In the spirit of the holidays, donation boxes to collect items for underprivileged elderly will be placed by the elevators on the fifth and sixth floors of Rebecca Sealy, the Ace Unit in John Sealy Hospital, the geriatric clinic at the Primary Care Pavilion and the Multispecialty Center and Stark Diabetes Clinic in League City through Monday, Dec. 17. Suggested donations include nonperishable food items, socks, blankets, books, cards, hand sanitizer, puzzles and candy.  

Winter blood drive

The need for blood doesn’t stop during the holidays. The winter blood drive takes place 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 27 and 28 in the Blood Center, room 5.212 of the John Sealy Annex. For more information or to make an appointment, call 409-772-4861. 

History of Medicine 

The Moody Medical Library at UTMB offers the Truman G. Blocker Jr. History of Medicine fellowship each year for research that draws on the extensive resources of the library, including its important collection of rare books printed before 1500. Applicants should submit the objectives of the research project and historical materials to be used in two pages, a project budget, curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation by Dec. 15. to Robert O. Marlin IV, archivist of the Truman G. Blocker Jr. History of Medicine Collections. 

New Year's Baby

UTMB often has the privilege of welcoming the first baby in Galveston each new year, and newborn nursery staff members prepare gift baskets for all the babies born that day. In anticipation of the seventh annual New Year’s Baby Shower, they are seeking donations of new items such as baby clothes, lotion, blankets, rattles, tethers, diapers, wipes, monitors, baby bathtubs, car seats, boppy pillows or even gift cards for stores that carry baby items. A donation box is in the lobby of John Sealy Hospital and will take items through Dec. 21. 

Landstuhl Hospital Care Project

UTMB’s Military Medical Students Association is contributing to the Landstuhl Hospital Care Project, a nonprofit organization that provides comfort and relief items for military members who become sick, injured or wounded from service in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. Donated items are distributed to patients at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, to field hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq and to VA facilities throughout the United States. A collection box with the list of needed items is in the lobby area of John Sealy Hospital through Dec. 14. Go to the website  for more information.