Spring Branch Leadership Institute Class of 2023

Weeklong Program Provides Experience of Healthcare Professions for Local Highschool Students

For a third year in a row, the Spring Branch Leadership Institute (SBLI) will provide a program of expert instruction and meaningful experiences from July 24 to 28, 2023. The weeklong camp will introduce Spring Branch ISD and Cy-Fair ISD high school students to careers in healthcare and inspire them on the path to becoming future health leaders. Established in May 2021, SBLI achieves its vision to develop young leaders who understand the impact of health disparities in area communities and who will work for health transformation in their own neighborhood.

Organized and directed by Spring Branch Community Health Center (SBCHC) Chief Executive Officer, Marlen J. Trujillo, Ph.D., the SBLI gives students opportunities to learn from physicians and other healthcare professionals through seminars, field trips and practicums, and to interact with other like-minded peers.

In addition to classroom seminars and activities, the SBLI participants will enjoy two days of field trips for up-close and hands-on experiences of the healthcare industry and professions. While the agenda has not been finalized for this year’s summer institute, the 2022 iteration included trips to the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and the University of Houston (UH). On these trips, students experienced the Natural Science Museum’s Body Worlds Exhibit; conducted lab experiments in The Health Museum’s DeBakey Cell Lab; ate lunch and toured Houston Methodist Hospital TMC campus with Texas A&M’s EnMED medical students; and visited the Simulation Classroom at the new Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at UH. Said one participant, “My favorite part of the field trips was being able to see what the medical students and doctors do [on] a daily basis, and also [having] some hands on activities that gave us more knowledge about health.”

“We are so happy to be able to provide practical experiences of healthcare professions for these students,” says Dr. Trujillo. “Seeing that our healthcare system lacks diversity among health professionals, and that this negatively impacts patient outcomes, we need to build a workforce of providers that have the cultural competencies to serve the community. The SBLI encourages students from diverse backgrounds and cultures to explore health professions, and provides them with valuable information and experiences to help them choose a pathway for these careers in the health industry.”