Sara Sherizen
Director of Department
Nichole Aston
Senior Program Manager
Last updated
December 4, 2025
Executive SUMMARY
EXECETIVE SUMMARY
Impact
$0Million
Foundation investment
0+
Dell JCC Members
IN THIS CONVERSATION
When Michael and Susan Dell relocated to Austin in 1985, they dreamed of building a center for Jewish culture and community.
In 1996, their vision took shape when they donated 40 acres of land in Northwest Austin and, four years later, celebrated the opening of what would become the Dell Jewish Community Center (Dell JCC) on the campus.
Since then, Austin’s population has more than tripled and the Dell JCC continues to serve as the heart of Jewish life in Greater Austin — and as a unifying hub for Austin’s Jewish organizations.
Around 80% of a person’s health is influenced by factors beyond just medical care—things like access to health information, nutritious food, exercise, and compassionate healthcare providers. Recognizing this, the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living was established in 2006 to bridge the gap between research and practical solutions, providing valuable insights to policymakers and healthcare decision-makers.
Located at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin, the Center tackles issues affecting Greater Austin residents, such as food insecurity, physical activity, and maternal care. Since its inception, the Center has supported community health by:
The Center has secured over $90 million in research grants, educated more than 650 Masters of Public Health and doctoral students, and provided research opportunities for 10 undergraduates through the Dell Health Undergraduate Scholar (DHUS) program.
Their research has been pivotal in:
Center staff and UTHealth Houston faculty celebrate their students’ achievements during a ceremony held at the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout the program, Center staff like Dr. Alexandra van den Berg (left) sponsor public health graduate and doctorate students, guiding and advising them in their educational goals.
No one wants to be sick, but when we need care, it’s reassuring to know it’s available. A strong medical community has the capacity to provide quality care, foster an environment of research and innovation, and create a strong pipeline of health care providers and medical staff through training and education.
We are working to ensure that best-in-class care is always available in Central Texas. We are also focused on improving the health —not just the health care — of our communities, by bringing resources to the table that go toward prevention. While treatment will always be a major part of the services hospitals and medical facilities provide, our goal is to ensure families right here in Central Texas have more opportunities to prevent illness as much as possible.
This is our vision for a healthy Austin.
We are working to ensure that best-in-class care is always available in Central Texas. We are also focused on improving the health —not just the health care — of our communities, by bringing resources to the table that go toward prevention. While treatment will always be a major part of the services hospitals and medical facilities provide, our goal is to ensure families right here in Central Texas have more opportunities to prevent illness as much as possible.
This is our vision for a healthy Austin.
Center staff and UTHealth Houston faculty celebrate their students’ achievements during a ceremony held at the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout the program, Center staff like Dr. Alexandra van den Berg (left)
We are wrking to ensure that best-in-class care is always available in Central Texas. We are also focused on improving the health —not just the health care — of our communities, by bringing resources to the table that go toward prevention. While treatment will always be a major part of the services hospitals and medical facilities provide, our goal is to ensure families right here in Central Texas have more opportunities to prevent illness as much as possible.
We are working to ensure that best-in-class care is always available in Central Texas. We are also focused on improving the health — not just the health
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Center staff and UTHealth Houston faculty celebrate their students’ achievements during a ceremony held at the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout the program, Center staff like Dr. Alexandra van den Berg (left) sponsor public health graduate and doctorate students, guiding and advising them in their educational goals.
Guest speaker Dr. Marlene Schwartz discusses the importance of public health nutrition research to guide policymakers with central Texas community partners at the annual Michael & Susan Dell Center Lectureship in Child Health.
Guest speaker Dr. Marlene Schwartz discusses the importance of public health nutrition research to guide policymakers with central Texas community partners at the annual Michael & Susan Dell Center Lectureship in Child Health.
Aaron’s experiences with sports injuries sparked his interest in nutrition, biomechanics, and how one’s whole health could affect their ability to heal. As the 2022 DHUS, Aaron assisted the Center with research and writing on topics like the pivotal role of historically Black colleges in our economy. “Public health is a society admitting that there might be a problem with the way we’re doing things,” Aaron explains, “and figuring out what ways we can solve these problems, and how they overlap.” Aaron is currently studying how physical literacy – how one can communicate with one’s own body – overlaps with mental health.
Let’s build stronger pathways to ensure a quality job within six months of graduation.
Save and resume laterIf you have a request for funding that is related to COVID-19, please know that we are committed to fighting this pandemic and its subsequent economic fallout. Our immediate available funding has gone to accelerating the development of therapies, increasing the supply of PPE in Texas, stabilizing small business, and assisting our portfolio of current grantees.