Houston Daily

University of Houston's Fertitta College of Medicine partnered with Special Olympics Texas to provide free health screenings for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The event, held on June 21 at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, aimed to reduce barriers to care and ensure athlete participation.

The MedFest event marked the first collaboration between the Fertitta College of Medicine and Special Olympics Texas as part of their Healthy Athletes program, which serves individuals with intellectual disabilities. It provided UH medical students valuable hands-on experience treating patients with IDD, addressing a gap in traditional medical training.

UH rising sophomore Chris Jaison, one of the lead organizers, has been volunteering with Special Olympics since eighth grade. He saw an opportunity at UH to help Special Olympics Texas athletes access free healthcare screenings while engaging UH medical students in treating patients with IDD.

“I was inspired by the health care disparities faced by individuals with IDD,” Jaison said. “Specifically, the fact that many patients with IDD struggle to access adequate, adaptable and respectful care.”

Dr. Brian Reed, professor and chair of the Clinical Sciences department in the Fertitta College of Medicine, emphasized the importance of such events for convenient athlete access to physical examinations needed before participating in sports. “Events like this make it convenient for the athletes or the parents that are responsible,” Reed said.

For UH medical students without healthcare backgrounds or family members in medicine, these events present potential career paths. “Many of our students do not have backgrounds or don’t have family members that are in health care,” Reed noted.

Jeremy DeLao from Special Olympics Texas highlighted that athletes received health screenings from university doctors and medical students during the event. Sydney Gandy, a fourth-year medical student who participated, expressed interest in pursuing medicine-pediatrics due to her experience at MedFest.

Jaison hopes this initiative will lead to future collaborations between Special Olympics Texas and other medical schools nationwide to promote inclusive healthcare education. “I hope to apply this framework not only to other medical schools in Texas but those across the country,” he said.