UTMB Community Engagement and Education

04/02/2026

Galveston Central Church and Grace Clinic are incredibly grateful to Sofia Piperno for her generosity and compassion. Through her Osler Student Project funds, Sofia provided lunch for 130 community members and donated 26 bags of shoes to support our inventory.

For those who may not know, our PT team at Grace Clinic distributes shoes to members of our unhoused community every Thursday—making this contribution especially meaningful.

Thank you, Sofia, for thinking of our community and for giving back in such a powerful way!

04/01/2026

03/31/2026

Welcome to the team Jennifer and Patricia! We are lucky to have you and can't wait to do amazing work with you two on our team!

03/25/2026

Social Work Appreciation Month is here, and we’re giving a HUGE shoutout to someone who truly goes above and beyond—always showing up, making things happen, and staying deeply committed to serving our community and uplifting others. Thank you Shellie Garlick Wolf for ALL YOU DO!

03/23/2026

We’re so proud to be part of something bigger than ourselves!

Through our ongoing partnership with SMART Family Literacy UTMB residents and medical students have had the incredible opportunity to serve as mentors, role models, and advocates for young learners in our community. Since 2023, this collaboration has allowed us to step into classrooms, childcare centers, and family events each week—reading with children, sparking meaningful conversations, and even promoting heart-healthy habits through fun, hands-on activities like vegetable gardening.

In 2025 alone, UTMB students helped distribute 12,715 books as part of SMART’s mission to expand access to literacy. Together, SMART hosted 246 events, reached over 10,000 children, and provided more than 36,000 books to families.

We’re especially proud of the 38 medical students who dedicated their time to this work—some even stepping into leadership roles as SMART Ambassadors, inspiring others to get involved.

This partnership reflects what we stand for: showing up, giving back, and creating lasting impact in the communities we serve. Grateful to be a part of a mission that truly changes lives—one book, one child, one moment at a time 💫

03/04/2026

We’re proud to share that our team — Dr. Carlos Dostal, Shellie Wolf, Jazmine Martinez, and Allie Murphy — joined the Texas Substance Use Symposium (TxSUS) this year!

TxSUS is an annual conference dedicated to reducing the impact of substance use across Texas. Hundreds of professionals from healthcare, behavioral health, recovery, and public safety sectors gather to address local challenges, share research, learn from national experts, and collaborate on innovative solutions. It’s an inspiring space focused on driving real change through education, connection, and action.

We are especially proud of our School of Public and Population Health Master’s student, Omar Malik, who presented:

“Street Medicine–Driven Naloxone Education and Acceptance in Galveston’s Unhoused Community – University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)”

This work highlights the power of meeting people where they are — bringing lifesaving naloxone education directly to our unhoused neighbors through street medicine outreach. By building trust and increasing access, we are helping reduce overdose risk and strengthen community health right here in Galveston.

02/26/2026

Join us for the Annual Benefit Concert benefiting St. Vincent’s Clinics!

🗓 Thursday, March 5, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM

📍 The 1859 Ashton Villa
2328 Broadway Ave J
Galveston, TX 77550

Enjoy an unforgettable evening of music while supporting an incredible cause. All proceeds help further the mission of St. Vincent’s Clinics in serving our community.

🎟 Tickets: Purchase your tickets or make a donation using the QR code on the event flyer.

We hope to see you there for a night of music, community, and giving back! 💙

02/20/2026

We love our Loree Pryor and are so grateful for all she does!

Thank you, Dr. Loree Pryor, OTD, OTR for taking the time to show our team proper safe lifting techniques ahead of the Winter Family Health Fest tomorrow! 📦 We appreciate you!

01/20/2026

A huge thank you to UTMB APAMSA (Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association) for their generosity and love in action! Their homemade dumplings, teriyaki chicken, fried rice, and roasted green beans were a true blessing to our unhoused and underserved community at Galveston Central Church.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Federal Work-Study students for helping prep the food and serve with such care and dedication today. Your teamwork and compassion made a meaningful impact! 💛

01/15/2026

Debbie Faubion made her monthly shoe donation to Grace Clinic's Physical Therapy department today. For our friends that use walking as their main mode of transportation, a good, well-fitting pair of shoes can make all the difference and help prevent toe and foot injuries. Donations like Debbie's give our PT students plenty of options to give away to patients that need them. Thank you Debbie and thank you Grace Clinic PT!

12/23/2025

🎉 Big congratulations to the UTMB Running Club! 🎉🏃‍♀️

We’re proud to share that our club competed in the 2nd Annual Texas Medical School Mileage Competition and came out on top! With 40 members logging an incredible 1,817.82 total miles, UTMB finished ahead of UTSW, TCU, TCOM, Baylor, McGovern, and the University of Houston.

Even more meaningful—together we raised $2,123.41 for UTMB’s student-run free clinic, St. Vincent’s Grace Clinic. Huge thank you to all the friends and families who donated and supported us 💙

👏 Special shout-out to Bruce Chang-Gu, our top fundraiser, and Evan Chandlee, who led the entire competition with an amazing 128.70 miles!

So proud of this team and what we can accomplish together! 🏆

12/12/2025

✨ UTMB School of Medicine Volunteers in Action! ✨

This week, our incredible UTMB School of Medicine volunteers and community partners came together to cook, prepare, and serve holiday meals for our underserved neighbors at Galveston Central Church.

We are so grateful for our students who continually give back—pouring their time, compassion, and energy into making sure others feel love, hope, and kindness during this season. ❤️

Thank you to everyone who helped make this meaningful day possible. Together, we make our community stronger!