Community Engagement Small Project Grants

The IIMS Community Engagement Small Project Grants program supports community and research collaborations from South Texas with grants of up to $5,000 so that they may develop activities that lead to the translation of research for public health benefit. The CESPG are available to newly-developed or current community-academic partnerships with projects focused on: (1) research/assessment, (2) education/training, and/or (3) dissemination or communication of research results, program features, or policy implications. Proposal topics are unrestricted; however, those involving health care practice-based research networks, health outcomes, epidemiology, and public health are encouraged.

The application deadline for the 2023 CE Small Project Grants Program has been extended. Read the funding announcement HERE. Applications are due on April 3, 2023.

Submit your 2022-2023 IIMS Community Engagement Small Project Grants application via Survey Monkey Apply here: https://apply-uthscsa.smapply.io/ . A preview of the the required supporting documents are listed below:

Project Plan
History of Partnership
Community Engagement Plan
Detailed Budget
Budget Justification
Literature Citations

Citing your IIMS CESPG

"Support for this work was made possible with an IIMS Community Engagement Small Project Grant Award from the Institute for the Integration of Medicine & Science at UT Health San Antonio."

Current and Previous CESPG Awardees
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2021-2022 IIMS Community Engagement Small Project Grants

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigators	Community Partner(s)	Project Title
Emily Nicklett, PhD – University of Texas at San Antonio, College for Health, Community, and Policy	Emily Larsen – Lighthouse for the Blind, Shirley Crandall and Adelita Cantu – UT Health SA, School of Nursing	San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind and Vision Impaired	Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Health-Promoting Behavior Among Blind and Visually Impaired Middle-Age and Older Adults in Bexar County: A Needs Assessment
Rahma Mungia, BDS – UT Health SA, School of Dentistry	Moshtaqh Faroki, DDS, MPH - UT Health SA, School of Dentistry and Suhaib Haq, MD – El Bari Community Health Center	South Texas Oral Health Network PBRN and El Bari Community Health Center	Exploring Dental Practitioners and the South Texas Community Members Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Smokeless Tobacco Use and its Cessation Practices
Shanae Rhodes, BA – UT Health SA, School of Nursing	Shirley Fennel, RNC, BSN, MSHP, PhD and Janna Lesser, PhD - UT Health SA, School of Nursing (Faculty Sponsor)	Refuge III Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ and My Sister’s Keeper Board	A CBPR, Mixed Methods Design Study among African American/Black Women Living in Texas Communities: The Pearl Project*
Jasmine Rodriguez, MPH – UTHealth, School of Public Health in San Antonio	Luz Neira PhD - SA Food Bank, Rebecca Wells, PhD – UTHealth, School of Public Health in San Antonio, and Robert Ferrer (Faculty Sponsor)	San Antonio Food Bank	Identifying Community-Clinical Linkage of a Primary Care Center Serving Low-Income Patients in Bexar County
Yan Du, PhD, MPH, RN – UT Health, SA School of Nursing	Wei Liu, PhD and Kylie Meyer, PhD – UT Health SA, School of Nursing, Christina Smith – WellMed Charitable Foundation	WellMed Charitable Foundation and Caring for the Caregiver Program	Tai Chi with Music for Health in Individuals Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and their Caregivers
Fozia Ali, MD - UT Health SA, School of Medicine	Uzair Iqbal – Bexar County Translational Advisory Board (TAB)	Bexar County TAB and El Bari Community Health Center	Language Matters – A Project to Learn About How to Expand Social Media Health Messaging to Immigrant/Refugee Groups in Bexar County

