FELLOWS AND PROJECTS

2008-2009

Stephanie Baldwin, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Somerville Community Adult Learning Experiences (SCALE): Stephanie is collaborating with the administrators and teachers at SCALE to provide diagnostic and intervention services that would not normally be available for students who struggle learning English.  The material targeted in intervention will also be adapted into the classroom curriculum at SCALE.  This project is part of a larger attempt to improve the educational, economic, and health-related opportunities available to these students.  She will also work to create ways for graduate student volunteers at MGH to serve the needs of the students at SCALE.  She will also work to identify new sources of funding for research in the area of adult literacy.

Matthew Bartek and Abraham Jaffe, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Akwaaba Health Initiative: Abraham and Matt are working on a community-based effort to address the unmet health needs of Worcester’s African-immigrant population.  This collaborative effort between community members, medical school faculty and students, and Worcester health centers, has at its center, the Akwaaba Free Health Clinic which delivers culturally-competent care to patients who lack access.  At the clinic, Abraham and Matt conduct health education classes and help train community members to be leaders in improving the health of the African-immigrant population.

Maura Schorr Beaufait, Tufts University of Medicine and Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Groundwork Somerville: Maura is joining Groundwork in its ongoing efforts to promote sustainable community revitalization in Somerville through a variety of environmentally-based initiatives.  Maura is inspired by grassroots community change and sees her project as a means of empowering young people to be part of reversing trends of obesity, food insecurity, and environmental degradation in their neighborhoods.

Tiffany Bias, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Fallon Community Health Plan: Tiffany is collaborating with the Fallon Community Health Plan to promote cessation of smoking amongst youth and adults through the Quit to Win program.  The project focuses on addressing the use of tobacco in hopes of promoting quitting and identifying and eliminating disparities associated with tobacco.

Rebekah Bitar, Curry College
Roxbury Comprehensive Health Center, Dimock Center, and Dorchester House Multi-Service Center: Rebekah is collaborating with these three health centers to develop a program that increases and promotes the community’s awareness of hypertension.

Ashley Carlson and Erin Elmore, Harvard School of Public Health
Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Ashley and Erin are partnering with Bridge Over Troubled Waters to develop a youth empowerment program for at-risk and homeless adolescents in Boston.  The project will use photography, narrative writing, and group discussions to capture the positive and negative aspects of these adolescents’ personal experiences and community life.  Additionally, the project will empower youth through health education sessions teaching them to become proponents or their own well-being.  The intention is to develop and promote leadership among these at-risk adolescents and offer them a role and a forum for advocating for change.  The ultimate goal of the project is to foster youth leadership and to bring awareness regarding the needs of these adolescents to the greater Boston community.

Michael Dyer, Harvard Medical School
Mike is collaborating with Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY) to develop and implement program training for youth in how to advocate for themselves in health care settings.  He will also work with BAGLY’s Speaker’s Bureau to develop a youth-led training of medical providers around health care for GLBT youth, with a special focus on transgender youth patients.  Lastly, Mike will work with BAGLY to collect data on the experiences of transgender and other queer youth with regard to violence, risk behaviors, and health care seeking and discrimination.

Benjamin Easter and Pichamol Jirapinyo, Harvard Medical School
Boston Asthma Swim: Benjamin and Pichamol are coordinating the Boston Asthma Swim Program.  This program works with elementary school asthmatic students from Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood.  Every week, students and volunteers meet for both an educational session and a swimming lesson.  Students learn the basics of respiratory physiology, asthma care, and healthy lifestyle decisions.  The exercise component seeks to empower children to pursue a lifetime of physical fitness.

Caitlin Fritz, Clark University
Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc.: Caitlin is collaborating with the Sullivan Middle School-Based Health Center, sponsored by Family Health Center of Worcester, in developing a community garden.  Through her project, she plans to bring about an awareness and start a dialogue about living a healthy lifestyle through increasing healthy eating habits and engaging in outdoor physical activity.

Bethiel Girma, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
Lucy Stone Elementary School: Bethiel is working with the Lucy Stone Elementary School to develop and implement a wellness curriculum for 2nd to 5th grade girls.  Bethiel’s project will focus on nutrition, exercise, self-esteem, and character building.

Cara Gorham, Simmons College School of Social Work
Cara is developing a mentoring program for young adults and adolescents with learning disabilities and other special needs.  Mentoring pairs spend time together in the community, communicate by phone or email, and attend group outings with other program participants.

P.J. Grendell, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
For her Schweitzer project, Patricia is developing a weekly reading circle for women who are homeless.  Through the reading circle and additional support activities, Patricia aims to increase basic literacy and health literacy for participants while promoting fellowship and empowerment.

