Houston Daily

The University of Houston (UH) is collaborating with the U.S. Army Medical Department to host the first-ever Premed Emergency Preparedness Day. This event, organized by the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, aims to train future healthcare professionals for large-scale emergencies.

Scheduled for March 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event will take place at the UH Campus Recreation and Wellness Center and the UH Student Center South Houston Room. It offers immersive training experiences through interactive workshops such as emergency medicine, virtual reality surgical techniques, and live medivac training with an Army Blackhawk helicopter. The Army AS5 mobile medical unit will also be on display.

Dawnelle Prince, director of the NSM Career Center, expressed pride in partnering with the Army: “Through this disaster simulation, our students will gain critical skills in crisis response, teamwork and decision-making – tools that will prepare them to confidently step into real-world emergencies and save lives.”

The event coincides with the Army’s 250th birthday and includes a keynote address by Col. Christopher Mitchell from the U.S. Army's Surgeon General office.

Capt. Tyler Womack of the Army Medical Department’s Houston Medical Recruiting Company emphasized the importance of this collaboration: “Emergency Preparedness Day at UH is an outstanding opportunity for the U.S. Army to highlight the critical role health care professionals play in supporting our nation’s armed forces.”

The need for trained healthcare responders is underscored by recent statistics from NOAA showing 27 weather disasters in the U.S. last year alone, causing significant damage and loss of life.

“As both natural and man-made disasters are on the rise, there is a significant need for health care responders with emergency experience,” Prince added.

This initiative aims to equip students—and by extension their communities—with essential resources and knowledge for effective crisis response.