2020-2021 IIMS Community Engagement Small Project Grants

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigators	Community Partner(s)	Project Title
Taylor Buchanan – UT Health San Antonio – School of Health Professions	Anna Allegretti, PhD, OTR – UT Health San Antonio, OT (FACULTY SPONSOR) Janna Roberts, OTR Pediatric Therapy Specialists, LLC Elizabeth Marsh, MS, OTR – Pediatric Therapy Services	Pediatric Therapy Specialists	Implementation of Community-Based Life Skills Program for Adolescents and Young Adults with Disabilities
Kathleen Case, DrPH - UT Health San Antonio -Center for Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH)	Ludivina Hernandez, CHW – Bexar County Translational Advisory Board (TAB), UT Health San Antonio, ReACH	Bexar TAB	Impact of the Disease and Priorities Looking Forward Among San Antonians Who Have Recovered from COVID-19
Sara Masoud, MPH - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing	Carole White, PhD, RN – UT Health San Antonio, SON (FACULTY SPONSOR) Belinda Flores, RN – South Coastal Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Janna Lesser, PhD, RN – UT Health San Antonio, SON (FACULTY SPONSOR)	South Coastal AHEC- Project ECHO UT Rio Grande Valley – Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center	Project ECHO: Brain Health Training for Community Health Workers
Ashlie Glassner, BSN, RN - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing	Janna Lesser, PhD, RN – UT Health San Antonio, SON (FACULTY SPONSOR) Paula Bailey – Alzheimer’s Association	Alzheimer’s Association	Co-Learning About the Stigma on Person’s Living with Dementia: A Mixed Methods Design Action Research Study
Monica Lawson, PhD - University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Psychology	Maliha Imami – Child Safe Randy McGibeny, MA, LPC – Child Safe Nancy Kellogg, MD – UT Health San Antonio, Dept. of Pediatrics- Child Abuse (FACULTY SPONSOR)	Child Safe UT Health San Antonio, Dept. of Pediatrics – Child Abuse	Child Maltreatment in Bexar County
Jason Rosenfeld, DrPH – UT Health San Antonio, Center for Medical Humanities & Ethics	Esmeralda Ibarra, BS, CHW – Lower Rio Grande Valley Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Garrett Kneese, BS – UT Health San Antonio, CMHE	Lower Rio Grande Valley AHEC Community Health Workers in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties	COVID-19 Rivers of Life: 2021 Participatory Storytelling to Improve Mental Wellness and Coping Amongst Latinx Women
Sofía López, BS – UTHealth School of Public Health, San Antonio Regional Campus, Dept. of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences	David Douphrate, PhD – UTHealth School of Public Health, San Antonio Regional Campus, Dept. of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences (FACULTY SPONSOR) Anabel Rodriguez, PhD, MPH – UTHealth School of Public Health, San Antonio Regional Campus, Dept. of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences (FACULTY SPONSOR)	Joeris General Contractors Guido Construction Company Workers Defense Project	Health Needs Assessment Among Construction Workers in South Texas

2019-2020 Community Engagement Small Project Grant Awardees

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigative Partners	Project Title
Rahma Mungia, BDS, MSC, DDPHRCS – UT Health San Antonio, Dept. of Periodontics	Maria Atique, DDS – South Texas Oral Health Network Kathleen Case, MPH – UT Health SA, Research to Advance Community Health (ReACH) Betsy Jones, MPA- San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Awareness	Testing an Innovative E-Cigarette Cessation Program in a Real-World Dental Practice-Based Setting
Phillip Yang BS, MA – UT Health San Antonio, School of Medicine	Kristen Plastino, MD – UT Health of San Antonio , School of Medicine Jake Neill – Youth Leadership Council Jen Osborne, PhD – St. Philip’s College Jennifer Todd, JD	Student-led Approach to Understanding and Investigating Challenges in Youth Mental Health
M. Candace Christensen, PhD – UTSA Dept of Social Work	David Laidacker - Fiesta Youth Jay Jeon - UT Health San Antonio School of Medicine	A Program Evaluation of Fiesta Youth, a Non-Profit Organization that Provides Social Support of LGBTQ+ Youth
Carole White, PhD, RN – UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing	Kylie Meyer, PhD – UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing Ginny Funk, MS – Alzheimer’s Association San Antonio Sara Masoud, MPH – UT Health San Antonio, Caring for the Caregiver	Community Academic Partnership to Support Families Living with Dementia
Zenong Yin, PhD – UTSA, Dept. of Kinesiology, Health, & Nutrition	Fernando Martinez, PhD – West Side Training and Education Center	Salud al Pasito: Small Steps towards Health

2018-2019 Community Engagement Small Project Grant Awardees

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigative Partners	Project Title
Barbara Taylor, MD, MS - UT Health SA, School of Medicine	Hugo Sapien – End Stigma End HIV Alliance Sean Greene - San Antonio Metropolitan Health District	Peer Mentor 210: Development and Evaluation of a Volunteer Peer Mentorship Program for People Living with HIV in San Antonio
Pamela Recto, RN, PhD - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing	Ramon Vasquez – American Indians of Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions – San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign	Adolescent Fathers’ Perception and Experiences of Fatherhood: A Qualitative Community Based Participatory Research Study
Melanie Taverna, MS, RDH – UT Health San Antonio, School of Dentistry	Cheryl Davis, DMD – South Texas Oral Health Network Rahma Mungia, BDS, DDPHRCS – School of Dentistry	Engaging the Community to Enhance Awareness of Probiotic use for Oral Health
Kathleen Stevens, RN, EdD, – UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing	Mary Henkel Judson – Port Aransas South Jetty Newspaper Wendy Lee, DNP – UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing	Social Determinants of Health in a Rural Gulf Coast Community after a Natural Disaster: Mediating Disruption of Health Promoting Factors Following Hurricane Harvey
Howaida Werfelli, MPH, CHES – Striving to Achieve Literacy via Education Research and Engagement	Fozia Ali, MD – UT Health San Antonio, School of Medicine	Advancing Health Literacy among Refugees Residing in San Antonio, Texas
Amy Stone, PhD – Trinity University	Robert Salcido – Pride Center of San Antonio Philip Schnarrs, PhD – UT Austin Dell Medical School	Rural LGBTQ+ Adults and Youth in South Texas: Health Disparities, Healthcare Access, and Resilience Strategies

