One Baylor Plaza, MS 285 Houston, Texas 77030
713-798-8608
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is home to the Houston AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC). The BCM-Houston AETC is part of the South Central AETC (SCAETC), which is comprised of five states: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
BCM-Houston AETC collaborates with faculty and colleagues from BCM, University of Texas Health Systems, and Harris Health System at the Thomas Street Health Center (TSHC).
Thomas Street at Quentin Mease Health Center is a BCM-Houston AETC affiliated site and the largest freestanding HIV comprehensive care clinic in Houston. This health center serves over 5,000 people living with HIV and provides prevention services for those at risk for HIV.
The BCM-Houston AETC mission is to provide evidence-based education and training for health professionals and organizations to improve the quality of life of people living with or at-risk for HIV.
The BCM-Houston AETC offers:
Our programs are available for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, trainees, and other health professionals. Topics include:
For more information, please contact us at HoustonAETC@bcm.edu and follow us on Twitter @HoustonAETC.
Director, BCM-Houston AETC
Twitter: @ShitalPatelMD
Dr. Patel is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases. Her expertise includes more than 12 years of vaccine clinical trials research experience, as well education and clinical efforts dedicated to improving the health of underserved and diverse communities. Dr. Patel has provided care for patients with HIV at the Thomas Street Health Center and Ben Taub Hospital, Harris Health, Houston, Texas since 2003 and serves on the Houston Area Ryan White Planning Council. She is also the Clinical Director for the BCM -Houston AETC (South Central AIDS Education and Training Center Region). Since 2013, she has strengthened the AETC program with local partnerships and collaborations to help health professionals improve the health and quality of life of patients living with HIV.
Associate Clinical Director
Dr. Goebel is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases. Her training includes medical school at Baylor College of Medicine and an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Internship and Internal Medicine Residency at Duke University Medical Center. She completed an Infectious Diseases fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine with a focus on antimicrobial stewardship and implementation science. Dr. Goebel provides care to patients with HIV at Thomas Street Health Center and Ben Taub Hospital, Harris Health, Houston, Texas. She is passionate about providing empathetic and quality care to underserved and vulnerable patient populations, including people with HIV. She joined the AETC team as the Associate Clinical Director in 2020.
Digital Marketing Strategist
Twitter: @AryaCampaigns
Dr. Arya is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases. She is also a skilled medical and science communications professional. She has nearly 15 years of experience in the design of media campaigns for health promotion and has over 30 publications in the areas of HIV and HCV testing media campaigns. Her areas of expertise include health communication, marketing, digital media, and health campaign design.
ECHO Program Manager Dr. Avishek Ghosh-Hajra began his academic career at the University of Texas in
Austin to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. He attended Ross University School of Medicine to earn his Doctorate in Medicine and the University of Houston – Clear Lake to earn his Master’s in Health Administration/Master’s in Business Administration degrees. Dr. Ghosh-Hajra is passionate about bringing high quality, evidence-based healthcare to underserved communities. In his free time Dr. Ghosh-Hajra enjoys doing charitable work and rooting on his favorite Houston sports teams.
Email Avishek or follow him on Twitter @avig820.
Kathryn is a native Houstonian and graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in Communications,
majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Psychology. Kathryn has a long history of serving and advocating for vulnerable populations, and in 2015 decided to shift this mission to a career by returning to the University of Houston to work on her Master’s from the Graduate College of Social Work – Go Coogs! For the past six years, Kathryn has been working specifically with individuals and communities impacted by HIV, both in community-based organizations and healthcare settings. Kathryn currently serves on the Leadership Committee of the Houston Health Department’s HIV Prevention Community Planning Group, as Co-Chair for the Prevention with PWH Committee, Action-Chair for The African American State of Emergency Task Force, and a member of the END HIV - EHE Education and Awareness Committee. Kathryn’s work at the BCM-Houston AETC will focus on Practice Transformation for HIV service providers in Houston/Harris county and surrounding areas, as well as the lead on an ECHO adaptation for the implementation of Rapid Start Protocols among Ryan White Part A funded clinics in the Houston EMA.
Email Kathryn or follow her on Twitter @kathrynhtx.
Research Intern
Meheret is a senior at Rice University majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Sciences and minor in Global Health Technologies. She is passionate about addressing health disparities and strives to empower those in her community to make the best health decisions for themselves. At BCM-Houston AETC, she’ll be working closely with the Rapid Start initiative which aims to start people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the same day that they are diagnosed.
Follow her on Twitter @AderaMeheret.
Naomi graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Public Health and a focus on Social and Behavioral Science. She is currently a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine and is interested in infectious disease and internal medicine.
At the Baylor College of Medicine-Houston AIDS Education & Training Center, she works with the BE FASTER team to help analyze qualitative data of healthcare providers’ barriers and facilitators to implementing rapid antiretroviral therapy for their patients and clients.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under grant number U1OHA33225 (South Central AIDS Education and Training Center). It was awarded to the University of New Mexico. No percentage of this project was financed with non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.