Class 38 of Leadership San Antonio met last Wednesday to learn about the healthcare and bioscience industry in San Antonio. The day began at St. Philip’s College where they were greeted by Dr. Adena Williams Loston, President of St. Philip’s. Dr. Loston shared the history of St. Philip’s and spoke about the different programs that the college has to offer. During breakfast, B-cycle provided class members with information about the company’s benefits and why it’s called the magic bike. B-cycle is one of the first large-scale municipal bike sharing systems in the United States with 35 bike stations (B-stations) in downtown San Antonio.
Afterward, the class broke out into groups for the Great Conversations segment of the day. The topics for the segment included How to Start off Right with speakers Liset Leal-Vasquez (Alliance for a Healthier Generation) and Kay Maynard (Any Baby Can), Build Your City for Health with speakers Kathy Shields (City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District) and Julia Murphy (City of San Antonio Sustainable Transportation), San Antonio’s Biggest Issue: Diabisity with speakers Dr. Bryan Alsip (University Health System) and Dr. Esteban Lopez (Blue Cross Blue Shield), Family Health with speakers Dr. Norma Reyes (The Greater SA Hispanic Dental Association) and Kimberly Harris (Healthcare Access San Antonio), and Protect Your Company with speakers Joanna Antongiovanni (Wortham Insurance) and Carlos Torres (Broadway Bank).
When Great Conversations concluded, the group boarded the bus to go to the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center (STBTC) where they learned about the Stem Cell program at the facility. STBTC is a not-for profit community blood center specializing in a variety of services. Blood Services provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to 67 hospitals in 43 South Texas counties. GenCure includes Tissue Services, National Marrow Donor Program and Texas Cord Blood Bank. QualTex Laboratories provides specialized testing for blood and source plasma products.
Next, Class 38 enjoyed a discussion about the different Children’s Hospitals in San Antonio. Christus Santa Rosa Health System was represented by Patrick Carrier, CEO, Randall Wright, Interim Administrator for the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, and Dr. Mark Gilger, Pediatrician-in-Chief for Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Representatives for Methodist Healthcare System included Gay Nord, CEO Methodist Hospital, and J. Mark Mcloone, CEO Methodist Children’s Hospital and Women’s Services at Methodist Hospital. Michael C. Zucker, Chief Development Officer, represented Baptist Health System.
The next portion of the day was a panel discussion led by Ann Stevens, President of BioMed SA, that took place at UT Health Science Center (UTHSCSA). Ann Stevens gave an overview of the Health and Bioscience Industry in San Antonio based on BioMed SA’s four Pillars of Excellence: Medical and Health Services, Biomedical Research, Health Professions Education, and Biosicence Firms. She then introduced the panel that was comprised of Dr. Morris Stribling, Podiatrist, Dr. Eileen Breslin, Dean of the School of Nursing at UTHSCSA, Dr. Anthony Comuzzie, Scientist at the Department of Genetics at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, and Dr. Phillip Morgan, Vice President and General Manager of InCube Labs.
Before concluding the day with a tour of the Simulation Center at UTHSCSA, the class had an activity break where they learned how to do stretches that are easy for the workplace with a trainer from Gold’s Gym. The Simulation Center at UTHSCSA is a 7,281-square-foot simulated hospital that includes a trauma center, intensive care unit, maternal/child center, pediatric care suite, ambulatory care suite and home health setting.
The members of LSA Class 38 are grouped into committees responsible for developing agendas for each of the eight class days. The agenda for Health and Bioscience Day was developed by class members:
- Sara Brouillard, Marketing Communications Specialist, Broadway Bank
- Claudia Castillo Gonzalez, Director of Strategic Planning, The Atkins Group
- Aaron Hackney, Network Security Engineer, Rackspace Hosting
- Melba Harris, Communications Manager, Time Warner Cable
- Richard Milk, Senior Planning & Policy Manager, San Antonio Housing Authority
- Edward “JR” Trevino, Business Development Manager, Treco Enterprises, Inc.
- John Ximenes, President, L(5) Services, LLC
LSA is a joint partnership of The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Click here for more information on LSA or email Allegra Zwaan.