Development Board

Runnells Foundation gift expands mobile health in the Rio Grande Valley

A generous gift from the Nancy and Clive Runnells Foundation will help UTHealth Houston replace its aging Mobile Health Clinic with a state-of-the-art vehicle, expanding access to care for families in the Rio Grande Valley. The new design will support more patients and streamline services for underserved communities that depend on the clinic.

“This is a high-impact project,” says John Pitts, Vice President of the Runnells Foundation and UTHealth Houston Development Board Member. “The Foundation was struck by the level of thought and planning that has gone into the design of the new vehicle, which will be much more efficient,” adds Jeff Firestone, Treasurer of the Runnells Foundation and UTHealth Houston Development Board Member.

A new scholarship given by Pappas family

Military service and philanthropy are family values for Maria C. Pappas and Christopher J. Pappas. Former Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernesto Treviño, a student with Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, recently benefited on both counts.

Maria and Chris Pappas met with Treviño to celebrate him as the first-time recipient of the Maria C. and Christopher J. Pappas VBSN Scholarship award. Their family’s intent for the scholarship is to help those who have served our country successfully transition into meaningful civilian work, succeed in their jobs, and fulfill their dreams.

Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital tour

Members of the Development Board recently toured Harris Health LBJ Hospital, highlighting the partnership with UTHealth Houston to train the next generation of health professionals.

In the November 7 election, voters approved a $2.5 billion bond to renovate and expand LBJ Hospital and other Harris Health clinics.

Children's Learning Institute

On April 29, 2023, the Children's Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston hosted Friends and Family Volunteer Day in partnership with Generation Serve. Over 75 participants, including Development Board members and their families, volunteered their time to assemble more than 200 kits.

The kits will be distributed to local schools that participate in the Accelerated Early Reading Outcomes (AERO) program, which helps struggling children learn to read and accelerate their early reading outcomes.

Jeff Firestone

UTHealth Houston Development Board

Long time Board Member Jeff Firestone, who oversees the Pierce Runnels Foundation, is partnering with Aanand D. Naik, MD, Executive Director of UTHealth Houston Institute on Aging, to develop an app to help health care providers better understand patients’ priorities and enhance age-friendly care.

The app will assist older adults in identifying their health preferences, produce a structured report of individual health priorities, and integrate that report into the UT Physicians electronic health records and patient portal. Support to fund this project will help clinicians deliver a higher level of age-friendly care and treat patients with multiple chronic conditions.