UCLA Happy Feet Clinic, Community Outreach at DGSOM
To truly improve lives, UCLA faculty, researchers and students must leave the confines of the campus and connect directly with people in their communities. That is the goal of the community engagement initiative: to engage with a diverse group of partners to improve the health of the broader community. Today, community engagement is, with teaching, patient care and research, among the core missions of UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Click on the organization you would like to work with below to learn more!
Co-Head Coordinators: Aishwarya Karlapudi, Tommy Jiang, Ming-Yeah Hu Student Advisors: Vikram Krishna, Josiah Low, Thomas Olsen Faculty Advisor: Elena Stark, M.D., Ph.D.
Mission Statement:
Anatomy Academy is a student-run organization with a commitment to improve the health education of children living in the Westwood Salvation Army housing facility and in other local underserved communities. The primary focus of Anatomy Academy is to establish visits to teach youth at the Westwood Salvation Army housing facility and to create other opportunities for medical students to interact with other school-aged children with the purpose of providing relatable, fun and medically-related educational experiences for children. We hope to promote an understanding of health and interest in science and medicine among children from various backgrounds. Members of the group collaborate with each other and faculty to engineer relevant, interesting and interactive lessons for children of varying ages.
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Coordinators: Janeet Dhauna, Julia Hafer Faculty Advisor: Ashley Feinsinger, PhD, Clarence Braddock, MD
The DGSOM Bioethics group is a student-led interest group committed to providing students with a unique forum to learn about and discuss ethical issues as they pertain to human health, biomedical research, and clinical healthcare practices. Our goals are to stimulate discussion of potential ethical issues that students may encounter in their careers, and to equip students with several basic strategies to think through ethical dilemmas within a structured, rational framework. As a secondary objective, we aim to advocate for greater incorporation of medical ethics intothe DGSOM curriculum. These objectives are accomplished through student-led meetings, inviting guest speakers to discuss actual cases, and working with the DGSOM administration on curriculum reform projects. A student-led medical ethics panel provides additional opportunities for students to discuss actual cases brought forth by members of the Ronald Reagan Medical Ethics Committee, and to reinforce the knowledge gained from their interest in bioethics.
Coordinators: Eric Yu Lin, Shangyang Christopher YangFaculty Advisor: Ka Kit Hui, MD
The Chinese Medicine Interest Group (CMIG) is focused on addressing a critical need in medical education of DGSOM students: effectively communicating and speaking with Chinese-speaking populations.
The three main goals of the Chinese Medicine Interest Group:
Coordinators: Michael Gongwer, Joyce Lee, Yoon Lee
Advisors: Daniel Marciano Arriola, Vincent Anthony Arriola Faculty Advisor: Janet Ma, MD
Coordinators: Janeet Dhauna, Christian Tejeda
Faculty Advisor: Ka Kit Hui, MD, Sheila Nagshineh, MD
The mission of Community Healing through Art Medicine Program (CHAMP) at DGSOM is to amplify the innate social-emotional and therapeutic benefits of the arts for healing and wellness through immersive volunteering and educational events. In collaboration with community partners, students will be exposed to the therapeutic potential of art medicine in multiple dimensions: visual art, dance and movement, poetry, music, as well as verbal and nonverbal communication, managing special needs, traumatic responses, and self-care. CHAMP will empower students to advocate for access to high-quality resources in arts and healing, which will benefit our surrounding communities as well as organizational and individual healthcare providers. Students will have the unique opportunity to volunteer time in community clinical settings to interact with patients using art activities. The patient experience will become one of reflection, meaningful dialogue, increased empathy, connection, and reduction of emotional distress for all parties involved. In addition, we aim to educate our medical students and the community at large about the physical and emotional benefits of art through interactive seminars, volunteering opportunities, and partnerships with our community.
Coordinators: Michael Arnold, Tanya Datta, Saloni Gupta
Student Advisor: William ThiFaculty Advisor: Rashmi S. Muller, MD
Our mission is to connect all members of the DGSOM family through mindfulness and meditation -We hope to educate each other about different meditation and mindfulness practices and also serve as an entry point for beginners looking to start -We want to be an outlet for members of DGSOM to de-stress and hone their meditation practice -Meditation has many benefits that are being researched, and it has been incorporated as an important part of multidisciplinary care in fields such as psychiatry, palliative medicine, hospice, and oncology. We hope that educating our classmates about the practice will better equip them to converse with and provide recommendations to future patients.
