Earlier this month, the Institute for Translational Sciences (ITS) Community Engagement team helped local families prepare for the new school year with giveaways and ideas for healthy play at the St. Vincent’s House and Galveston Independent School District Back to School Blast.

St. Vincent’s House is a stalwart community organization that provides services and resources to underserved Galvestonians. The ITS has partnered with St. Vincent’s House for more than a decade to connect medical research and care with community needs.

At the back-to-school event, volunteers, donors, and vendors handed out school supplies, fresh produce, and more. Health and safety information, vaccinations, and health screenings were also available to all Galveston Independent School District-registered students.

Kids checking out the healthy play information at the ITS tables.

The Mobi-COACH (Mobile Research Clinic for Outreach and Community Health)

ITS Community Engagement Lead Dr. Sharon Croisant and Dr. Lance Hallberg (Sealy Center for Environmental Health and Medicine) at the Back to School Blast.

ITS community engagement events are supported by UTMB's Clinical and Translational Science Award.

Top image caption: Dr. Sharon Croisant (ITS Community Engagement Lead) and Krista Bohn (ITS Community Engagement Program Manager) show the fanny packs they gave out at the August 2024 Back to School event.