Carnaval de Salud health fair reunites Dallas community
Medical students, faculty, and volunteers welcome return of outreach effort following hiatus
The concentration showed all over young Juan Acosta’s face as he carefully poured honey, vegetable oil, and other fluids into a vial to compare their density. The more mixtures he stacked, the increasingly excited he got. “Oh, it’s making bubbles!” he shouted. “I made a potion!”
As thrilled as Juan was to visit the liquid-stacking booth at UT Southwestern’s 18th annual Carnaval de Salud on April 22, his enthusiasm was matched only by the adults who attended and the more than 500 volunteers who provided free health screenings, medical information, and interactive educational activities for kids of all ages taking part in fun science experiments.
Students from UT Southwestern’s Medical School, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and School of Health Professions planned and coordinated the fair, which is typically held annually at Thomas J. Rusk Middle School in Dallas, not far from the main UT Southwestern campus. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event had been paused since 2019.
Astrud Villareal, M.D., who has been volunteering at the outreach effort since 2012 when she was a first-year medical student, was among those excited to return to the school to assist families in person. Now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Dr. Villareal said the chance to serve others has kept her and other UTSW faculty volunteers coming back. “When people ask why you want to be a doctor, well this is it,” she said.
Jared Morphew, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Internal Medicine, said the event is a wonderful opportunity for students early in their biomedical education to interact with those in the neighborhood.
“Hopefully it will inspire them, like it did me, to help and give back to the community,” Dr. Morphew said.
For some attendees, the atmosphere of the event makes it easier to talk about health issues than in a clinical setting, said Shanup Dalal, M.D, former Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine.
“This is more fun,” Dr. Dalal said. “They’re not seeing us in white coats; they’re seeing us in a school – a happy place.”
Carnaval de Salud was certainly a joy-filled occasion, with plenty of ways for families to learn through safe, interactive experiments teaching lessons about health or science. Children lined up to make fake snow, create candy “cells,” or suture a banana. Meanwhile, adults could take advantage of free screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
As expectant parents, Katy and Justin Christ said they were grateful to practice performing CPR on a baby-sized mannequin.
“I’ve watched CPR online, but to see it in person is really impressive,” Mr. Christ said.
At the dental health screening room, children could make giant “teeth” out of clay before getting their mouths examined. By lunchtime, more than 50 people had stopped by the dental station. To assist, staff and volunteers provided attendees with a list of low-cost oral care programs in the area.
With Carnaval de Salud canceled since the start of the pandemic, this year’s reopening marked a heartwarming reunion. The event is part of the UT System’s United to Serve initiative to foster community outreach. And after planning activities all year, seeing the fair come to fruition is so rewarding, said Christine Chen, a fourth-year UTSW medical student and an event director.
“We get to share our medical knowledge and have a direct impact on the community,” Ms. Chen said.
Watch: Highlights from Carnaval de Salud
The gathering not only helps people in the community, but it also provides a learning opportunity for volunteers, said Nora Gimpel, M.D., Professor and Vice Chair for Community Health in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and a Distinguished Teaching Professor.
“This is a true example of service learning,” said Dr. Gimpel, Medical Director for the fair. “And it’s fun.”