Six projects that address pressing health needs in the region received a University of Texas Medical Branch President’s Cabinet award at the recent UTMB Health President’s Cabinet Award Celebration & Member Appreciation Reception.
The awards will go to 21 UTMB faculty, staff and students working on the winning projects.
This year, the projects include improving pregnancy care, a child safety seat program, a pediatric toy box, and a public health summer camp, among other worthy initiatives.
“It is truly great to see how committed UTMB’s students, faculty and staff are to helping others and to see the support the community gives back to them,” said Dr. Jochen Reiser, UTMB President and CEO of the UTMB Health System. “The projects awarded will improve the lives of the people who live in our local communities.”
The President’s Cabinet was formed in 1993 to increase discretionary funding for emerging priorities and provide an avenue for UTMB and the community to work together in support of promising initiatives. The more than 300 members, which include faculty, staff, community members, alumni and others, have provided over $6 million in seed grants to 184 developing community programs.
For more on the President’s Cabinet, go to the President’s Cabinet's website
The 2024 award recipients are:
Baby Steps - Aiming to Improve Pregnancy Care
Jacob Moran, MD, PhD
Benjamin Bush, MD
Leah Saylor, MD
Sangeeta Jain, MD
Kathleen Vincent, MD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Despite the advanced, high quality medical care available in the United States, disparities in birth outcomes still exist. This program aims to develop a group-care model for prenatal care with goals to improve overall patient satisfaction and health literacy related to pregnancy and the postpartum period and reducing potentially preventable adverse outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight and infant mortality. Year one will start spring 2025 and focus on Galveston's Regional Women Service and Pediatrics clinics (RWSP). Year two will expand into the RWSP clinics in the Beaumont area.
Child Safety Seat Program
Lt. Shawn Carr
UTMB Police Department
For many years, the UTMB Police Department has assisted patients and visitors with the proper installation of child safety seats. In addition to making sure the seats are installed correctly and secured, the department has also provided low-income families of infants born to UTMB hospitals in Galveston and Clear Lake with a seat free of charge. To continue this effort, President's Cabinet funds will purchase 100 seats with the ability to serve up to 100 families for the next two years.
Pediatric Toy Box for Day Surgery
Lindsey Eustace, Nurse Clinician IV
UTMB Victory Lakes Surgery-PreOp & PACU
Pediatric patients undergoing surgery experience heightened stress and anxiety, impacting their well-being and recovery process. The Pediatric Toy Box initiative provides a diverse selection of age-appropriate toys, books and activities within the UTMB Victory Lakes Day Surgery Unit to provide appropriate distractions and a supportive and comforting environment for children.
Public Health Summer Camp for Galveston County Adolescents
Cara Pennel, DrPH, MPH
Leslie Stalnaker, MPH
School of Public and Population Health Administration
Public health is an essential part of our everyday lives and the health of individuals and communities. Because public health careers are not often represented to middle and high school students as career options, this project aims to establish a Public Health Summer Camp. To be implemented in summer 2025, this two-week camp will be open to 25 adolescents from Galveston County public schools. UTMB graduate students will run the camp and introduce the youth to a broad spectrum of public health topics and the various organizations/agencies working to improve public health locally. Field trips, educational materials and books will be integrated into the camp.
St. Vincent's Vasectomy Clinic: Expansion Project
Kelli Gilliam, MS2
Brian Liao, MS3
John Sealy School of Medicine
An influx of referrals from St. Vincent's primary care providers to the vasectomy clinic highlighted the growing demand for services within the community and underscored the necessity of proposed enhancements to meet the need effectively. Through this President's Cabinet project, enhancements to the clinic include broadening diagnostic and treatment capacities, transportation, lodging support and health education materials. The clinic will have the ability to perform more procedures per month, allow for unexpected costs, and expand the diagnostic and treatment capabilities for general urology patients.
The Care Partner Project: Patient Safety Videos
Meredith Masel, PhD
The Oliver Center for Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare
Each year more than 700,000 people in the United States fall in the hospital setting and over 1.7 million develop sepsis. Many of these cases are preventable with good patient safety programs. This initiative will co-develop videos for patient safety with The Care Partner Project. These visual demonstrations, coupled with clear explanations, will enhance comprehension and retention of key patient messages (how to prepare for a hospital stay, how to track details during a hospital stay, infections, falls, discharge, daily living needs, etc). Ten videos will be produced and made available on UTMB websites and on TV monitors in patient rooms.