. Daniella is a proud Houston native with deep ties to the East End community and brings 15 years of progressive experience in social services. As a certified Community Health Worker, she has developed a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges facing communities like East End and Third Ward.
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• Yizel Mandujano joined the Community Health department as a Community Health Worker on June 1, 2023. Her role as a Community Health Worker I, is dedicated to helping those individuals and families in Third Ward and East End in search of resources and referrals that fit their unique lifestyles. As a CHW, she will ensure to provide her best by attentively listening, researching and creating a trustworthy relationship with my participants.

• Miriam Rodriguez joined the Community Health department as a Community Health Worker. Her role as a CHW will include recruiting participants, particularly members of the Third Ward and East End communities, in order to aid them in obtaining resources and help fulfill their basic needs with the goal of facilitating their pursuit of better health.
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• Michelle Pedraza Community Health Worker for the Healthy Connections/Household Centered Care Program. Michelle will work closely with students and participants in the HCC program to provide resource navigation and serve as the bridge between the College of Medicine and the Third Ward and East End communities.
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• Stefanie Lapka started as our Health Sciences Librarian on June 1, 2023. In this role, Stefanie will provide research support and evidence-based instruction and will collaboratively develop the collection of library materials available in the Information Commons.
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• Abigail Vazquez Household Centered Care Program Coordinator II, started on June 5, 2023. Abigail is a proud first-generation Latina who was born and raised here in Houston, TX., and is currently attending the University of Houston pursuing a B.S. in Health with a minor in Nutrition (expected graduation Summer '23).
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• Avani Dave Executive Director of Finance and Business Operations, started on June 12, 2023. Avani has over fifteen years of experience in higher education operations and holds a master’s in business administration. She joins us from the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design.

Take Your Child to Work Day 2023

A big thank you to our Staff Council for hosting Take Your Child to Work Day! We had 15 children join us with a special visit from Shasta! Thank you to everyone who volunteered to make this a special day for our little visitors!

TEACH-S Symposium

The Fertitta Family College of Medicine hosted the 2023 TEACH-S Symposium on June 14th. The symposium provides a forum for showcasing the scholarly innovations of the regional community educators and was a collaboration between Baylor College of Medicine, UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, UTMB Health, MD Anderson and the Fertitta Family College of Medicine.

Yates HS Sports Physicals

Dr. Grair, Dr. Reed, Dr. Steele, Dr. Zebda and medical students Cameron, Nyeomi, Sydney and Nick provided pre-participation sports physicals at Yates High School on May 22nd.

CHW Lunch and Learn

Our Community Health Workers led a lunch and learn event with UH Health Family Care Center at Cuney Homes where participants heard a presentation from the Houston Health Department on high blood pressure, met the team and even got to bust a move.

UH Health Family Care Center Hosts Back to School Block Party

Save the Date! UH Health Family Care Center will host its first Back-to-School Block Party in collaboration with Boynton Chapel on August 12th. Join us for free backpacks and school supplies, vaccines, sports physicals, music, food and fun!

UH Health Family Care Center offers primary care and behavioral health services. Call 832-UHCARES to schedule an appointment.

Our Shared Triumphs Featured in the News

• June 29: Healing Hands in Honduras: UH Medical Students Embark on Journey of a Lifetime
• June 5: Advocates shed light on safety risk to people experiencing homelessness after man beaten to death

We want to hear from you and help celebrate your successes!

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.