top of page

2021-22 Fellow Projects

All of these projects can be expanded by new Fellow applicants.  If you see a project you are interested in taking over, please contact one of the Fellows listed.  Legacy projects (those that are at least in their second year of existence) are marked with an asterisk. 

Baylor College of Medicine

*Moms to Moms

Ariana Olvera (BCM), Brenna Briles (BCM) and Olivia Watson (UTHealth)

Ben Taub Hospital / Harris Health System

 

*The Pride Coalition at the Covenant House Texas

Muktha Nair and Nat Moss

Covenant House Texas

  • Developing community resources for LBGTQIA+ individuals to promote overall wellness

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact natalie.moss@bcm.edu or muktha.nair@bcm.edu

 

Block the Blaze

Shangyi Fu

John Wayne Cancer Foundation

  • Establishing a melanoma awareness program for middle and high school students

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact shangyi.fu@bcm.edu

 

 

Prairie View A&M University

Preparation for Adult Living at the Hay Center

James Jones (PVAMU) and Samira Ibrahim (TSU)

The HAY Center

  • Bridging the gaps for low-income youth in the foster system to improve success after graduation through access to resources for higher education and employment opportunities

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact jjones376@student.pvamu.edu or s.ibrahim6740@student.tsu.edu

 

Sexual Health Program at Montrose Grace Place

Daniela Ruiz

Montrose Grace Place

  • Establishing programming at Montrose Grace Place to improve the sexual health of participating 13–25-year-olds by establishing a project that will allow the individuals to become comfortable when talking about sex

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact druiz8@student.pvamu.edu

 

The Healing Power of Music

Jamahsis Hodge

Angela House

  • Using music as a tool for self-expression and healing in a community of women exiting the criminal justice system

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact jamahsishodge@ymail.com

 

 

Texas A&M University

Students for Period Equity

Maria Roque

Furr High School and Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Series (T.E.J.A.S.)

  • Establishing a peer education program for young people who menstruate including a period education curriculum

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact mariatroque@tamu.edu

​

Vaccine Equity for Black Residents of Brazos County

Jacquita N. Johnson

Brazos County Health District

  • Developing a health equity framework to apply to vaccine equity among Black residents

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact johnsonjn@tamu.edu

 

2021 Project Unity

Jonathan Thomas and Serena Joseph

Project Unity

 

 

University of Houston

Live Plants for Meals on Wheels Participants

Tanner Raab

Northwest Assistance Ministries & Meals on Wheels

  • Increasing the sense of purpose, establish a healthy routine, and expose Meals on Wheels participants to a new hobby by delivering live plants to homebound senior citizens

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact tanner.g.raab@tcu.edu

 

Sexual Violence Prevention & Education (SVPE) Peer Education

Laura Reid

University of Houston Wellness

  • Providing training and workshops to reduce the prevalence and frequency of sexual violence on campus and beyond

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact laura.reid.2020@gmail.com

 

The Women's Wellness Program

Kala Pham

New Hope Housing

  • Providing targeted programming and resources to recently homeless women to improve their health behavior

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact phamkala@gmail.com

 

Addressing Human Trafficking in Houston

Faith Huynh (UH), Debora Kim (UTHealth) and Kalia Pannell (UTHealth)

The Landing

​

Women’s Mental and Physical Wellness Program

Saba Yazdi

Olive Branch Muslim Family Services

  • Supporting immigrant and refugee women’s mental and physical wellness as well as integration into social systems in the local community

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact sabayazdi@gmail.com

 

*Bead WELL

Blake Christensen

New Hope Housing

  • Expanding the beading class project to a new location providing more residents an opportunity to alleviate stress while expressing their creativity and improving focus and dexterity

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact blchris2@central.uh.edu

 

Operation Fusion: Blending Culture and Health

Olivia Tran and Rani Nune

Amaanah Refugee Services

  • Empowering refugee/immigrant adolescents to harmonize U.S. and home country cultures when setting personal health goals

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact oliviautran@gmail.com or raninune12@gmail.com

 

 

Texas Southern University

Preparation for Adult Living at the Hay Center

Samira Ibrahim (TSU) and James Jones (PVAMU)

The Hay Center

  • Bridging the gaps for low-income youth in the foster system to improve success after graduation through access to resources for higher education and employment opportunities

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact s.ibrahim6740@student.tsu.edu or jjones376@student.pvamu.edu

 

Vaccine Awareness, Access, and Acceptance Training Initiative

Tolulope Adebusuyi

East Harris County Empowerment Council

  • Implementing a Vaccine Awareness, Access, and Acceptance Training Initiative for Black and Hispanic residents in the area

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact t.adebusuyi2102@student.tsu.edu

 

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center

Addressing Human Trafficking in Houston

Debora Kim (UTHealth), Kalia Pannell (UTHealth), and Faith Huynh (UH)

The Landing

​

*Moms to Moms

Olivia Watson (UTHealth), Ariana Olvera (BCM), and Brenna Briles (BCM)

Ben Taub Hospital / Harris Health System

 

