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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
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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.