UIWSOM Student Demonstrates Mission In Action
On October 17, UIWSOM student Laila Barkoudeh, in partnership with Healing the Children Texas (HTCTX), hosted a wellness program at Southside ISD Losoya Middle School.
Barkoudeh, in partnership with Healing the Children Texas (HTCTX), received a grant from Good Skin Knowledge through the American Academy of Dermatology Foundation. The grant’s purpose is to teach elementary school children about proper skin care in the sun to avoid the development of skin cancer. Barkoudeh presented information to the children through activities teaching them how to take care of their skin. One activity included special beads that changed color as UV radiation exposure increased to teach them about using sunscreen. Hats and lotions were also donated to the children.
“I think this is a big deal. First, it aligns well with the UIW Mission. Second, it represents the first partnership between UIW students and Healing the Children Texas, a local nonprofit that I lead, and looks to create a durable relationship with UIW to benefit children on the south side of San Antonio,” shared Roberto Fajardo, PhD, founder of Amigos en Medicina and executive director of HTC Texas.
Following the event, Barkoudeh was asked to share the purpose of this initiative; she shared the following heartfelt message, “My long-term goal is to become a physician and, God willing, an educator on a university faculty in Houston. I went to medical school because I fell in love with medicine and the science behind disease. After working in research at MD Anderson for a couple of years, I became even more interested in the discoveries that help us understand disease. As a medical student, I’ve spent a lot of time teaching myself these concepts, and along the way, I realized how much I enjoy teaching them, too.”
She continued, “That interest led me to search for educational grants available to medical students. I found the Good Skin Knowledge grant through the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Foundation. The grant required a nonprofit organization to partner on the application, and I was fortunate to already have a connection with Healing the Children Texas through a toy drive I had worked on with Southside ISD (SISD). That connection helped me bring the idea to Professor Fajardo and the SISD team. I was awarded $1,000 to support the educational part of the initiative.”
Barkoudeh proposed the project because she wanted to use what she’d learned in medical school to teach children ages eight to twelve from underserved backgrounds about skin health and sun safety. The skin is our largest organ, and she believes it’s valuable to help children learn how to care for it early.
Barkoudeh went into the session without particular expectations, she shared that she was genuinely surprised by how much the children were engaged and remembered. “By the end, they could describe the layers of the skin and explain how to care for it, wash their faces, and choose and apply sunscreen, including understanding SPF. Parents also shared that their children had been receptive and retained a lot of the information,” said Barkoudeh.
“I’m grateful to SISD, Healing the Children Texas, and the AAD Foundation for making this opportunity possible,” she continued “More personally, I’m grateful that the grant gave me the chance to practice teaching as a medical student, something I hope to continue throughout my career. Seeing the children take in the information and share what they had learned was a highlight of the experience.”
Congratulations to Laila Barkoudeh for carrying out the Mission of UIW through her work as an aspiring physician.
Learn more about Healing the Children Texas https://www.healingthechildren.org/