Coordinators: Amanda Davis-Juarez, Yvonne Roca, Ien Li, Rigoberto Perez Student Advisors: David Ho, Alma Lopez, David Ly, Micaela TorresFaculty Advisor: Alejandra Casillas, M.D.
Coordinators: Farinaz Ghodrati, Sarah Mirzaie, Anwesha DubeyStudent Advisors: Faculty Advisors: David Kulber, MD and Andrew Vardanian, MD
Our Vision: Sustainable and accessible surgical care worldwide. Our Mission: To educate, inspire, and unite students through engagement and mentorship in global surgery. Our Goals: • To create awareness about and to advocate for global surgery • To educate students about global surgery and sustainable interventions • To connect students who are interested in global surgery across the country and world • To facilitate communication and mentorship between students and current global surgeons • To foster the development of the next generation of global surgeons, OB/Gyns, and anesthesiologists
Coordinator:Adam Alghalith
Student Advisors: Emily Coker Faculty Advisor: Rolanda Gott, M.D.
The Intellectual and Developmental Disability Interest Group (IDDIG) has three goals: 1. Increase awareness for inclusive health practices among future medical leaders by hosting faculty-led workshops and panels. 2. Expose medical students to careers focused on treating patients with IDD through discussions and shadowing 3. Serve the IDD patient population through Special Olympics
Coordinator: Noy Kaufman Student Advisor: Jessica Cranston and Joseph Weinberger Faculty Advisor: Lynn Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. Mission Statement:
The goal of the Jewish Medical Student Association (formerly known as Refuah Shlema) is to create a forum for medical students to learn more about Jewish traditions, culture and beliefs within a medical context. Refuah Shlema means "Whole" or "Completeness in Medicine". It is also the greeting you wish to an ill individual for a "complete recovery" from illness. Despite the change in our organization's name, "Refuah Shlema" continues to encapsulate the mission of this group. As future physicians, we come from a variety of backgrounds with a diverse set of experiences and skills that we can contribute to our communities. To have "completeness in medicine" means that doctors bring their complete individualities in addition to providing complete and holistic patient care. The second meaning for "a complete recovery" encapsulates our mission to serve the community and assist the recovery of all patients.
Our organization will be open to medical students of all religious and racial backgrounds. We hope to provide networking events for medical students to interact with faculty and community physicians. Moreover, we hope to sponsor programs in education outreach and invite students to learn more about Jewish traditions (through lunches funded by various Jewish organizations already set up on campus such as Hillel, Chabad and JAM), for events such as Shabbat dinners, Passover Seders etc. Furthermore, through social events such as cooking classes, movie nights, and a book club, we hope to encourage the formation of new friendships and a sense of community among all students, as well as for students with a strong Jewish identity who seek this community atmosphere. One of our goals is to partner with undergraduate organizations (which have worked with us in the past) such as Hillel at UCLA and create a mentorship program for undergraduates who are interested in medicine. We also plan to hold volunteer events (through community venues such as the Jewish Family Services, Senior Nutrition Fairfax Café, and Hospital Volunteer services etc.) as well as health fairs to give back to the community.
In addition, we would also like to hold educational and informative bioethics panels with experts in Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Law and potentially partner with Christian, Muslim and other organizations on campus to hold a school wide event with multiple perspectives. Finally, we would like to have career development opportunities through personal shadowing and speaker events in a variety of specialties. This past year has been very successful first year, and we hope to build upon the foundation set by the former student leaders.
Coordinators: Mamdouh Aker, Christian Tejeda, Alberto Romo Valenzuela Faculty Advisor: Tamara Horwich, MD
Lifestyle Medicine is one of the fastest growing career fields of medicine globally. Holding the promise for health reform as it addresses the root-cause of chronic illness, Lifestyle Medicine is the evidence-based practice of helping individuals and families adopt and sustain healthy behaviors that affect health and quality of life. Examples of target patient behaviors include, but are not limited to, eliminating tobacco use, improving diet, increasing physical activity, and moderating alcohol consumption. Medical students across the country have expressed concerns about the lack of lifestyle medicine knowledge surrounding topics such as physical activity, nutrition, and behavior-change strategies. The aspiration of Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (LMIG) at DGSOM is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to counsel patients about exercise, diet, behavior change, and preventative medicine, taking into account positive psychology and the social determinants of health. The focus of lunch and learn lectures, presentations, workshops, and participation in community health fairs is not only to educate students about lifestyle medicine and chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity, but to help them integrate the experience that they will acquire in practical clinical situations and beyond.
