Through our community-engaged health programs, productive membership, and strategic expansion in basic biomedical science, the HEALTH Research Institute (HRI) closed out another successful year.

• Taking Texas Tobacco Free (TTTF) provided tobacco cessation and educational materials to over 350,000 people.
• Treating Obesity in Underserved Communities in Houston (TOUCH) provided free prevention services to over 3,000 residents in Houston’s Third Ward and East End.
• TOUCH coordinated the Diabetes Prevention Program and BOUNCE program, which served over 500 residents and families.
• The University of Houston/MD Anderson Cancer Center (UHAND) partnership actively engaged 10 scholars in preparing them for their careers in health disparities research with in-depth training, mentoring, and service learning experiences.

As you will see in the coming pages, we continue to make strides in achieving our ultimate goal: to conduct cutting-edge research that informs novel prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and intervention strategies that mitigate – and ultimately eliminate – a broad range of health challenges.