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 |
Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Health-Promoting Behavior Among Blind and Visually Impaired |
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 |
Shanae Rhodes, BA – |
Shirley Fennel, RNC, BSN, MSHP, PhD |
Refuge III Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
A CBPR, Mixed Methods Design Study among African American/Black Women Living in Texas |
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 |
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 – |
Anna Allegretti, PhD, OTR – Janna Roberts, OTR Elizabeth Marsh, MS, OTR |
Pediatric Therapy Specialists |
Implementation of Community-Based Life Skills |
Kathleen Case, DrPH - |
Ludivina Hernandez, CHW – |
Bexar TAB |
Impact of the Disease and Priorities |
Sara Masoud, MPH - |
Carole White, PhD, RN – Belinda Flores, RN – Janna Lesser, PhD, RN – |
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 - |
Janna Lesser, PhD, RN – Paula Bailey – |
Alzheimer’s Association |
Co-Learning About the Stigma on Person’s Living with Dementia: A Mixed Methods Design Action Research Study |
Monica Lawson, PhD - |
Maliha Imami – Child Safe Randy McGibeny, MA, LPC – Nancy Kellogg, MD – |
Child Safe UT Health San Antonio, Dept. of Pediatrics – Child Abuse |
Child Maltreatment in Bexar County |
Jason Rosenfeld, DrPH – |
Esmeralda Ibarra, BS, CHW – 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 – |
David Douphrate, PhD – Anabel Rodriguez, PhD, MPH – |
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.