Safety expert propels community health on Giving Day

Working to ensure the safety of nearly 20,000 people on campus on any given day, Scott Patlovich, DrPH, and his team spend their time evaluating risks and ensuring appropriate controls are in place across the many labs, clinics, classrooms, and offices across UTHealth Houston and UT Physicians.

He sees firsthand the breadth of critical initiatives being pursued across the university and wants to do his part to support these efforts to achieve a healthier future. Giving Day offers him the perfect opportunity.

“I may not have the capacity to give large amounts, but any help is important. When many people give a little, it turns into a lot. That’s what happens on Giving Day,” said Patlovich, assistant vice president of environmental health and safety, and an alumnus and instructor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

On Tuesday, April 2, Giving Day will provide a platform for the UTHealth Houston community to come together for 24 hours to support causes important to them, magnifying the impact of their donation.

Patlovich takes this opportunity to support people and programs at the School of Public Health, where he obtained his doctorate and met his wife, Krista.

He often directs his donation to the school’s Robert J. Emery Endowed Fellowship to provide tuition and research support for doctoral-level trainees dedicated to protecting the health of populations.

“My wife and I feel strongly about UTHealth Houston. The university has so many amazing people doing so many amazing things to improve health. We want to do our part to help,” he said.

During a typical work day, Patlovich and his team mitigate risks across the university’s 5.2 million square feet of space so that teaching, research, and clinical activities can be conducted as safely as possible.

“We do many things behind the scenes, but in short summary, we are here to help people go home at the end of the day as healthy and safe as they arrived on campus,” he said.

Join Patlovich on April 2 for UTHealth Houston Giving Day to support initiatives that safeguard health across our communities.