Corporate and Foundation Relations

Bien-Air donates equipment to support residency programs

Bien-Air USA, Inc. recently donated 12 new iOptima micromotors to support UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program and the General Practice Residency (GPR) program. The iOptima offers treatment options integrated into the dental chair and performs restorative procedures, endo treatments and surgical procedures. Bien-Air, founded in 1959 as a family business in Bienne, Switzerland, now employs 400 staff worldwide making innovative and reliable products.

McWilliams awarded grant to support students in Laredo Community

The D.D. Hachar Charitable Trust recently awarded McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics a $10,000 grant. Through a generous match commitment from UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken, the grant amount was doubled to $20,000. The funds, which will be distributed fall 2024 and spring 2025, will be used to support new and existing students enrolled in the school’s biomedical informatics programs in Laredo, Texas.

HCA Healthcare Foundations funds Summer Enrichment Program

Through the IGNITE Summer Enrichment Program, sponsored by the HCA Healthcare Foundation, high school students spent time in the Cizik School of Nursing simulation lab learning from nurses who work at various HCA hospitals. These students gained hands-on experience listening to heart and lung sounds, palpating pulses, taking vital signs, reviewing electrocardiograms and telemetry, practicing wound care, and more.

Ardmore Institute of Health funds the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC) at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health

For a second year, the Ardmore Institute of Health has funded The Teaching Kitchen (TK) Multisite Trial, an innovative program that combines evidence-based nutrition education with culinary learning for behavior change. This study aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary impact of the TK program on health outcomes and well-being across different sites and sociodemographic populations.

Shunpike Charitable gift to help adults with autism

In the Greater Houston area, adults with autism face significant challenges due to a lack of specialized diagnostic and mental health services. This gap exists largely because of a scarcity of expert providers, patients’ limited financial resources, and a general lack of awareness about adult autism. A gift from Shunpike Charitable is set to change this, paving the way for enhanced support and services that will improve the lives of these individuals.

Walmart Foundation Funds Maternal Health “Food Is Medicine” Research within the Center for Health Equity

UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Center for Health Equity (CHE) has received funding from the Walmart Foundation through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity to research and develop a produce prescription program to boost maternal health outcomes. This program aims to improve food and nutrition security and maternal health for Medicaid-eligible women receiving care at Harris Health System.

Joe Niekro Foundation recognizes grant recipient at gala

The Joe Niekro Foundation recently recognized Sidra Tabassum, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Neurosurgery as a grant recipient at the Foundation’s Knuckle Ball Gala held on April 6, 2024.

The Joe Niekro Foundation is committed to supporting patients and families, research, treatment and awareness of brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and stroke.

Humana Foundation

The Humana Foundation awarded $249,963 to a current study, Produce Prescription to Improve Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes among At-risk Children and Their Families, led by the Center for Health Equity and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, Shreela Sharma, PhD, Ru-Che (Lindi) Chuang, DrPH, and Sandra McKay, MD.

Delta Dental Community Care Foundation

More than 60 United States military veterans received free urgent, palliative, therapeutic, and/or preventive dental care during the 9th annual Give Vets a Smile event held on November 3 at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry.

Support and volunteerism for this outreach effort were provided by the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of California and affiliates, and other community partners.

CenterPoint Energy Foundation

Reading creates meaningful connections and builds a solid foundation for learning. Our collaboration with CenterPoint Energy helps expand early childhood learning initiatives while bringing families closer together. Thanks to their generous $75,000 donation to support Reach Out and Read Texas, books are readily available in doctors’ offices across Houston and the state.

Thank you, CenterPoint Energy, for your support.