Maya Fontenot was gifted with a natural aptitude for science and math, but her passion for medi- cine and activism started as a child in southwest Houston. Though she grew up middle class, Fontenot recalls frequent visits to the county hospital with aunts and uncles who struggled with poverty... and their health. Those eye-opening and alarming experiences gave her a glimpse into the challenges “a poor person seeking medical care” can face.

Now back home in Houston, Fontenot will return to the hospital setting under very different cir- cumstances — as one of 30 medical students in the University of Houston College of Medicine’s inaugural class.

“I wanted to be an advocate for poor commu- nities of color, like my family, so I majored in sociol- ogy to analyze the societal factors impacting health and health care,” said the recent Baylor graduate.

With a bold and fresh new approach to medical education, the city of Houston’s first medical school in nearly 50 years is tackling a key contributor to poor health — a shortage of primary care doctors. By addressing key factors that affect their patients’ health such as food insecurity, the environment and housing, these future doctors will help eliminate health dispari- ties in underserved urban and rural areas, which often have poorer health outcomes.

“I grew up on these inner-city streets and coming home to UH for medical school is a dream come true,” said Fontenot, who is African American and Native American. “During the interview process, I didn’t have to ask ‘what are you going to do for poor communities and communities of color in this city?’ It was at the forefront of every message they shared. I had never felt there was an institution that prioritized it as much as I did and that is really exciting.”

help underserved communities. “In college as a pre-med student, I would email

physicians at TMC to set up shadowing opportunities, but I was embarrassed to say I had never seen a phy- sician in the United States,” recalled Cengiz, who has worked as a research assistant and tissue engineer at Baylor College of Medicine. “Immigrant populations are often embarrassed to seek health care because they are intimidated by the medical community. So, I thought someone like me will be able to better under- stand their issues and why they would be reluctant to seek help.”

Orientation week starts July 20 and the first day of fall courses is July 27. The Health 2 Building in the UH Medical District will be the college’s tem- porary home for the first two years until a new $80 million medical school building is completed in 2022. Construction crews just broke ground on the new building June 15 and the progress can be viewed on this time lapse construction camera.

At full enrollment, the College of Medicine will have 480 students, but the first 30 — already talking regularly on a virtual chat — are eager to get started and set the standard for excellence. “I came a long way from washing dishes at 14 at a pizza store. My parents are super proud of me,” said Cengiz with a smile.

“When I got the call, I was so happy I couldn’t speak,” said Fontenot. “I just ended up walking around the house with my hand on my forehead and thinking ‘wow, I can’t believe I got this.’”

www.UH.edu

Dr. Stephen Spann is Founding Dean of the UH College of Medicine.

Schools Application Services)

• 100% Texas resident

• Five graduates of the University of Texas at Austin; two graduates each from the University of Houston, Baylor, Texas A&M, Houston Baptist, Prairie View A&M and Rice University

An incredible 93% of the incoming class displayed factors indicating high mission congruence. The goal is for 50% of graduates to choose primary care specialties including family medicine, general internal medicine and general pediatrics. Only about 20% of medical students nationwide choose primary care.

“We were very deliberate in our pursuit of medical students who fit the mission. This is much different than most other medical schools because we need different solutions for the current health care problems facing our city and state,” said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the College of Medicine. “I am elated with the quality and mission-driven purpose of the incoming class and can’t wait to get started.”

The 164 prospective students took part in multiple mini-interviews – the majority held virtually via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic – where candidates rotate through a circuit of one-on-one interviews. Research shows this newer approach to interviewing produces a more reliable assessment of a candidate and limits interview biases due to the number of interactions.

“We wanted to build a fair process but also went a step further by using data to identify what makes a person gravitate toward primary care. Our multiple mini-interviews allowed us to hone in on applicants who were compassionate, ethical, conscientious and expressed an interest in primary care,” said Dr. Kathryn Horn, associate dean of student affairs, admissions and outreach. “I’m proud to say our first cohort is full of character and an eagerness to truly impact the quality of health care in our region.”

UH College of Medicine Inaugural Class:

• 30 students

• 73% underrepresented minorities in medicine

• 63% female

• 57% first generation in college

• 40% low socioeconomic status (as defined by Texas Medical Dental Schools Application Services)

• 100% Texas resident

• Five graduates of the University of Texas at Austin; two graduates each from the University of Houston, Baylor, Texas A&M, Houston Baptist, Prairie View A&M and Rice University

An incredible 93% of the incoming class displayed factors indicating high mission congruence. The goal is for 50% of graduates to choose primary care specialties including family medicine, general internal medicine and general pediatrics. Only about 20% of medical students nationwide choose primary care.

“We were very deliberate in our pursuit of medical students who fit the mission. This is much different than most other medical schools because we need different solutions for the current health care problems facing our city and state,” said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the College of Medicine. “I am elated with the quality and mission-driven purpose of the incoming class and can’t wait to get started.”

The 164 prospective students took part in multiple mini-interviews – the majority held virtually via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic – where candidates rotate through a circuit of one-on-one interviews. Research shows this newer approach to interviewing produces a more reliable assessment of a candidate and limits interview biases due to the number of interactions.

“We wanted to build a fair process but also went a step further by using data to identify what makes a person gravitate toward primary care. Our multiple mini-in- terviews allowed us to hone in on applicants who were compassionate, ethical, conscientious and expressed an interest in primary care,” said Dr. Kathryn Horn, associate dean of student affairs, admissions and outreach. “I’m proud to say our first cohort is full of character and an eagerness to truly impact the quality of health care in our region.”

Each member of the first cohort will receive a $100,000 four-year scholarship through philanthropy to cover tuition and fees. “It’s a huge burden lifted,” said Cenk Cengiz, who graduated from UH in 2013 with a degree in biology. At 14, his family emigrated from Turkey to Houston, but like many immigrants, could not afford health insurance. Cengiz went through high school and college without ever seeing a doctor, which attracted him to the field of medicine and piqued his interest in the medical school’s unique mission to help underserved communities. “In college as a pre-med student, I would email

physicians at TMC to set up shadowing opportunities, but I was embarrassed to say I had never seen a phy- sician in the United States,” recalled Cengiz, who has worked as a research assistant and tissue engineer at Baylor College of Medicine. “Immigrant populations are often embarrassed to seek health care because they are intimidated by the medical community. So, I thought someone like me will be able to better under- stand their issues and why they would be reluctant to seek help.”

Orientation week starts July 20 and the first day of fall courses is July 27. The Health 2 Building in the UH Medical District will be the college’s tem- porary home for the first two years until a new $80 million medical school building is completed in 2022. Construction crews just broke ground on the new building June 15 and the progress can be viewed on this time lapse construction camera.

At full enrollment, the College of Medicine will have 480 students, but the first 30 — already talking regularly on a virtual chat — are eager to get started and set the standard for excellence. “I came a long way from washing dishes at 14 at a pizza store. My parents are super proud of me,” said Cengiz with a smile.

“When I got the call, I was so happy I couldn’t speak,” said Fontenot. “I just ended up walking around the house with my hand on my forehead and thinking ‘wow, I can’t believe I got this.’”