Oral Health Program at PAIR Houston

Andrea Pajarillo and Elvira Nworah

Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees (PAIR) Houston

 

Kindle

Jeff Jin

YES Prep North Central Elementary

  • Providing a foundation for psychosocial health and academic literacy in low-SES and heavily bilingual/immigrant populations through a 1-on-1 reading curriculum

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact jeff.w.jin@uth.tmc.edu

 

Music Therapy at Treemont Retirement Community

Sung-Hoon Park

Treemont Retirement Community

  • Addressing social isolation for residents of long-term assisted living homes

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact sung-hoon.park@uth.tmc.edu

 

*Connecting Seniors to Care

Carlos Tovar and Luciano Posada

Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston

 

COVID-19 Disaster Outreach in Hard-To-Reach Immigrant and Refugee Communities in Gulfton and Southwest Houston

Andrea Augustine

Culture of Health- Advancing Together (CHAT)

  • Increasing equity in health communication, data collection, and reporting in underserved immigrant and refugee communities of Southwest Houston, specifically Gulfton

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact Andrea.Augustine@uth.tmc.edu

​

Low Vision Support Group

Grace Kuang

Dan Arnold Center for Low Vision and Vision Rehabilitation

  • Creating a support group for patients with visual impairment and caregivers

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact grace.kuang@uth.tmc.edu

 

*Let's Talk About It

Carol Jacob

New Hope Housing

  • Sustaining a mentorship program for adolescents at risk for homelessness that builds awareness and confronts the underlying social and psychological circumstances that affect sexual health

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact carol.jacob@uth.tmc.edu

 

Health Programming at New Hope Housing

Rachel Obimah

New Hope Housing

  • Empowering individuals who are at risk for homelessness to gain coping mechanisms to deal with stress, break unhealthy habits, develop a deeper understanding about health

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact rachel.n.obimah@uth.tmc.edu

 

*Oral Hygiene Intervention for Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke Patients

Ann Seelbach and Sydney Pham

TIRR Memorial Hermann

  • Continuing the Fellowship project to provide oral hygiene instruction (OHI) and hygiene tool modifications for stroke and acute spinal cord injury patients to improve wellness and promote independence

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact ann.seelbach@uth.tmc.edu or sydney.e.pham@uth.tmc.edu

 

Art Stories!

Maria Vigil-Mallette and Matthew Usevitch

Culture of Health- Advancing Together (CHAT)

  • Implementing an art therapy curriculum to promote healthy behaviors as well as explore topics that empower emotional resiliency

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact mvigil@bcm.edu or matthew.usevitch@bcm.edu

 

Addressing Loneliness among Nursing Home Residents

Sreelekha Paladugu

Holly Hall Retirement Community and St. Dominic Village

  • Addressing loneliness among nursing home residents by pairing them with medical student volunteers for conversation, friendship, and support

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact sreelekha.paladugu@uth.tmc.edu

 

 

The University of Texas Medical Branch

Increasing Mammogram Screening Rates among Homeless Women

Pooja Agrawal

Luke Society Free Clinic

  • Increasing mammogram screening rates among homeless women

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact poagrawa@utmb.edu

 

Exercise Classes at St. Vincent's Clinic

Vivian Rojas and Ayeesha Mohammed

St. Vincent’s Clinic

  • Conducting exercise classes at St. Vincent’s Student Clinic

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact vnrojas@utmb.edu or acmohamm@utmb.edu

 

Galveston Street Rounds

Mario A. Zuniga Palma and Dakota Rodgers

Galveston Central Church

  • Addressing homeless health in Galveston, Texas by establishing an outreach Street Medicine Street Rounds program for those experiencing homelessness

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact marzunig@utmb.edu or darodger@utmb.edu

 

Connect at UTMB

Sheina Duncan and Matthan Moy

Galveston ISD

  • Creating a partnership between UTMB and Galveston ISD through a STEM mentorship program to teach the students through interactive, fun workshops and inspire them to dream big

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact shduncan@utmb.edu or mamoy@utmb.edu

 

Food Farmacy

Christine Crumbley

St. Vincent’s Clinic

  • Developing a Food Farmacy model to address food insecurity in chronic heart failure patients

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact cacrumbl@utmb.edu 

 

*Comprehensive Congestive Heart Failure Clinic

Frederick Ditmars and Grayson Jackson

St. Vincent’s Clinic

  • Creating and implementing a comprehensive congestive heart failure clinic, preventative program

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact frditmar@utmb.edu or grrjacks@utmb.edu

 

Community Refrigerated Food Program in Galveston

Nicole Michael

Site pending

  • Establishing a community refrigerator in Galveston to be stocked and supported by the community

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact nnmichae@utmb.edu

 

*Heart Failure Discharge Transition Program

Ariana Gilani and Jenna Reisler

St. Vincent’s Clinic

  • Establishing a Comprehensive Heart Failure Discharge Transition Program at the St. Vincent’s Clinic

  • If interested in continuing/expanding this project, please contact arianagilani@gmail.com or jdreisle@utmb.edu

bottom of page