Leading with love

What drives many to a life of service through medicine is a deep compassion for all people. As a physician, I see a whole human being in each patient - with their genetic predispositions, their traumas, their aptitudes, their temperaments, their behavioral risk factors, their social and economic circumstances. As fiduciaries for the health and wellbeing of our patients, if it was not already intuitive, we were trained to see it this way - holistically. It does not surprise me, then, that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - with the input of key leaders from the fields of health, public health, education, and school health - have devised a comprehensive Whole School, Whole Community, and Whole Child Model that includes civic engagement (community involvement), family engagement, social and emotional climate, and counseling, psychological and social services.

Yesterday, I discovered at the quarterly Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) meeting that in Pearland ISD, we focus almost exclusively on physical health and nutrition, ultimately an impoverished view of health. There is opportunity here to address so many unmet needs of our students.

The current Board of Trustees, who has oversight of the SHAC, has had years to implement a more compassionate, comprehensive, and inclusive vision that concentrates not only on academic goals but a district culture that helps us to operationalize our commitment to the education of all of our children. Have they? As parents in the district, you have agency to help create the culture you want to see for the health of your children and our community. Join me in this journey!