July 2025
2025 Back-to-School Event
We where happy to attend the Back-to-School Event in partnership with the YWCA and Ventanilla de Salud. Jose Martinez and Ana Clara Lobato had the opportunity to promote the research and the local event.
Internship report · February 2026
Data cleaning, survey revisions & participant tracking
February marked a shift toward the research side of the project — refining the survey instrument, beginning data cleaning, and building a structured system to track and follow up with participants.
4
New survey questions added
6
Participant status categories
Key activities
Educational platform development
Built a color-coded spreadsheet to monitor participant involvement and prioritize follow-up communications by engagement level.
Data cleaning process
Exported survey responses to Excel and began reviewing, recoding, and organizing the dataset. Personal identifiers are being removed to protect participant confidentiality.
Survey revision
Added demographic questions on sex, race/ethnicity, employment status, and exercise frequency. Clarified the study's focus on individuals with prediabetes and updated the privacy section to explain NSF data protections.
Internship report · January 2026
New course, home deliveries & healthcare maps
January brought major new initiatives: a Canvas learning course for participants, a home delivery system for supplies, and interactive healthcare accessibility maps for Bexar County. Alongside some logistical and technical challenges to tackle.
Key activities
"Be Healthy" Canvas course launched
Launched a bilingual educational platform for participants covering diabetes management and healthy living. Content is being translated into Spanish to reach all participants.
Home delivery program started
Introduced a delivery system for participants who have transportation barriers, bringing monthly supplies and food boxes directly to their homes to maintain consistent engagement.
Healthcare map in development
Building interactive maps of Bexar County using Leaflet and Texas Medical Board data to visualize healthcare provider locations relative to where participants live.
Internship report · December 2025
Marketing, digital growth & community partnerships
The fall semester focused on building the project's digital presence, strengthening community partnerships, and applying marketing strategies to expand the reach of the Work Healthy SA diabetes research project across San Antonio.
What we did this semester
Website updates
Continuously updated the Work Healthy SA website to improve content, layout, and accessibility for potential participants and community partners.
Instagram page launch
Created and managed the official Work Healthy SA Instagram page, turning educational materials into accessible social media posts about diabetes awareness and prevention.
Health Collaborative & Fatherhood Campaign
Maintained partnerships to present the research to community members, support recruitment, and distribute food boxes to participants who completed their glucose measurements.
November 2025
2025 Yanaguana Fest
We where happy to attend the Yanaguana Fest 2025, because healthier workplaces start with showing up where the community is.
Internship report · October/November 2025
New partnerships, food boxes & community outreach
Over these two months the team formalized key partnerships, launched the first food box distribution, introduced branded swag bags, and expanded outreach into new communities — all while keeping participants engaged through weekly visits and WhatsApp reminders.
3
New partnerships formalized
WEEKLY
YWCA visits for participant support
50%
Participant growth goal (Dec)
Key activities
Educational platform development
Advanced the creation of an online resource platform in collaboration with St. Mary's University staff, focused on accessible diabetes prevention and care content.
Native American organization outreach
Formed a new partnership to attend community events and online sessions. Ana Clara led direct outreach and recruitment with community members.
UIW Nutrition Department partnership
Formalized collaboration with UIW nutrition students to create weekly diabetes-focused educational content, distributed via Instagram and WhatsApp.
Internship report · September 2025
Strengthening partnerships & improving communication
September's work centered on deepening community partnerships, improving how the team communicates with participants, and making the study more accessible to people with different literacy levels.
4
Team members contributing
2
Communication tools improved
15+
Participants enrolled
Key activities
WhatsApp Business communication
Adopted WhatsApp Business as the main participant communication channel, sending bilingual reminders in English and Spanish to improve glucose monitoring compliance.
Food box incentive program
Launched food box distributions as a reward for consistent glucose monitoring, encouraging participants to stay engaged while promoting healthier habits.
WhatsApp Business communication
Adopted WhatsApp Business as the main participant communication channel, sending bilingual reminders in English and Spanish to improve glucose monitoring compliance.
Internship report · July 2025
Outreach materials, community events & new partnerships
July focused on creating bilingual recruitment materials, expanding community partnerships, and building educational resources to support participant engagement in the Work Healthy SA diabetes research project.
2
new partnerships initiated
1
Community event attended
1
Educational training attended
Key activities
Dulce Program participation
Jose and Ana Clara attended training sessions on diet, exercise, medication use, and glucose monitoring. Participated as a peer educator, presenting a short diabetes education lesson.
Website improvements
Updated the Work Healthy SA website layout to improve navigation and make the platform more interactive for potential participants.
iGlucose instructional video
Created a bilingual step-by-step tutorial video showing participants how to use the iGlucose meter at home for glucose monitoring.
July 2025
Milestone:
Growing Our Expertise to Better Serve Our Community
We are happy to announce that one of our team members have received certification from Project Dulce, a nationally recognized diabetes self-management education program developed by the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. This evidence-based certification equips our team with the knowledge and skills to better support our participants in managing Type 2 Diabetes.
Internship report · June 2025
Building partnerships for healthier workplaces in San Antonio
June was a month of community outreach, partnership development, and participant engagement strategies for the Work Healthy SA project.
4
Partner organizations engaged
1
Food basket program proposed
2
Outreach materials in development
Key activities
Health Collaborative meetings
Addressed participant recruitment challenges and explored new strategies to keep individuals active in the study through meetings with this nonprofit outreach partner.
Community grocery store observations
Informal fieldwork at local H-E-B stores to understand dietary purchasing habits in target communities, informing the design of culturally relevant food baskets.
Introductory video development
Drafted script and structured content for a participant-facing video explaining the project's purpose and benefits of joining. Aimed at accessible, clear communication.