2025 Summer Recap
Department of Pediatrics team members were involved in some outstanding activities this summer. Here’s a brief recap in pictures:
Camps throughout the Department
L-R: Snapshots from Medical Genetics’ Camp PHEver; Hematology’s Camp Ailihpomeh; and Nephrology’s Camp Shining Stars
Each summer, divisions from across the Department of Pediatrics play a key role in organizing and executing summer camps for their pediatric patients with special conditions. To learn more about these important and life-giving efforts, visit the page for each:
Lupus Kids Camp (technically a spring camp)
LCISD Back-to-School Block Party
L-R: Melissa Kwan, MD, plays “Throw, Don’t Go” game; Marisol Nieves distributes injury-prevention materials; volunteer fits bike helmet on young attendee
An annual favorite, Assistant Professor and Director of Community Pediatric Hospital Medicine Melissa Kwan, MD, and the injury-prevention team engaged hundreds of attendees at the Lamar Consolidated ISD Back-to-School Block Party event held Saturday, August 2. This event was featured on UTHealth Houston social media.
Hands-On Health Care
L-R: Hunaid Gurji, DO, PhD, MS, teaches participants CPR and Muhammad Siddiqui, MD, demonstrates emergency techniques during the station rotation.
The Hands-On Health Care event gave more than 54 Fort Bend high-school and college students the chance to experience simulations and demonstrations of a variety of medical techniques firsthand, not to mention the opportunity to network with expert care providers. This free event hosted by Memorial Hermann Sugar Land also featured a keynote and panel discussion. Assistant Professor of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Hunaid Gurji, DO, PhD, MS, helped coordinate the event, and PHM fellow Muhammad Siddiqui, MD, was among the volunteer physicians.
This event was featured on UTHealth Houston social media.
Reach Out and Read Donation
L-R: Jennifer Bell, UT Physicians; June Deadrick, CenterPoint Energy and UTHealth Houston Development Board; Olivia Koch, CenterPoint Energy; Jocelyn McConnell, Reach Out and Read Texas at UTHealth Houston; Kim Cheung, MD, PhD, UTHealth Houston; Alicia Dixon, CenterPoint Energy; Gloria Bounds, CenterPoint Energy; Claudia Garcia, UT Physicians
Thanks to a generous gift, CenterPoint Energy is supporting Reach Out and Read Texas — a program of the Children’s Learning Institute — to bring early literacy resources to even more families across Houston and East Texas! At every wellness checkup from birth to age five, children receive a new book to take home. Clinicians talk with parents about the importance of reading aloud, using these moments to promote healthy development, strengthen family connections, and observe key milestones.
Pedi Admin Volunteer Together
The Department of Pediatrics Administrative Team organized a recent day of service and fun packing lunches at Kids’ Meals, Inc., a local nonprofit that delivers lunches to preschool-aged children across the city. This summer, Kids’ Meals packed and delivered 16,000 lunches per day. During the school year, that number drops to 9,000.
Happy volunteers! L-R, row 2: Suzanne Paramore, Yaki Swanson, Marisela Trujillo, Erin Healy, Anthony Garcia, Silvia Flores, Trung Nguyen, Angie Espinoza Hernandez, Nicole Washington, Stephanie Unger. Row 1: Clarissa Webb, Melinna Lara, Maria Villalobos Cruz, Joanie Hernandez, Kyle Nguyen