What is PROPS?
PROPS is a resident-led organization within the residency program at the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. Residents participate in various outreach activities as a service to the community while enhancing their exposure to advocacy and psychiatric education in the public sector.
Psychiatry Resident Outreach to the Public Sector (PROPS)
PROPS was originally created by a group of residents at Baylor in the mid-1980’s to organize efforts for community service and thereby enhance resident participation in the public sector. In 1985, Dr. John Battaglia, then a second-year resident, worked with the Houston Independent School District and Houston Psychiatric Society to address mental illness among children. He created a course on suicide awareness that residents taught in local middle schools.
This project launched PROPS. Years later, PROPS activities have multiplied to encompass several programs for residents described below. Faculty mentors include Drs. John Saunders, Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali, and Nancy Shenoi, though the organization is entirely resident-run.
Harris County Sheriff's Office Police Outreach
More than 2,700 crisis intervention training (CIT) programs exist in the United States, aiming to improve collaboration between mental health treatment teams and police officers. Better mental health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs usually result from CIT enhancements. A burgeoning liaison between police and mental health professionals is possible when interdisciplinary collaboration is prioritized. Grounded in these outcomes, BCM Psychiatry residency alumni Drs. Somto Obi and Nancy Shenoi founded the "Police Project," an initiative through which psychiatry residents deliver high-quality mental health curriculum to local Houston-area law enforcement. The project has continued and is now co-led by Baylor Forensic Psychiatry Fellows. Session topics include Agitation & Altered Mental Status and Substance Use Disorders.
Chinquapin Preparatory School Project
Several years ago, school administrators from Chinquapin Preparatory School, a non-profit educational institution for underserved youth in Harris County, reached out to our residents about starting a virtual lunchtime psychoeducation initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project has evolved over the years to include bi-annual sessions led by psychiatry residents on various topics, including sleep hygiene, emotional regulation, and body image. Residents also have opportunities to serve as designated mentors for high school students throughout the year.
Building Bridges
Building Bridges is a community forum focused on the interplay of psychiatry with faith and spirituality. Our speakers are an interdisciplinary panel of faith leaders, mental health clinicians, psychiatrists, and community stakeholders. Participants have commented on the value of interfaith discussion to help bridge the gap between faith communities and mental health care providers. Past panel topics have included "Navigating Severe Mental Illness in Faith Communities" in June 2025 and "The First Conversation: Navigating Mental Health at the Intersection of Faith and Clinical Care" in June 2026.
Speakers at the 2026 Panel included:
- Afshana Haque, Ph.D., LMFT-S of Dr. Afshana Haque & Associates, PLLC
- Imam Basem Hamid, M.D., Ph.D., Neurologist and Imam, Innova Pain Center
- Larry G. Freeney, Ph.D., LPC-S, Director of Education and Assessments for Rejoice Counseling Apostolate
- Rabbi David Goldstein, Jewish Chaplain at Menninger Clinic
- Reverend Nathan Carlin, Ph.D., Director of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at UTHealth Houston
- James Lomax, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Brown Foundation Chair of Psychoanalysis at Baylor College of Medicine
Mindfulness Education for Teachers
Through a partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Rusk Middle School, PROPS residents have given presentations on mindfulness, emotional regulation, moral injury, and burnout to teachers. This has created a wonderful opportunity for residents to engage in experiential educational formats with educators in the Houston community.