The Community Engagement Hero Awards program recognizes outstanding individuals who have worked as part of a community-campus research partnership (between a community group and a UT Health San Antonio or UTSA research team) for the improved health and well-being of South Texas communities.  Community members, healthcare practitioners, research teams, and students/trainees are eligible. Award categories include:

• Outstanding Student Award – This award recognizes a student who has demonstrated exceptional commitment and follow-through as part of a community service learning project or internship that has created a tangible benefit for a community and academic partnership.
• Outstanding Community Partner Award – This award recognizes community members who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and devoted their time, talents, and expertise for improving their community’s health and well-being.
• Outstanding Research Partner Award – This award recognizes research faculty, staff, and/or trainees who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment for collaboratively developing projects that promote leadership and shared learning to address community health concerns.
• Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project – This award recognizes outstanding health improvement projects that address community-identified health concerns.  Single projects or a series of projects focused on a community health priority qualify.

Current and Previous Community Engagement Hero Awardees

2023 Awards

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardees: Shirley Fennell – My Sisters Keepers

Outstanding Student Award Awardee: Shanae Rhodes, BSN, RN, PhD – UT Health San Antonio

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee:  Kathryn Kanzler, PsyD, ABPP – Baylor College of Medicine

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: Madelein Santibanez for Corazon Ministries – Partnership with UT Street Nursing to provide care for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness through high-quality, low-cost health care through connection, intervention, and education.

Current and Previous Community Engagement Hero Awardees

2022 Awards

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardees: Bryan Bayles, PhD, MPH, MA – Texas A&M San Antonio and Ludivina Hernandez – South  Texas AHEC Program

Outstanding Student Award Awardee: Awilda Ramos, MD, FAAP, US Army COL (Ret.) – UTHealth School of Public Health San Antonio

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee:  Jason Rosenfeld, DrPH, MPH – UT Health SA – Center for Humanities and Ethics

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: Southwest Border AHEC – Providing Enrichment Academic Activities and Knowledge to Students (PEAAKS)

2021 Awards

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardee: Jaime López, MS – Texas A&M Agrilife Extension – Frio County
Partnership: Frio County Translational Advisory Board (TAB)

Outstanding Student Award Awardee: Garrett Kneese – UTHealth San Antonio, School of Medicine Student
Partnership: Lower Rio Valley Grande Valley Community Health Club

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee:  Pamela Recto, PhD, RN – UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
Partnership: American Indians of Texas Spanish Colonial Missions – SA Fatherhood Campaign

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: Bexar County Translational Advisory Board and ReACH Center Community Service Learning Voces: Vaccination Team

2020 Awards

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardee: Suhaib Haq, MD – El Bari Community Health Center Clinic, CEO and Founder
Partners: UT Health San Antonio – Family and Community Medicine, Bexar County Translational Advisory Board, South Central Area Health Education Center

Outstanding Student Award Awardee: Sarah Masoud, MPH – UTHealth San Antonio, Translational Science PhD Student
Partnerships: Memory Cafes, SA Amigos, Jefferson Outreach and the South Texas Alzheimer’s Association

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee: Fozia Ali, MD – UT Health San Antonio, Dept. of Family and Community Medicine
Partners: El Bari Community Health Center Clinic, Bexar County Translational Advisory Board, South Central Area Health Education Center, and UTSA Nutrition and Dietetics Program

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: Domesticas Unidas –  Directors, Irasema Cavazos and Araceli Herrera
Partners: Domestic Workers Alliance, Las Mujeres West, and UT Health San Antonio – School of Nursing

2019 Awards

Outstanding Student Award Awardee:   Anabel Rodriguez, PhD, MPH- UT Health School of Public Health-San Antonio
Partnerships: Texas Dairymen’s Association, Dairy Producers of New Mexico, and New Mexico State University, Texas DSHS Public Health Region 1, Idaho Dairymen’s Association (IDA), Colorado State University, Kansas State University, and UTHealth Tyler

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardee:  Bertha Ovalle – Las Mujeres West and Xinachtli
Partnership:  UT Health San Antonio

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee: Kirk Evoy, PharmD – University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Partnerships: Project Collaborate, Operation Naloxone, SAMM Ministries, and Stop the Bleed

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: Stop the Bleed Student Research Team: UT Austin College of Pharmacy Students – Claire Brandt, Courtney Baus, Alana Coleman, Kaitlin Kennedy, Robert Moton, Steven Swank, Michelle Tran, and Rebecca Moote; UT Health San Antonio School of Medicine – Katherine Kazen
Community Partners: United Independent School District and Laredo Independent School Districts

2018 Awards

Outstanding Student Award Awardee:   Jacob Gilchrist
Partnership: South Texas Psychiatric Practice Based Research Network

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardee:  Miguel Ayala, MD – South Alamo Medical Group
Partnership:  South Texas Ambulatory Research Network (STARNet)

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee: Waridibo Allison, MD, PhD
Partnerships: Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, San Antonio AIDS Foundation, The Valley AIDS Council, Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, City of Laredo Health Department, The Center for Health Care Services, PILLAR, and Family-Focused AIDS Clinical Treatment Services

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: The Madonna Center and Martha Martinez, MSN, RNC

2017 Awards

Outstanding Student Award Awardee:   Luyang Jin
Partnership: YMCA, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, and UTHealth School of Public Health

Outstanding Community Partner Award Awardee:  Olga Martínez
Partnership:  Villa Coronado Neighborhood Association and San Antonio Metropolitan Health District

Outstanding Research Partner Awardee: Ana Luiza Allegretti, PhD, OTR
Partnership:  Morgan’s Wonderland and UT Health San Antonio School of Health Professions

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardees:  Janna Lesser, RN, PhD – Principal Investigator and the South Texas Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Office (Janna Lesser, Sandra Duggan, Joe Zapata, Andrea Moreno-Vasquez) and the South Texas AHEC Center Directors (Julie Bazan- Mid Rio Grande Border AHEC, Belinda Flores- South Coastal AHEC, Armando Lopez- Lower Rio Grande Valley AHEC,  Rosa Martinez – Southwest Border AHEC, and Paula Winkler – South Central AHEC)

2016 Awards

Outstanding Research Partner Award Awardee: Liem Du, MD
Partnership: University Health System and UT Health San Antonio

Outstanding Community Partner Award:  Randall V. Sellers, MD
Partnership: South Texas Psychiatric Practice Based Research Network

Outstanding Student Award:  Travis J. Block
Partnership: Science Fiesta and the Office of Research, Education, and Mentoring

Outstanding Community Health Improvement Project Awardee: Margaret Costantino, MA LPC and the Center for Refugee Services