Out and about, May 2026

May 6, 2026

Moments from community events made possible by the Pediatrics team

Run for the Rose

Collage of people at a fun run event

Amalia Guardiola, MD, (pictured above, in purple shirt) was excited to participate in this year’s Run for the Rose alongside seven medical students — ranging from MS1 to MS4 — from the Rose Society, a group within the McGovern Societies program.

CAPE Day

Collage of social workers standing around CAPE Day sign

Child Abuse Prevention and Education (CAPE) Day (external link) is hosted every two years as a one-day conference to share our communities’ commitment to strengthening families and building protective factors throughout. Since April is Child Abuse awareness month, with blue as the official color, UTHealth Houston faculty and staff helped plan and attend this conference that was a joint effort with Texas Children’s Hospital-TMC, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, UTHealth Houston, and Baylor. The speaker lineup included many UTHealth Houston experts, including several from the Violence and Injury Prevention Research (VIPR) Center team.

How you can support families affected by child abuse

As a reminder and in honor of Child Abuse awareness month, the Child Safety and Integrated Care Division is gathering donations of diapers and wipes through an Amazon Wish List (external link) to supply essential items for at-risk children. Half of the proceeds will benefit Harris County B.E.A.R room, providing basic necessities year-round for at-risk and CPS-involved children, while the other half will be distributed to the CARE Clinic to help patients and families in need.

Collage of photos of presenters and panelists at CAPE Day symposium

CAPE Day highlights

  • Community Action Poverty Simulator: Understanding the Lives of the Vulnerable
    Presented by Assistant Professor Monica Kodakandla, MD, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and Program Manager Jamie Alford, BS, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
  • Creating Research-to-Policy Ecosystems
    Presented by Associate Professor Shannon Guillot-Wright, PhD, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
  • Youth Suicide and Trauma: Understanding Risks, Building Resilience, and Supporting Healing
    A panel featuring Assistant Professor Alison Shellman, PhD, Child Safety and Integrated Care

Injury Prevention and Outreach Education Coordinator Marisol Nieves, LCSW, CPST, was part of the planning committee and moderated sessions along with members of our UTHealth Houston CARE Clinic.

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