More than seventy University of Texas Medical Branch students from all five schools recently made the nearly four-hour drive to the Texas State Capitol in Austin for UTMB Student Day. They were there to talk to elected officials and learn the ins-and-outs of the policymaking process.
Before even getting on the buses, event participants learned about UTMB’s legislative priorities for the 89th session and best practices for sharing their stories. Hosted by the John Sealy School of Medicine Alumni Association and the Health Policy and Legislative Affairs team since 2009, the full day event allows students to get firsthand experience of policymaking. Senior Vice President and Provost, Dr. Susan Chubinskaya, also joined in for the day, representing UTMB leadership.
After arriving in Austin, the students took a group photo outside the Capitol building before heading into the House and Senate Chambers. Both chambers were bustling, but local delegates, Rep. Terri Leo Wilson and Sen. Mayes Middleton, made time to mark the special occasion by having the students stand up to be recognized in the galleries.
Leo Wilson shared how UTMB students, “are among the best-qualified health care providers in the nation.” From the Senate floor, Middleton shared UTMB's history, highlighting the storied journey from “the state's first medical school and nursing school... to the best of the next generation of scientists and health care providers."
After viewing the floor activity, students separated into smaller groups to visit legislative offices, including with House Appropriations Committee Chair and UTMB SOM alumnus, Dr. Greg Bonnen. They shared their experiences as students and UTMB’s positive impact for the state. During the meetings, students also focused on UTMB’s requests for the state’s upcoming budget, including increasing Health Related Institution formula funding, funding UTMB’s two non-formula exceptional items, the Kidney Cardiovascular Care Initiative and the Healthy Aging Initiative, and the grassroots effort to bolster support for UTMB’s Old Red Medical Museum.
“Participating in the UTMB Student Day allowed us to engage directly with State Representatives and provided invaluable insight into the process while highlighting the value of civic engagement and advocacy,” said Emmanuel Ebirim, a second-year medical student at UTMB and American Medical Association / Texas Medical Association Student President.
After their meetings, students got a taste of another Texas legislative institution: pretzels and barbecue at Scholz Garten. Lauren Sheer, vice president of Health Policy and Legislative Affairs at UTMB, closed the evening with thoughts on how student voices are important to legislators and their staff, remarking on how their efforts were timely, for the state’s budget deliberations.
“Having the students visit the Capitol and talk to legislators, it puts a face to the HRI formulas as our elected officials work to represent the needs of Texans in the next budget,” Sheer said.