President’s Cabinet Awards 

Matthew S. Johnson, Administrative Fellow
C. Joan Richardson, MD
Health Systems Administration

Beds for Babies is a two-fold program designed to ensure that new mothers receive fundamental education and that newborns have a safe and comfortable place to sleep in their home. Baby boxes, outfitted with firm mattresses and fitted sheets are designed to provide maximum security while guarding against the risks of newborns sleeping with adults. To promote the distribution of “community baby boxes” and video-based educational materials to new mothers at UTMB, this program will fill the boxes with supplemental information on proper sleeping practices and newborn starter supplies for parents. Participants will be tracked and surveyed throughout the program.

Stefani Garcia, School of Medicine Student
Norma Perez, MD, DrPh
Jonathan Teran, School of Medicine Student
School of Medicine

Cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse are high among teenagers and young adults in Galveston County according to surveys and court data. In order to gain an understanding of what high school students already know about the negative health outcomes that result as a consequence of engaging in these behaviors, a survey will be created and administered at Ball High, La Marque and Texas City high schools. Data collected from the survey will be presented to school administrators, parents and the community. To conclude the project health fairs will be held at each school to focus on the negative effects of smoking and drinking and how teens can prevent the addictive behaviors.

David Marshall, JD, DNP, RN, CENP, NEA-BC
Hospital Administration

The UTMB MakerNurse Program and MakerHealth Space have provided faculty, staff and students the creative ability to make their ideas for new health devices a reality. Additionally, a similar lab was created at Ball High School in Galveston to introduce these tools to high school students. To celebrate and showcase the outstanding innovations spawned from these labs, a Galveston Maker Week event will be created and will include Mini-Maker Fairs at UTMB and the Galveston Children’s Museum. The week long event will also feature community events and workshops and will conclude with a forum to discuss extending the culture of “making” into our community.

Nellis Loewen, RN, CA-CP SANE, SANEA
Christine Wade, RN, MSN, CEN, ED
Emergency Department

The UTMB Forensic Nursing Team is charged with recognizing the complex needs of assault patients due to acts of violence as well as caring for them in a humane manner and addressing their medical, forensic and emotional needs during the exam process. Access to highly specialized equipment is essential for the team. In an effort to replace antiquated equipment, this project seeks funding to purchase a new state-of-the-art Secure Digital Forensic Imaging Camera system, an Arrowhead Forensics Portable Light Source and training for staff on the use and care of the equipment. Together, these tools will allow for the magnification of accurate and detailed body images that can be used by physicians to determine the most appropriate treatment or as evidence in a court of law.

Keegan Collins, School of Health Professions Student
Kelly Drago, School of Health Professions Student
Barbara A. Slusher, MSW, PA-C
Physician Assistant Studies

Developed by physician assistant students and faculty in 2015, this interprofessional community outreach program provides underserved community members access to preventive health screening and counseling on healthy lifestyle choices while also affording UTMB students the opportunity to interact and counsel patients. Health screenings – done at monthly food distribution sites throughout Galveston – include blood pressure, body mass index, point-of-care cholesterol and blood glucose screenings. Due to the popularity of the program and lack of funding, supplies have been greatly depleted and new equipment is needed. President’s Cabinet funds will allow for the purchase of basic health screening materials (cholesterol test strips, glucometer, lancets, wipes, bandages, gauze pads, gloves, etc.) to ensure continuity of the program.

Dennis Santa Ana, RN, MSN, ANP, CCRN, BA-C
Adult Patient Care Services

Heart failure is a disease that is difficult to manage for patients, families, caregivers and physicians. Two important elements in managing heart failure are patient education and post-discharge home visits. The goal of this project is to provide these patients with the information and tools they need to participate in their own care by educating them on the signs and symptoms of heart exacerbation. Weighing scales and blood pressure machines will be provided to newly-diagnosed Galveston County heart failure patients who have been identified as high-risk for re-admission or are under the care of the UTMB Cardiology Heart Failure Team. Nurses with the Transition of Care Team will conduct home visits to monitor participants.

Manuel Higginbotham, Administrative Manager
Martha Livanec, Director of Patient Services
Patient Services

When Limited English Proficient patients do not have access to the services of a qualified trained interpreter they are most likely to not understand their diagnoses, treatment options and plans, self-care instructions and required follow-up care. To better provide and integrate language access services at all UTMB locations, a Language Access Plan will be created to align needs and services among all stakeholders in healthcare by providing new and accurate data to leadership, improve the response time of interpreters to where they are needed, reduce recidivism by allowing patients to fully understand their plan of care, and improve UTMB’s compliance with regulatory entities. Technology components of the plan will include dispatching software, translation software, video remote interpreting devices and assistive devices as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Adam Booth, MD
Barbara Bryant, MD
Judy Trieu, MD, MPH
Chris Zahner, MD
Pathology

The ongoing shortage of blood supply in the United States continues to remain a critical issue particularly when an increase in the number of blood components are being wasted through inappropriate transfusions. With a goal to reduce the number of inappropriate blood product orders by clinicians, the PocketPath mobile application was created by three UTMB residents in an effort to provide guidelines and suggestions regarding the utilization of blood products and services at the bedside. Year one of the project will focus on launching, promoting and assessing the platform, while year two will focus on expanding the application to create two-way communication between clinicians and pathology residents in order to facilitate questions not available via the application.

Souby George, MSN, RNC-MNN
Tracey Santiago, MSN, RNC-OB
Women Infant and Children

Kangaroo Care is a form of developmental care that benefits all newborns, especially those in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The more an infant is exposed to skin-to-skin care, the more likely the infant will experience positive outcomes. Current patient hospital gowns do not facilitate skin-to-skin care or allow for privacy or proper securing of the infant. This project seeks to create a new gown so that all new mothers at UTMB can provide safe and modest skin-to-skin contact with their child within the first few hours of giving birth. Staff will also be trained and certified in Kangaroo Care in order to teach proper positioning and care of the infant during their hospital stay.

Robert Beach, MD
Paul Bui, School of Medicine Student
Sarah Butler, School of Health Professions Student
Transon Vu Nguyen, School of Medicine Student
Kendrick White, School of Medicine Student
Internal Medicine

Hepatitis C is a viral infection acquired from various sources including contaminated blood or blood products. The St. Vincent’s Student Run Clinic will address chronic hepatitis C in vulnerable populations by establishing a support group and hepatitis clinic in Galveston. Student volunteers will utilize patient assistance programs offered by pharmaceutical companies to provide free medications to persons without health insurance. Protocols will also be established for treating patients while barriers to successful treatment will be identified and addressed (i.e. lack of transportation, alcohol consumption, etc.). Project funds will be used for laboratory testing, addressing barriers and providing social support and behavioral counseling to promote sustained cure and quality of life.

Kanika Bowen-Jallow, MD, MMS
Surgery

Childhood obesity has become a nationwide health crisis and clinicians have found that minority children are particularly susceptible to the epidemic. To combat this issue, an after school program with a parental involvement component will be established to target children (ages 2 – 11) with a body mass index greater than the 95th percentile. The Tough and Tiny Program will be held after school twice per month for qualifying children and their parents. During each one-hour session, parents will meet with physicians and UTMB students, eat a healthy dinner and learn about nutrition, diet and exercise while their children participate in fitness activities and group play facilitated by a certified instructor. Participants demonstrating weight loss will be rewarded with gift cards to a local sports store.