Nine UTMB Health faculty and staff and one medical student received President's Cabinet Awards for innovative programs that will help advance the health and well-being of Galveston-area residents. Their six funded projects were presented during a banquet on September 16, 2011 at the Tremont House Hotel, Davidson Ballroom. The 2011 grant recipients are, seated from left, Jaymee Mayo, administrative director of transplant services; Jocelyn Gilmore, clinical educator II; Dr. Angela Shepherd, associate medical director, Stewart Road Family Clinic; Cheryl Bryant, assistant director nursing services; and Mary Ann Salch, President's Cabinet chair. Standing, from left, Dr. Cary Cooper, President's Cabinet awards committee chairman; Dr. William J. Calhoun, vice chair for research and director, internal medicine; Dr. Gibran Khurshid, assistant professor, ophthalmology; Diana Browning, interim vice president of ambulatory operations; Dr. David L. Callender, UTMB Health president; Dr. Walter J. Meyer, III, professor and director of psychiatry; David Darrow, fourth-year medical student; and Robert Trevino, community health worker. Not pictured: Lorena Serenil and Joshalyn Toliver, community health workers.
The 2011 award recipients are:
Check Healthy Wristband Robert Trevino
Lorena Serenil
Joshalyn Toliver
Community Health Program
Diabetics confront many challenges in their daily lives, including how and when
to test their blood glucose levels. The UTMB Community Health Program will teach
economically disadvantaged participants the skills they need to manage testing
as an integral part of their daily routine. Additionally, ID bracelets imprinted
with basic blood glucose ranges will be distributed. Since testing supplies are
a hidden cost of disease management, this program will provide a limited amount
of free testing supplies and list resources for obtaining supplies at little or
no cost.
A Team Approach to Improving the Health of the Community
Angela Shepherd, MD
Diana Browning
Ambulatory Operations
The Family Medicine Clinic on Stewart Road will provide training for medical
assistants in order to provide a higher level of service to patients. Serving as
a communication bridge between patients and staff, these "health coaches" will
work collaboratively with physicians, nurses and other health care professionals
to provide a medical home and care coordination for patients through one-on-one
interaction and follow-up support.
Development of a Joint Venture Between UTMB and Galveston
College to Train Clinical Research Coordinators
William J. Calhoun, MD
Internal Medicine
A critical shortage of Clinical Research Coordinators hampers clinical and
translational research at UTMB. To increase the availability of well-educated
and trained CRCs, this joint venture with Galveston College will support the
development of a one-year curriculum and class to prepare candidates to take and
pass one of two national certification examinations. Scholarship funds for
interested students also will be made available through this program.
Wall of Heroes – Organ Donor Memorial/Recognition
Jaymee Mayo
Transplant Services
To celebrate those who have given the gift of life at UTMB, an engravable metal
tree sculpture will be installed to recognize organ donors. Donors from the past
five years will be recognized by name on individual leaves of the metal
sculpture; the names and dates of prior donors will be displayed on a digital
frame next to the sculpture. It is hoped this memorial will subtly encourage
potential donors and honor those who have given of so unselfishly of themselves.
Community Hands at St. Vincent's Student Clinic
David Darrow, Fourth-Year Medical Student
Walter J. Meyer, III, MD
Psychiatry/Behavioral Science
In an effort to lower the no-show rate and improve the management and
coordination of patients at St. Vincent's Clinic, this program will create a
Community Health Worker position. The CHW will be trained to effectively
coordinate and follow patients and, with the help of medical students,
facilitate basic health disease management classes. A member of the community
will be chosen for this position in order to minimize social and cultural
barriers, which will allow root-cause analysis on lack of follow-up to easily
take place.
Sight to the Blind
Gibran Khurshid, MD
Ophthalmology
The most common irreversible cause of blindness, diabetic retinopathy, is a
prevalent condition in our community. To optimize ophthalmic care to Galveston
County residents, this award will outfit the St. Vincent's Eye Clinic with the
tools and medicine necessary to treat the disease or perform surgery at no cost
to economically disadvantaged patients.
The President’s Cabinet was established to provide financial resources that further UTMB’s health care mission. More than 300 members include community and business leaders from the Houston-Galveston area, UTMB faculty and staff and alumni from across the nation. Their gifts make these awards possible by providing seed money to launch initiatives designed to improve the quality and life of the community and beyond.
Annual contributions from President’s Cabinet members – $500 for junior members (age 40 and under), at least $1,000 for individuals and $5,000 for corporations, foundations and other organizations – are pooled to make the awards possible. More than $5 million has been contributed by members since 1993. Over the last 16 years, nearly 90 awards have been given to unique community programs.
For more information about the President’s Cabinet or how to join, contact Marie Marczak, UTMB director of annual giving, at 409-772-5151 or mmarczak@utmb.edu, or visit the web site at www.utmb.edu/cabinet.