New frontiers ahead as UTHealth Houston wraps up Fiscal Year 2024 - Impact stories - Giving

Mark Lachs, MD, MPH, UTHealth Houston Development Board Member Nancy Guinee, Holly Holmes, MD — UTHealth Houston Development Board Member Nancy Guinee (center) generously supports the annual Aging to Perfection lecture, hosted this year by Holly M. Holmes, MD (right), with a keynote address from Mark Lachs, MD, MPH (left).

Maria Pappas and Ransom Lummis — Maria Pappas (left) took over as the new Chair of the UTHealth Houston Development Board, succeeding Ransom Lummis (right), who completed his two-year term on August 31.

As we wrap up Fiscal Year 2024, we want to express our deep gratitude to our donors. More than 2,000 donors gave almost $33 million to strengthen our capacity to train the next generation of health professionals, drive breakthroughs that will improve patient outcomes and care, and enrich the communities we serve.

Welcoming a new era in behavioral health sciences

In a historic development for UTHealth Houston, the university has established a new school to meet a growing need for mental health care workers. UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences will focus on degrees not currently offered at the university, such as advanced clinical psychology degrees and certificate programs for psychiatry technicians, community health workers, and licensed chemical dependency counselors. Led by Founding Dean Jair C. Soares, MD, PhD, the school is anticipated to accept its first students in Fall 2025.

Introducing the next phase in age-appropriate care

We held our annual Aging to Perfection lecture on September 13, 2023, celebrating the legacy of Carmel Dyer, MD, a champion of older adults who founded the UTHealth Houston Consortium on Aging. The lecture—made possible by a generous gift from Development Board member Nancy Guinee—also celebrated the transformation of the Consortium on Aging into the UTHealth Houston Institute on Aging. Led by Aanand D. Naik, MD, in partnership with Holly M. Holmes, MD, this university-wide collaboration leverages the expertise of researchers and clinicians across our schools to solve health challenges faced by older adults.

Advancing public health research to improve health outcomes

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health is leading an effort to develop a Community Information Exchange in the Greater Houston area. Supported by donors including The Rockwell Fund, The Powell Foundation, and the Episcopal Health Foundation, this initiative will help health care and community-based organizations coordinate to address social determinants of health to improve overall outcomes.

This commitment comes as construction progresses on a new state-of-the-art facility to house the School of Public Health, scheduled to open in 2026. The building will provide significantly improved space and technology for our public health students, educators, and researchers.

Supporting the next generation of health professionals

This year, we focused extensively on securing additional scholarship resources to help students across our schools pursue their dreams without the burden of student loans. Our donors stepped forward to meet this need, giving nearly $4 million toward scholarships.

Among our efforts is a new challenge to establish significant scholarships for students at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. Although our tuition is competitive, the average medical student still graduates with around $125,000 in student loans. Reducing this burden will allow students greater flexibility to pursue fields of medicine they are passionate about without the burden of significant debt.

Unveiling a new website for the university’s philanthropy

We redesigned the UTHealth Houston philanthropy website to better serve our donors. The new site offers an interactive experience, with easily navigated pages highlighting programs throughout the university. A streamlined navigation bar makes finding topics easy, and each school has its own dedicated page showcasing how students and faculty are making the world healthier. The site also focuses on providing engaging content that illustrates the impact of philanthropy through videos and impact stories.

Celebrating leadership on the Development Board

Ransom Lummis concluded his two-year term as Chair of the Development Board, presiding over a period of exciting growth and new frontiers at the university, including the successful conclusion of the Many Faces. One Mission. campaign. We greatly appreciate the time and effort he dedicated to helping UTHealth Houston continue to thrive.

We are proud to welcome Maria Pappas as the new Chair of the Development Board. She has long distinguished herself for her generosity and leadership, and we are excited by all she will bring to this important role.

Looking ahead

As we look to start a new fiscal year at UTHealth Houston, we do so with the same source of strength that has powered the university’s growth from the beginning.

"Thanks to our incredibly talented team and the generosity of our donors, we've achieved remarkable success over the years," says Kevin J. Foyle, MBA, CFRE, Sr. Vice President of Development and Public Affairs. "With their continued support, I’m confident that our future is brighter than ever."