The learning committed by the community, including sometimes learning through service, is essential for medical students and other future health professionals to better understand and meet the unique needs of the various populations they will serve. THE Community health education The initiatives of the Center for Community Health & Prevention (CCHP) offer students, at all levels of training, opportunities to engage with their community and to explore how the social engines of health (SDOH) shape the lived experiences of individuals.
Various community health education initiatives include community health improvement lessons (chic) for medical students, university internships, a distinction in honor of community health for students graduates from the MD program and an E. Cowle Andrus scholarship improving community health. These initiatives are led by Theresa Green, MBA, PHD, Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and Director of Community Health Education and Policies at the CCHP, and coordinated by Carolyn Settle, MPH.
Learning the community is to learn health
Chic courses are two -week programs offered at the University of Rochester (SMD) medical school which connect students with community partners for service. Students learn from the first hand, how SDOH has an impact on health results and how evidence -based interventions can improve the health of our communities, helping to eliminate disparities along the way. Last year, 39 medical students took a chic course and worked with a variety of partners, including the Central Library of Rochester, the refugees of the East High School, the refugees, and more.
Each year, after having fulfilled various eligibility conditions, students in excellent medicine in the community of community health studies with an MD with distinction in community health. This recognition is for those who provide sustainable contributions to the service, excel in the improvement of community health and engage in learning community health throughout their studies. It allows MD candidates to create sustainable health improvements with community partners and live health beyond clinical care.
“Medicine students are impatient to find out about social drivers and are also impatient to restore their community,” shares Green. “Chic and distinction offers students the opportunity to learn from the first -hand community experts, while making a real difference in health for our residents. This is essential information, because we know that behaviors, social circumstances and the environment are the strongest influencers of health results. ”
The other advantages of the distinction include the possibility for students to present their work to the distinction in the Community Health Forum at the Spring Semester and other learning, presentation and financing opportunities through the distinction network. The process of distinction and the formidable work of these medical students are supported by the Faculty of Medicine, the CCHP, and Mary Costanza, MD, a former SMD student and a generous donor.
The winners of the exemplary distinction can also receive the Costanza Community Impact Prize, the FISCELLA Excellence in Community Health Prize or the Creative Initiative In Community Health Award, available only for candidates for distinction with exceptional projects. This year, Lauren Eisner and Arman Niknafs received the Costanza Community Impact Award for their work with the Rochestrians knowing the homeless. In addition, Diamond Guy received the FISCELLA Excellence in Community Health Prize for its work expanding access to dermatological care in partnership with Jordan Health.
Impact of Rochester, NY in Rochester, MN
In 2023, SMD student, Shane Fuentes, was one of the eight graduates who obtained an MD with distinction in community health. His project, Crossroads and conversationsA program that uses basketball games to trigger significant health and well-being discussions among the young people from Rochester, began as an idea in 2020. It was quickly interrupted by the pandemic but relaunched in 2022 with the support of a mini-subsid.
What started as a single camp has become an annual program, including now a week and a day camps. To date, 10 camps have been organized at the Rochester Community Sports Complex. The program is put to the ground Principles of development of positive young peopleUsing the interest of adolescents for basketball and their lived experiences to emphasize that the same emotional social skills built in the field – such as resilience, communication and teamwork – are also essential out of the field. All the programming is offered entirely for free.
After graduating, Fuentes transferred the program to a 501 non -profit organization (C) (3) and extended it to Rochester, Minnesota, where he is currently a resident in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic. There, Crossroads and conversations has established a partnership with the local school district to accommodate four one -week individual camps for college and secondary students, with plans to continue the long -term programming. Meanwhile, the programming continues in Rochester, NY under the direction of current URMC medical students and undergraduate students, Fuentes offering continuous supervision.
“Being a distinction student helped me realize that community commitment is not only something you do out Medicine – it is at the heart of how we take care of people “, shares Fuentes.” As a resident, I approach patients not only as an individual in a clinic or a hospital, but as members of families and communities. This lens shapes the way I strengthen confidence, how I communicate and how I plead for long-term well-being. »»
The summer scholarship accelerates the growth of students
In addition to the distinction of community health opportunities, medical students (or exceptional students in public health) can take advantage of the CCHP E. Cowles Andrus Summer Stock Exchange. The $ 5,000 scholarship offers the opportunity to plan and carry out community health improvement projects which have an impact on the health and well-being of Rochester and its surroundings. The summer scholarship holder works independently full time for eight weeks on a substantial and sustainable project mutually agreed by the student and the needs of the CCHP.
Cowles Andrus, MD, was a leader in cardiology that made a significant contribution to heart research, teaching and patient care and played a decisive role in the development of cardiology as an independent medical discipline. Although the clinic of our center is largely focused on reducing cardiovascular risks, the scholarship project can take place in any program area.
This summer, we are delighted to welcome two Andrus summer scholarship holders at the center, including the student’s rise in the second year of SMD in medicine Andreas Gilpin-Falk and the training program for medical scientists Corey Schultz. The two will work on community nutrition initiatives in collaboration with their community partners and with additional advice from Susan Gasparino, MD, MPH, medical director of clinical and community programs, and our team of registered dietitists. They will start in June.