TMA Foundation SOLUTIONS Summer 2018

Gala: A silvery, shining success!

Nearly 550 friends in support of a healthier Texas attended TMA Foundation’s 25^th Anniversary Gala on May 18 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort. They enjoyed cocktail receptions, silent and live auctions, dinner, dancing, live music and more, raising an estimated $361,826 to support TMAF and the outstanding health programs it makes possible.

At the gala’s Make-A Difference drive, guests donated nearly $32,000 to secure a $10,500 challenge grant from an anonymous donor couple. Together this provides more than 9,000 young Texans with bike helmets and safety education through TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program.

If you attended or supported this year’s event-- thank you!--but if  not, there’s still a meaningful way to support the gala and give hope to more Texans for a healthier future — by contributing to the Star Campaign. Your gift will help twice as many Texans because it enables TMAF to win a generous $10,000 challenge grant from the John P. McGovern Foundation. To make a gift or view photos from TMAF’s 25^th Anniversary Gala, visit TMAF's gala webpage.

Nursing Scholarship Recipient Counts Blessings

The first Travis County recipient of the TMAF Hispanic Nursing Scholarship Trust Fund of Dr. Roberto J. and Agniela (Annie) Bayardo said she feels “absolute gratitude for blessing me with the new nursing school scholarship.” Janie Hernandez-Romero, who attends Concordia University Texas College of Nursing, Austin, was awarded a $4,500 scholarship. Scholarships are awarded annually to qualified students in both Travis and Harris Counties by their respective county alliance chapters.

This trust fund is part of a new TMAF initiative, the “Family of Funds,” which invites donors to establish a fund that supports health improvement and education and aligns with the goals of TMA and the Family of Medicine. To learn more about establishing such a fund, contact Lisa Stark Walsh, TMAF executive director, at lisa.walsh[at]texmed[dot]org or 800 880-1300, ext. 1666.

Outstanding Teachers Build Healthy Future

Eleven exemplary Texas science teachers recently were named winners of the 2018 TMA Ernest and Sarah Butler Awards for Excellence in Science Teaching (STA). Winners and their schools receive cash awards in recognition of their valuable role promoting scientific literacy and cultivating student interest for careers in science and medicine.

A first place winner, Norma Burke, teaches anatomy, physiology and pre-AP biology at Early College High School, Houston, said, “My success as a teacher, for me, is to develop students who can have conversations about the topics in science, the students that push themselves to become better students because they know they can do it, and the student that says they are interested in science after learning about things in my class.”

Established in 1990, STA is funded by the TMA Foundation Ernest and Sarah Butler Endowment for Excellence in Science Teaching and gifts from physicians and their families. Support this program with a gift to TMAF.

Scholarship Winners Make Future of Medicine Bright

A dozen incoming Texas medical students each recently received a $10,000 scholarship from TMA to help fulfill their dream of becoming physicians and desire to care and advocate for Texans in need.

Alyssa Wilder, Class of 2022, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine Class, Fort Worth, shared her dream “…to improve the lives of others by educating my patients so that they may know how best to care for their health and by acting as an advocate for those who often go unheard. “

The TMA Diversity in Medicine Scholarship are made possible by the TMA Foundation Trust Fund of Dr. Roberto J. and Agniela (Annie) Bayardo of Houston. TMA recognized the “Bayardo Scholars” at its annual meeting, May 18 in San Antonio.

The MSP was created in 1998 to help diversify the physician workforce to meet the health care needs of Texans. Recipients are selected for their academic achievement, commitment to community service, and desire to care for Texas’ increasingly diverse population. Support this program with a gift to TMAF.