A look back at 2016 at Baylor

Believe it or not, 2017 is upon us – but we still have time to reflect on a year filled with milestones, celebrations and achievements at Baylor College of Medicine. Let’s take a look back at some of our best moments.

Community Outreach Spotlight

As part of a six-month retrospective project by the Houston Chronicle, Baylor’s rich history and commitment to community service was highlighted in several stories, which were featured both online and in print. Visit our community website to read these stories and view the Houston Chronicle ads.

Innovation and Accolades

This year, Baylor moved up in several U.S. News & World Report rankings, including among research intensive medical schools, primary care, nurse anesthesia programs and pediatrics programs. Reuters also named Baylor one of the world’s most innovative universities.

Beyond academic rankings, Baylor was also named one of the nation’s healthiest workplaces and a 2016 American Heart Association Fit-Friendly Workplace.

See more awards and honors the College has received.

Expansion and Collaboration

As 2016 went on, Baylor continued to break new ground in Houston and beyond. On April 5, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Tower 2 of the Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, which will be home of the collaboration between Baylor and Catholic Health Initiatives, and will also be the future site of the Texas Heart Institute.  View photos from the event.

Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor Scott & White Health entered into an agreement to expand biomedical research in North and Central Texas. Other notable collaboration efforts and new initiatives include:

• Baylor’s cardiology group teaming up with Hall-Garcia Cardiology Associates
• Will Parsons meeting with Vice President Joe Biden’s team to advance cancer research
• Baylor and The Chinese University of Hong Kong agreeing to establish a joint center focused on genetic research
• Baylor and Phillips 66 collaborating to support STEM education

Match Day Celebration

Fourth-year Baylor students celebrated Match Day with friends and family on March 18. Check out the highlights and photos from Match Day 2016 at Baylor and watch video recap below.

 Global Outreach

Baylor’s commitment to community service isn’t limited to the borders of the U.S. With outreach programs and initiatives in more than 60 countries, Baylor brings critical medical services to the most underserved communities across the globe. Several momentous global initiatives and milestones took place this year, including:

• The Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) at Texas Children’s Hospital increasing its impact in South America through a new maternal and child health program in Argentina. Read more.
• The Botswana-Baylor Children’s Center of Excellence and the government of Botswana signing a memorandum of agreement to build the first children’s hematology and cancer center of excellence in Gaborone. Read more.
• The Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence – Malawi 10th Anniversary Celebration, which took place on Nov. 11.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb teaming up with the Angola Sickle Cell Initiative, a partnership of BIPAI and the Angola Ministry of Health, to provide an effective medication to children diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Read more.

Charitable Events

Members of the Baylor community frequently participate in efforts to promote wellness and help support research in the community. In 2016, Baylor teams and students contributed to several events:

• Baylor students shared their time and talents on Aug. 20 volunteering across Houston as part of the Matthew Carter Service Day. View photos and video from the event.
• The BCM Wellness 5K Race/Fun Run was held in October and raised money for local charities and community projects in Houston, as well as wellness events on campus for students. See photos from the race.
• Baylor’s team participated in the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K, which benefited the Colon Cancer Coalition.
• For the ninth year in a row, Baylor served as the official medical sponsor of the Houston Avon Walk.

Check out more charitable events Baylor contributed to in 2016.

Additional Resources

Check out the latest news from Baylor.

Read about research accomplishments in From the Labs.

–By Nicole Blanton