Clinic Chiefs: Leslie Ojeaburu, Victoria Lee
Operations Chiefs: Megan Cheng, Esther Kim
Research Director: Kate Coursey
Advocacy Director: Yvonne Lei
Continuity of Care: Gabriella Daso
Student Advisors: Emily Chu, Jiyoung Lee, Jenna S. Paul-Schultz Faculty Advisor: Adam Richards, MD and Eleanor Emery, MD Mission Statement:Our mission is to provide pro bono forensic medical evaluations for individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. on account of torture or other forms of persecution experienced in their home countries.
We hold biannual trainings to teach medical students, residents and physicians to conduct forensic medical evaluations for people seeking asylum in the United States.
We perform forensic medical evaluations in partnership with Physicians for Human Rights, our legal partners and dedicated team of student and volunteer clinicians.
We work to educate health professionals and the general public about the asylum process, issues affecting the health of refugee and immigrant patients and on topics of human rights and to advocate for these individuals in our community.
Website: https://lahumanrights.org/
Coordinators: Julia Gensheimer Faculty Advisor: Esteban Dell'Angelica, MD
Med Mentors is an organization that allows medical students to serve undergraduates on the pre-medical track. In collaboration with the UCLA Pre-Health Advising Office and DGSOM Admissions, Med Mentors hosts student panels, office hours, and one-one-one advising sessions on a variety of topics, including pre-medical classes and activities, MCAT prep, medical school applications, interviews, and medical student life. Our mission is three-fold: to advise undergraduates, to assist the pre-health office, and to give DGSOM students opportunities to share their stories and advice. Formal pre-health advising at UCLA only just started, and their office needs our help to provide first-hand advice and experience on how to best serve undergrads. Further, Med Mentors provides DGSOM students with the opportunity to advise undergrads and further develop leadership, communication, and mentorship skills that will benefit us as future physicians.
Coordinators: Sahar Ashrafzadeh, Kate Corry-Saavedra, Brittany Wong Faculty Advisor: Michelle Aguilar, MD
MSIG’s mission is to promote the importance of linguistic and cultural competency in medical education and in clinical practice. Given the large body of Spanish-speaking patients that we serve in the LA County and across the nation, MSIG believes it is essential for medical students to develop both their linguistic and cultural skills in order to provide optimal care for our Spanish-speaking patients. MSIG strives for its members to increase their fluency in medical Spanish and their understanding of Latino culture in order to reduce healthcare disparities created by cultural and linguistic barriers.
Our organization fulfills our mission statement by way of accomplishing our overarching goals:
Coordinators: Jazlyn Chong, Rosemarie DiPentino, Victoria Lee, Nancy Quintanilla Student Advisors: Ananya Bhatia-Lin, Carly Chiwiwi, Alma Lopez Faculty Advisor: Angela Y Chen, MD Mission Statement: Medical Students for Choice is a national organization that works to destigmatize abortion provision among medical students and residents, and advocates for medical schools and residencies to include abortion training as part of their reproductive health curriculum. As the DGSOM chapter, our mission is to promote these goals at a local level, to educate students about abortion and other critical family-planning practices, and to empower our medical students to advocate for reproductive rights and choice on a local and national level.
Publicity Chair: Rintu Saju
Main Lecturer: Preeti Kakani
Logistics Chair: Alexandra Kaufman
Curriculum Chair: Marie Altendahl Student Advisors: Tina Huang, Samuel Lewis, Daniel McClintick, Vivek Shah Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sun Mi Yoo Mission Statement:
The Medical Student Healthcare Education And Discussion Interest Group (MedHEAD) seeks to create a space for students to learn foundational knowledge about Healthcare Systems, Policy, and Economics that will help us become better clinicians in the future. As clinicians, we can only do as much good as our system allows, and knowledge of healthcare and its parts will allow us to better utilize resources and advocate for changes to improve healthcare for all.
As a leadership, we feel that there is a lack of basic Healthcare Systems information in our main curriculum, so we want to supplement our learning with student-led lectures and discussion. Ideally, the information we learn in the interest group can eventually be integrated into our main curriculum. While information on health policy is available at DGSOM through an MPH dual degree or the Healthcare selective, many students simply do not have the time or ability to take these routes. This interest group seeks to significantly lower the barrier for seeking basic knowledge on our healthcare system.
