Dr. Sophia Banu’s continuous efforts to support refugees has led to her and her students’ to participate in FAM Houston, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to empower women who are mainly refugees and immigrants in Houston.

While most of the women are originally from Congo, the FAM welcomes immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers of all backgrounds.

Banu, an associate professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, first learned about FAM through women she knew from working in the refugee community: Shirin Herman and Rev. Hannah R. Terry, both of whom are on the organization’s Board of Directors.