UIW Health Professions Schools Host Inaugural Health Profession Olympics
The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is home to five health professions schools: Feik School of Pharmacy (FSOP), Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions (SNHP), the Rosenberg School of Optometry (RSO), UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) and the UIW School of Rehabilitation Sciences (SRS). Unifying those with a shared desire to be a healing presence in the world, UIW has the privilege of supporting and preparing generations of healthcare professionals.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, student doctors from all five health professions schools gathered at the UIWSOM campus for the inaugural Health Profession Olympics. This first-time event invited students to a day of Olympics-style activities and challenges that allowed them to showcase their sportsmanship.
“The idea for the inaugural 2025 Health Profession Olympics was inspired by our shared mission to foster collaboration and connection across all of UIW’s health professions programs,” explained UIWSOM’s Student Government Association Vice President Zachary Coffel. “At UIWSOM, we recognize that healthcare doesn’t happen in our own personal bubbles—successful patient care relies on teamwork among professionals from diverse disciplines. We wanted to create a fun, engaging and meaningful way to bring that interprofessional spirit to life outside the classroom.”
Students participated in activities including a relay race, small goal soccer, volleyball, water balloon dodgeball and a Super Smash Bros tournament. Although the UIW health professions teams competed for awards, they simultaneously engaged in interprofessional collaboration, building skills that can be applied to patient care. It was a day filled with smiles and laughter as UIW’s aspiring health professionals got to know their UIW health professions peers; whom they may one day work with to serve others in need.
“Healthcare is a team sport!” noted FSOP’s Student Government Association Vice President Jaclyn Moreno. “As mission-centered healthcare providers, UIW students are trained to care for the whole person, and that care extends across every discipline—medicine, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training. Collaboration across these fields is essential to delivering comprehensive patient care.”
At the end of the day, it was FSOP that victoriously earned the title of overall winner of the 2025 Health Profession Olympics.
“The best part (of the event) was watching the genuine camaraderie among students and teammates,” noted Coffel. “Watching their teams strategize, laugh and celebrate together was incredibly rewarding.”
Both Moreno and Coffel expressed that they were proud of the outcomes of the inaugural event and look forward to seeing how the event continues in future years.