Coordinators: Kat Schmolly and Durga Ghosh Student Advisors: Kirstin Schoenhard Faculty Advisors: Gregory Gates, MD and David Reilly, MD
To provide an educational and collaborative environment where medical school students can learn about medical careers and special patient populations as they relate to the military and VA. This group welcomes anyone with or without a military background, who is interested in learning about the specific needs of a military and veteran patient population, and/or are interested in the career opportunities and special training opportunities the Department of Defense and VA healthcare system can provide. It also includes any student veteran or student interested in military scholarship and training programs that can fund your medical career in exchange for a specific amount of time of service to this country as a medical professional.
To act as a liaison between incoming/existing military and veteran students and new and existing residents with military/veteran background or aspirations to the UCLA veteran's resource center to access the available pool of resources for required testing, purchasing of equipment and other assistance programs. To connect military and veteran students with the sources, networks and educational financial benefits they need to transition into a civilian educational life To establish military/veteran emphasized peer-to-peer big sib little sib mentorship programs to enhance preparations for the next phase of the student's medical, professional, and/or educational career. To act as a welcoming support network for prior, currently serving and prospectively serving students to enhance the matriculation numbers of military/veteran students and increase the diversity of the UCLA student body.
Ocean Park Community Center Site Medical Coordinators: Rintu Saju, Audrey Nguyen
West Hollywood Site Medical Coordinators: Ami Hayashi, Brandon Hankerson, Savannah Starr
Student Advisors: Justin Zhang, Neha Reddy Faculty Advisors: Denise Garvey, MD, Walter Coppenrath, MD, Michael Prelip, PhD Project Website: http://www.mobileclinicproject.org/
The Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA aims to improve the health and quality of life of the homeless and other vulnerable populations in the greater Los Angeles area through direct medical care, health promotion and disease prevention activities, legal advocacy and referrals to health and social services.
Medical students are involved with almost all aspects of MCP. First-year students are invited to participate by providing direct medical care under the supervision of an attending physician. Medical students learn valuable history taking, physical examination, and presentation skills. MCP also offers an avenue for students to provide a direct service to the community while learning about the unique medical, social, and legal challenges that face the homeless population everyday.
A group of second-year medical students is selected by the previous coordinators to act as part of the leadership of MCP. Along with student coordinators from the School of Public Health, School of Law, and Undergraduate campuses and advisement/guidance from faculty, medical student coordinators are responsible for the logistics, planning, finances, and administration of the four MCP sites (West Hollywood, OPCC in Santa Monica, Step Up on Second in Santa Monica, and Common Ground in Santa Monica). Coordinators gain invaluable leadership experience during their tenure, including organization, grant writing, financial planning, intramural communication, and short- and long-term planning.
Co-Head Coordinators:Yusra Ahmedin, Naseem Rangwala, Ami Hayashi, Mariam Khan Faculty Advisor: Neveen El-Farra, M.D.
Mission Statement & Goals:
The Muslim Student Union (MSU) is the Muslim Affinity Group at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM). We aim to:
-Educate the DGSOM community on how to provide culturally humble, compassionate, patient-centered care to Muslim patients and their families
-Advocate for and support the needs of Muslim students and colleagues at DGSOM
-Advocate for and serve the needs of structurally vulnerable communities in Los Angeles with a focus on the local underserved Muslim population
-Plan social and professional events to unite the medical student and medical health professional community within DGSOM and UCLA Health
-Create an inclusive environment based on understanding, respect, and tolerance that celebrates our differences
-Plan interfaith events with our colleagues at DGSOM, UCLA Health and all our affiliated hospitals (Olive View, Harbor, Cedars, VA) to promote a spirit of standing together, health and well-being amongst our entire community
Co-Head Coordinators: Jordan Edwards, Kimberly Juarez, Raul Salazar, Rocio Garcia Student Advisors: Aileen Arevalo, Melvin Rico, Yesenia Calderon Leon, Denise McIntyre Faculty Advisor: Daphne Calmes, M.D.
Partnership 4 Progress Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine 1731 East 20th Street Los Angeles, CA 90059
Email: Partnership4progress@yahoo.com
P4P has afforded medical students the opportunity to become mentors to high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds. P4P's goal is to provide guidance and direction for underserved and underrepresented youths from King/Drew Medical Magnet High School interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. This project provides mentors as role models to influence and encourage adolescents to strive towards their future endeavors.