2017-2018 Community Engagement Small Project Grant Awardees

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigative Partners	Project Title
Waridibo Allison - UT Health SA Dept. of Med./Infectious Disease	Rosa Martínez - Southwest Border Area Health Education Center Rebecca Ríos - Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas Community Health Center	Research Activity and Community Engagement to Screen, Treat & Organize Prevention for Hepatitis C
Rahma Mungia - UT Health SA Dept. of Periodontics	Martha Castilla – The Madonna Neighborhood Center Melanie Taverna – South Texas Oral Health Network	Novel Use of a Mobile Web Application to Increase Awareness of Dry Mouth in the Community
John Roache - UT Health SA Dept. of Psychiatry	John Tierney and Stephen Gelfond - South Texas Psychiatry Practice Based Research Network	Prescriber and Patient Perspectives of Benefits and Problems due to Multiple Psychotropic Medication
Laura McKieran - UT SPH/Community Information Now (CI: NOW)	Caroline Bergeron – The Health Collaborative	Improving Access to Social Determinant Data

2016-2017 Community Engagement Small Project Grant Awardees

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigative Partners	Project Title
Bryan Bayles, PhD, MPH – The Witte Museum	San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and UTHSCSA School of Medicine, Family and Community Medicine	Enhancing Empathy and Communication Skills among Future Healthcare Professions Students through Partnership with a Community Museum
Maureen Simmonds, PhD, PT – UTHSCSA School of Health Professions, Physical Therapy	Frio County Translational Advisory Board (TAB)	Living Better Beyond Pain
Autumn Clegg, MSOT, OTR – UTHSCSA School of Health Professions, Occupational Therapy	ALS Association Texas Chapter and UTHSCSA School of Medicine, Neurology	A Multidisciplinary Education and Practice Outreach for an Underserved ALS Community
Johanna Becho, BA – UTHSCSA School of Medicine, Family and Community Medicine	Comal County TAB	SPARROW: Strengthening Preventive Alliances & Resource Recommendations for Oppressed Women
Adelita Cantu, PhD, RN – UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Family and Community Health Systems	Ella Austin Community Center	Enhancing Seniors' Lives in the Community through University and Community Partnerships
Carole White, PhD, RN – UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Nursing Restoration and Care Systems Management	Frio Regional Hospital and Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church	CARES: A Rural Community Partnership to Address the Health of Family Caregivers

2015-2016 Community Engagement Small Project Grant Awardees

Principal Investigator	Co-Investigative Partners	Project Title
Fozia Ali, MD - UTHSCSA School of Medicine, Family and Community Medicine	Bexar County Translational Advisory Board and UT School of Public Health - San Antonio Regional Campus	Assessing GIS to Address Pediatric Obesity in Family Health Center
Socorrro Escandon, PhD, RN and Martha Martinez, MSN, RN UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Family and Community Health Systems	Martinez Street Women's Center	The Power of Seed: a CBPR Project
Cervando Martinez, MD- UTHSCSA School of Medicine, Psychiatry	South Texas Psychiatry Practice-Based Research Network	Pilot Study to Develop and Evaluate a Tablet-Based Clinical Assistant Application to Enhance Psychiatric Follow-Up Visits
Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, PhD, OTR - UTHSCSA School of Health Professions Occupational Therapy	Christian Senior Services - Meals on Wheels	Home Evaluation Intervention for Community-Dwelling Homebound Seniors
Jacqueline Riley-Baker, MSN, RN and Laura Siske, RN, MSN UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Family and Community Health Systems	Children's Bereavement Center	Empathetic Perinatal Education and Communication
Rebekah Salt, PhD, RN - UTHSCSA School of Nursing, Family and Community Health	Center for Refugee Services	Promoting Mental Health in the Refugee Community: A Pilot Project

Contact Elisabeth de La Rosa at (210) 562-4087 or delarosae@uthscsa.edu for additional information about the Community Engagement Small Project Grants program.