An artist at her core, Chacin spends her time away from the lab developing and creating her own works of art and even shares her passion for the subject with undergraduate students as an adjunct professor in the University of Houston’s School of Art.

After a family trip to a scuba camp, Dr. Christopher McQuitty left with a passion for underwater photography that he still carries with him to this day.

As a child, Anahi Delgadillo loved cartoons, but she longed to tell her own stories. So, she started drawing her own characters to do just that.

For Geoff Fish, medical laboratory scientist with UTMB’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, playing guitar has been a passion and a pastime for more than 40 years.

Jill Sanchez says she was immediately hooked on POP Pilates, a derivative of the popular exercise regimen that is choreographed to music and feels like a dance on a mat, because of the seamless transitions between exercises.

Dr. Ford Ben-Okoli, second-year UTMB family medicine resident, shares his passion for dance with other members of the UTMB community as one of three instructors of the social dance class offered weekly at the UTMB Alumni Field House.

Stephen Pearson, a construction inspector with UTMB Design & Construction, has built more than 4,000 surfboards by hand.

Life partners for nearly a decade, Nicole Mendell and Christopher Smith Gonzalez share many things—a house, a car, a daughter. The list goes on, as the duo even shares an employer, UTMB. But what seems to bring them together the most is a passion for music—a passion they feed by performing together regularly in the local band Kevin Anthony & G-Town.

Desiree McGahey may be more than two decades into her career with UTMB, but she’s just two years into exploring her love for woodworking.

A master electrician by trade, Ray has always had a creative side. He went to art school after high school, ran a screen print shop for a few years and created custom T-shirts and stickers showcasing his art. About 12 years ago, he started expanding his portfolio, which now includes acrylic paintings on canvas, wood carvings, murals and custom surfboards and skateboards.

Whether it’s competing on the television program “American Ninja Warrior” or sailing on the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa, Dylan Lancaster loves to climb. He balances a healthy respect for the dangers of heights with what he calls the lingering effects of “invulnerable youth syndrome.”

Jorge De La Garza has always been passionate about photography. But his hidden talent emerged when he faced a commute to his new position at UTMB and needed a fuel-efficient car.

Leslye Mlcak found her hidden talent four years ago: She’s a phenom with fondant and a cake baker extraordinaire.

Two UTMB employees are accomplished jazz musicians, one a saxophonist and the other a trumpet player. They sometimes even play in the Galveston Island Jazz Project together.

If you work on the Galveston Campus, you may have witnessed UTMB nurse Vince Falco riding a unicycle to and from Jennie Sealy Hospital.