Mentors will educate youths about the process of achieving their goals and help them prepare to overcome potential obstacles. It also helps to increase the rate in which high school students graduate and enroll into four-year universities. P4P believes in increasing not only high school graduation rates but also increasing diversity at all levels of education. Students are encouraged to volunteer for various community service events including Project Santa Claus. P4P, which was started through Drew/UCLA allows other UCLA medical students that are not apart of the Drew/UCLA to interact and participate in community service mentor/mentee events in the Compton area.
Coordinator: Meghan Reddy, Tim Liu Student Advisors: Eno Inikori, Peter Fink Faculty Advisor: Arthur Ohannessian, MD and Neha Chande, MD Mission Statement: Project HEAL is an organization of DGSOM students that travels to Esteban Torres High School to teach students how to address common health issues and become stewards of health for their communities.
Project HEAL is associated with Esteban E Torres High School in East Los Angeles. Medical students within the organization teach health related lessons to biology students twice a month and organize an annual health fair with collaboration from UCLA undergraduates and UCLA public health students. Our goal is to teach students at Esteban Torres High School how to address common health issues and become stewards of health for their communities.
Through delivering a series of engaging health education lectures, our goal is to promote well-being and foster a sense of excitement about careers in the health sector among our students, who represent a population underrepresented in medicine. The practical skills and professional pathways component of our program are directed at bridging disparities within the healthcare professions,?where minorities continue to be underrepresented. To meet these goals, we have worked with teachers at Esteban E. Torres High School to design and implement a customized health and nutrition curriculum containing a toolbox of 60-minute lessons based on teacher- and student- identified needs to be delivered throughout the school year.?Lesson topics range from mental health to nutrition to sexual health.
Project HEAL allows medical students to give back to the local Los Angeles community while developing leadership skills through teaching and mentorship.
Coordinators:Sophia Tiene, Joey Wertz, Alex Vesling
Advisors: Jessica Cranston, Sumana Rallapalli, Patrick Liu, Sophia Tiene, Carolyn Smullin, Carlee Blakemore Faculty Advisor: Charles Lee, MD
SAFE (Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic) is made of U.S. physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals dedicated to eliminating the American firearm violence epidemic through research, education, and evidence based policy. Our goals are to implement a standardized medical curriculum about firearm safety in medical schools and residency programs, raise funding for firearms research to improve our knowledge about how to best combat this issue, and support evidence-based policy changes.
Co-Administrative Chiefs:Charley Jang, Zachary Jacobs
Clinic Chief: Lauren Uhr
Clinic Operations Chief: Mariam Khan
Street Medicine Chief: Kate Corry-Saavedra
Supplies Chief: Danny Hoang
Scheduling Chief: Angela Pham
Student Advisors: Kelsey Lipman
Faculty Advisor: Mary Marfisee, M.D.
Website: https://www.uclahealth.org/Family-Medicine/Pages/education/medical-students/student-run-homeless-clinic.aspx
The Student Run Homeless Clinics (SRHC) mission is to provide respectful, compassionate, and high quality healthcare services to homeless adults, children and families living in the Greater Los Angeles area. These disadvantaged individuals benefit by receiving free medical care from UCLA medical students. The founders and participants in the organization are dedicated to the health of the community and reach out to provide free health services to homeless adults, children and families. We are one of the oldest student-run free clinics in the country and are members of the recently formed Society of Student Run Free Clinics.
SRHC currently organizes two clinics, each serving a distinct patient population. The clinics run on Saturday mornings and Monday/Thursday evenings. Students will gain first hand experience in community-based clinical care where students encounter a variety of acute and chronic diseases at each clinic. Clinics run all year round, rain or shine. Students may also receive course credit towards their medical degree. By volunteering with SRHC, students will have the opportunity to improve their clinical skills with the guidance of world class UCLA physicians, manage a variety of health issues in the homeless population, and learn about important issues regarding underserved healthcare from our lunchtime lecture series.
Student Coordinators: Rocio Garcia, Sa Nan Park, Alberto Valenzuela Student Advisors: Yadira Bribiesca Leon, Melvin Rico, Mayra Lucas Ramirez Faculty Advisor: Yohualli Balderas-Medina Ananya, MD
Our mission is to collectively provide support for undocumented students affiliated with UCLA and CDU who are pursuing careers in health care. Our goals are to:
