C.O.M.M.I.T. Grant Winners

Take a look at our C.O.M.M.I.T. Grant winners below!

Event Title:
McGovern APAMSA Hepatitis B Health Fair

Event Date:
November 2, 2024

Event Location:
Chinese Bible Church

Event/Project Summary:
In 2022, Asians had the highest number of newly reported chronic Hepatitis B cases (3,651, CDC) despite comprising only 6.4% of the total population. Health and Human Services (HHS) Region 6, which includes Texas, had the 6th highest number of new chronic Hepatitis B cases. Studies indicate that Hepatitis B in the US has the highest prevalence among foreign-born Asian and African individuals. Houston, with the ninth-highest Asian population in the US, has a significant need for Hepatitis B screening to reduce this burden. McGovern APAMSA hosted a health fair on November 2, 2024, for AANHPI community members in Houston, an underserved community. Grants covered medical supplies, administrative supplies, and publicity materials to ensure the fair’s success.

 

 

Student Organization:
Climbing Club

Event Title:
Kids Climb Day

Event Date:
November 9, 2024

Event Location:
Momentum Indoor Climbing Katy

Event/Project Summary:
Kids Climb Day offered 15-20 children with chronic renal diseases the chance to safely participate in top rope climbing with Climbing Club members. In psychology, self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in their capacity to act in the ways necessary to reach specific goals. Climbing (And other adventure activities) leads to increased resilience and feelings of self-efficacy in children with chronic illness, as doing challenging things in a safe and supportive environment can lead to this positive psychological outcome This is a valuable thing to help develop in kids living with chronic illness.

 

Student Organization:
McGovern Students for Veterans

Event Title:
Veteran’s Day Fundraiser: Raffle + Flag Football Tournament

Event Date:
November 13-18, 2024

Event Location:
MSB, UT Health Recreational Field

Request Summary:
The McGovern Students for Veterans club aimed to educate students about veterans’ unique health experiences and social and mental challenges. The club held a raffle in the MSB and various TMC buildings to raise awareness, funds, and donations for local veteran-supporting organizations like Combined Arms. Additionally, a flag football tournament co-hosted with the McGovern Lifting Club will serve as another fundraising effort. These activities aim to increase awareness of the club and educate McGovern students on treating this unique patient population.

 

Student Organization:
Latino Medical Student Association

Event Title:
Shaping the Future: Building Leaders and Stronger Communities

Event Date:
2024-2025 academic year, and future academic years.

Event Location:
Houston ISD, Alief ISD, Houston, TX

Event/Project Summary:
The goal of this project is to create a multilevel, sustainable community outreach initiative that benefits both McGovern Medical School students and the Houston community. In addition, (1) promote the professional development of McGovern Medical School students through community immersion by supporting the development of interpersonal skills and capacity building activities through experiential learning. (2) Engage, support, and encourage Houston ISD students through hands-on skills and mentorship events as an early intervention to begin shaping their professional identities and encouraging higher education. (3) Educate the Houston community on basic vital skills knowledge to promote improvement of health literacy, while also encouraging medical students to apply their medical knowledge to service our community. (4) Establish sustainable partnership between McGovern Medical School and Houston ISD to strengthen community mentorship. (5) Improve the self-efficacy of both medical students and community students/residents by exposing them to early professional identity formation workshops and improving health literacy, respectively.

 

Student Organization:
TMC Yogis

Event Title:
Yoga for Texas: Supporting Rural Health Through Mindful Movement

Event Date:
1/18/2025, 2/15/2025, 3/15/2025, 8/16/2025, 9/13/2025, 10/11/2025, 11/15/2025

Event Location:
UTHealth Rec Center Group Fitness Studio

Event/Project Summary:

TMC Yogis is dedicated to promoting health and well-being among students, faculty, and the Houston community, while addressing healthcare disparities across Texas. We host monthly yoga classes to raise funds for rural clinics and promote regular yoga practice. This year, our focus is the Marathon Health Center, the only clinic within a 30-mile radius for Marathon, Texas, a town of 400 residents. Relying on a $30,000 donation-based budget, the clinic provides essential care. At each yoga event, we share the clinic’s story and encourage attendees to contribute. Next semester, we will host a speaker from Marathon Health Center to discuss “guerilla healthcare,” in resource-limited settings.
Additionally, we invite experts on the health benefits of yoga to speak to our members. Our first speaker, Ms. Smitha Mallaiah, a mind-body intervention specialist at MD Anderson, will share her research on yoga’s impact on physical and mental well-being in cancer patients.

 

Student Organization:
American Muslim Women Physician Association

Event Title:
ICU Bloom

Event Date:
01/14/2025, 01/27/2025, 02/12/2025

Event Location:
Houston Methodist TMC

Event/Project Summary:

ICU Bloom is a service project inspired by my personal experience visiting my father in the ICU. During my visits, flowers brought by family and friends were restricted due to allergy concerns and sensitivities. ICU Bloom was created to bring color and joy to patients in these units through handcrafted flowers made from pipe cleaners and yarn. These unique flowers are maintenance-free, hypoallergenic, and can be placed in any unit, allowing patients to enjoy the uplifting presence of flowers without the usual risks associated with real blooms.

Student volunteers are dedicated to making approximately 120-150 of these long-lasting, safe blooms, which will be donated to Houston Methodist TMC. The volunteer department at Houston Methodist TMC is excited to receive these, and together, the project not only aims to brighten up the rooms and days of patients who may be enduring prolonged or difficult stays, but it also offers volunteers a unique, hands-on way to contribute to patient well-being through creativity. The easy accessibility of this initiative can hopefully be a recurring project for the future.

Pictures coming soon!