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!
Partnership For Progress (P4P)Project Heal (HEAL)Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic (SAFE) SNaHP/CaHPSA
Student Run Homeless Clinic (SRHC)
Therapeutic Arts Interest Group (TAG)
UndocuMed Students and Allies (Undocumed)
Co-Head Coordinators: Vikram Krishna, Josiah Low, Thomas Olsen Student Advisors: Methma Udawatta, Alex Winnett, Alast Ahmadi, Alex Mirman Faculty Advisor: Elena Stark, M.D., Ph.D.
Mission Statement:
The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 with the goal of bringing spiritual guidance to London's less fortunate citizens. Since that time, the Salvation Army has expanded to provide support to the impoverished masses in many other ways, including education, vocational training and even housing. The Salvation Army has established housing facilities around the globe, providing long-term housing for destitute individuals and families as the necessary resources to get these families living independently. The Salvation Army housing facility in Westwood is unique in both the resident population and the facility arrangement. At any given time, there are around 150 permanent residents. Of these residents, on average nearly two-thirds are children, either living with their families or coming from foster care. Statistically, these children are at increased risk for poor health conditions including diet, hygiene, and disease, as well as being at risk for criminal activity and substance abuse.
Salvation Army Youth Health Initiative is a student-run organization with a commitment to improve the health education of children living in the Westwood Salvation Army housing facility. The primary focus of Salvation Army Youth Health Initiative is to establish monthly visits to this facility to provide relatable, fun and educational experiences in order to promote an understanding of health and good health habits to the children of this community. Members of the group will collaborate with each other and faculty to engineer relevant, interesting and interactive lessons for children of varying ages. Teaching these children lessons such as the importance of exercise, eating healthy, and hygiene from an early age is the first step in the prevention of serious health complications later.
Additionally, the goal of Salvation Army Youth Health Initiative is to provide some level of screening for the adults living in the facility. By bringing blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, scales and body fat testers, we hope to increase health awareness of the community as a whole and to promote healthier living among the adult community as well. This will also provide students with an excellent opportunity to gain clinical exposure in addition to some level of health counseling.
Finally, as the Westwood housing facility is a long-term residence, allowing housing for up to two years to each family, Salvation Army Youth Health Initiative and its members have the unique ability to see the same people regularly and to become stable role models to the children. This arrangement not only allows us to present the concepts of health and healthy living, but to reinforce them in the community.
Coordinators: Joseph Weinberger, Carolyn Smullin Student Advisors: Madeleine Heller Faculty Advisor: Gregory Dann, MD Mission Statement: To educate medical students about the health risks of climate change and promote advocacy and action on climate change issues.
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Coordinators: Daniel Marciano Arriola, Vincent Anthony Arriola Faculty Advisor: Janet Ma, MD
Coordinators: David Ho, Alma Lopez, David Ly, Micaela TorresStudent Advisors: Tam Au, Roberto Gonzalez, Vanessa RangelFaculty Advisor: Alejandra Casillas, M.D.
Coordinators: Jessica Cranston and Joseph Weinberger Student Advisor: Hannah Berman and Siamak Khakshoor-Khan 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.
Student Coordinators:Emily Chu, Jiyoung Lee, Jenna S. Paul-Schultz
Student Advisors: Kayla Gu, Simon Levinson, Sophia Taleghani 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: Ananya Bhatia-Lin, Carly Chiwiwi, Alma Lopez Student Advisors: Rachel Budker, Gillian Foley, Ryan Woodson 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.
Coordinators: Tina Huang, Samuel Lewis, Daniel McClintick, Vivek Shah Student Advisors: Kenneth Kim 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.
Head Coordinators: Neha Reddy, Justin Zhang
Ocean Park Community Center Site Medical Coordinators: Ameen Chaudry and Jennifer Wang
West Hollywood Site Medical Coordinators: Kiara Owens & Ricardo Morales
Student Advisors: Damond Ng, Simone Renault 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: Aileen Arevalo, Melvin Rico, Yesenia Calderon Leon, Denise McIntyre Student AdvisorS: Demelio Urbano, Bria Pettaway 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.
Coordinators: Eno Inikori, Peter Fink Student Advisors: Chinmayi Aryasomayajula, Emilee Trujillo 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: 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.
Coordinators: Cecilia Ramirez, Natalia Garcia Penaloza, Jessica Osorio, Michelle Li Faculty Advisor: Gary Kominski, PhD
The mission of SNaHP/CaHPSA is to advocate for the fundamental human right to access health care and to work to transform our health system so that every person has access to health care in the United States. To work toward universal healthcare access we are part of a national organization that advocates for the creation of a single-payer health system for the nation and a California-based coalition that advocates increased access to healthcare in the state.
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) advocates for universal, quality, comprehensive single-payer national health insurance. The mission of PNHP is therefore to educate physicians, other health workers, students, and the general public on the need for a comprehensive, high-quality, publicly-funded healthcare program, equitably-accessible to all residents of the United States. PNHP's goal is the restoration of what it views as the primary mission of physicians, acting as professional advocates for our patients. Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP) operates under the umbrella of PNHP to organize physicians, medical students, other health workers, and the public in support of this program and promotes discussion of health policy in the U.S. through conferences, lectures, articles, and other methods.
Single-payer national health insurance, in the US known as “Medicare for all,” is a system in which a public agency organizes health care financing, but the delivery of care remains largely in private and non-profit health organizations for access by patients. Under a single-payer system, all residents of the U.S. would be covered for all medically necessary services, including doctor, hospital, preventive, long-term care, mental health, reproductive health care, dental, vision, prescription drug and medical supply costs.
California Health Professional Student Alliance (CaHPSA) is an organization of undergraduate, medical students, and health professional students who are interested in improving access to healthcare for all Californians by advocating for legislation that can help achieve such goals. Student leaders and all medical students can participate in local actions and in legislative advocacy in Sacramento to continue to transform the access to healthcare in the state. One such activity for members can be to participate in the the CaHPSA’s roadmap sessions to work toward a single-payer health system for the state. Another major action for members and medical students is to assist individuals in enrolling for Covered California health plans and Medi-cal (CA’s Medicaid) through CaHPSA’s Project Whitecoat.
Co-Administrative Chiefs:Charley Jang, Timothy Kaddis
Education Chief: Daniel McClintick
Supplies Chief: Archana Sivanandam
Scheduling Chief: Amber Tang
Psych Chief: Sebiha Abdullahi
Clinic Chief: Lauren Uhr
Student Advisors: Zachary Jacobs, 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.
Coordinators: Hanh Nguyen and Jessica Wu
Student Advisors: Regina Husman, Michelle Miller, Jessica Poon
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Sheila Naghshineh, Dr. Margaret Stuber
The mission of the Therapeutic Arts Group at DGSOM is to amplify the innate social-emotional benefits of the arts for wellness and healing through a volunteer program and educational events. In partnership with UCLArts & Healing, students will learn the best practices established by the UCLArts and Healing Social Emotional Arts (SEA) Certificate Program. Training will be in four arts modalities (visual art, dance/movement, poetry, and music), as well as verbal and nonverbal communication, managing special needs, traumatic responses and self-care. Students, using the skills gained, will volunteer time in clinical settings to interact with patients using the 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 medical students and the community at large about the physical and emotional benefits of art through lunch talks and collaborations with other student groups.
Student Coordinators: Yadira Bribiesca Leon, Melvin Rico, Mayra Lucas Ramirez Student Advisors: Andree Franco-Vasquez, Jairo Garcia, Olivia Wu 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:
