UTHealth Houston honorees recognized at Albert Schweitzer luncheon
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston Galveston hosted its annual Celebration of Service luncheon Sept. 26 at the Briar Club, drawing more than 300 attendees to recognize students, mentors, and community leaders addressing the health needs of underserved people.
The event opened with a reception featuring poster presentations by Fellows Caroline Crain of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Naseem Azadi of UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, and Tiffany Quan, MD, of UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. Guests also participated in a silent auction before gathering in the Magnolia Ballroom for the luncheon program.
Briana Pottinger, a fourth-year McGovern Medical School student and designated Fellow for Life speaker, addressed the audience about her fellowship experience and the impact of service on underserved communities. During her fellowship year, Pottinger spent countless hours with families at New Hope Housing, where she witnessed firsthand the daily challenges parents face in keeping their children safe.
“Throughout my Albert Schweitzer Fellowship year, I got to know all the families at New Hope on a deeper level,” Pottinger said. “Whether it was concerns about their child getting tangled in the window blind strings, or a new mother with an infant who was crawling and had an obsession with outlets, we were able to offer our supplies and education, and we were always met with gratitude. My fellowship year taught me so many things about myself, about serving a community, and about the type of physician that I want to be someday.”
The fellowship presented its Academic Mentor of the Year award to Ana C. Candia Solari Neumann, DDS, PhD, MPH, director of Dental Public Health and the Gene C. Stevenson Distinguished Professorship in Dental Education at the School of Dentistry.
“Your dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm have made mentorship so meaningful, and so much fun,” Neumann told the audience. “I also want to thank UTHealth Houston and the School of Dentistry. It’s a privilege to be part of an organization where mentorship is celebrated and valued.”
In addition, Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president of Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Roger J. Bulger, MD, Distinguished Professor at UTHealth Houston, addressed the audience and acknowledged the strong partnership with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.
“We are happy to continue providing a home to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship in the Texas Medical Center, and specifically within our School of Public Health,” Morano said. “Many of our students from our medical, nursing, and public health are fellows and they rave about their experiences with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. The fellows strengthen UTHealth Houston’s community reputation and drives home our focus on providing care for all.”
The Celebration of Service concluded with recognition of the Fellows’ yearlong projects and their contributions to addressing health disparities across the Houston-Galveston region.
Founded in 1940, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, a national nonprofit organization, prepares graduate students to address social determinants of health and develop lifelong leadership in service.