Scott Halligan, New England Conservatory of Music
Scott is collaborating with the New England Conservatory Outreach Office and Young Audiences of Massachusetts''Healing Arts for Kids program to lead improvised creative music sessions with pediatric patients and give an educational series of solo cello concert presentations at local children''s hospitals.

Kathryn Jantz, Boston University Schools of Social Work and Public Health
Asperger’s Association of New England: Kathryn is working with the Asperger’s Association to address the needs of women and minorities with Asperger Syndrome (AS), two very underserved populations.  She will be developing a didactic curriculum to be delivered to women with AS on topics that will help them improve their mental and physical health.  In addition, she will be running support and information groups for families of Boston youth with Asperger Syndrome.

Manisha Kumar, Tufts University School of Medicine
Dotwell: Manisha is collaborating with DotWell to support Operation Food & Fitness, a new youth-driven program that will educate and empower teens of color in Dorchester, MA to be food, fitness, and environment advocates in their community.  Her project is part of a comprehensive approach to addressing diabetes in low-income communities of color and establishing sustainable, healthy, locally-beneficial lifestyle options for these communities.

Elizabeth Monnin-Browder, Boston College Law School
Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates: Elizabeth is collaborating with TransCEND, a program of Cambridge Cares about AIDS; AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and volunteer students from other Boston-area law schools to start the first-ever legal clinic in Massachusetts for low-income transgender people.  Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates integrates legal services with other community-based public health and advocacy initiatives to provide comprehensive services for low-income people, may of whom have complicated health and legal needs.

Esohe Ohuoba, Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health
Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Esohe is collaborating with the Refugee and Immigrant Health Program in Jamaica Plain to develop a women’s health curriculum that is culturally sensitive to new arrivals from Somalia.  Her project is part of a comprehensive approach to empower women to understand and advocate for their own health, particularly in the areas of domestic violence, family planning, and sexually transmitted infections.

Thomas Peteet, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Center for Healthy Kids: Thomas is coordinating classes on nutrition, physical exercise, yoga, positive body-image, and refugee tutoring in a low-income housing project in Worcester.  He is spear-heading new projects to increase the wellness of children and families in the area, including starting a “Pediatric Advocacy” elective at the medical school, and collaborating with the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Great Brook Valley.

Beth Prullage, Simmons School of Social Work
LGBT Aging Project of Massachusetts: Beth will be working with LGBT elders and community agencies to increase community participation and social and service networks for LGBT elders in Massachusetts.  She will specifically work with existing constituents attending the congregate meal programs; and will engage in community outreach efforts to underserved populations, specifically LGBT elders of color, transgender elders, and LGBT elders in supported housing to assess these communities’ needs in order to inform agency programming.

Anoop Raman, Tufts University School of Medicine
New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans (NESHV): NESHV offers an impressive array of courses to its clients to help improve their career prospects.  These courses range from Truck Driving Licensing to “How to Use the Internet”.  Anoop is working with veterans at the shelter to address concerns they have that prevent them from taking advantage of the courses and encourages them to enroll.

Leila Roumani and Carrie Tsai, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Bridge Over Troubled Water: Through a Harvard-Tufts collaboration, Carrie and Leila’s project aims to improve the oral health and oral health knowledge for at-risk and homeless youth in Boston with the goal, the perform oral health screenings, provide dental treatment, and give presentations on oral health education/vocational opportunities to clients at the GED program and residential facilities at Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Catherine Silva, MGH Institute of Health Professions
MGH GLB Alliance Community and MGH IHP Kinship: Catherine is collaborating with the MGH professional and academic community to develop an LGBTIQ-friendly health care provider training program.  Her project is part of a comprehensive approach to reduce health disparities in the LGBTIQ community and promote fair and appropriate access to health care.

Jina Sinskey, Tufts University School of Medicine
The Greater Boston Food Bank: Jina is working with the Greater Boston Food Bank to create culturally appropriate variations of the food acquisition and distribution process to better serve three disparate ethnic groups (Chinese, Brazilian, and Haitian Creole) in the greater Boston area.  To achieve this goal, Jina is creating a set of user-friendly and sustainable resources for each of the ethnic populations and is conducting nutrition education sessions with food pantry workers and users.

Jenna St. Pierre, Berklee College of Music
Horizons for Homeless Children: Jenna is collaborating with Horizons for Homeless Children /Bigalow House in Cambridge to incorporate music activities into their pre-existing Playspace program.

Janice Turikain, Cambridge College
Walnut Street Center: Janice is collaborating with Walnut Street Center to develop a curriculum for adults with developmental disabilities diagnosed with diabetes.  She will facilitate weekly support and education groups for this population.  Her project will address the high incidence of diabetes in the developmentally delayed population.

Amy Vlazny, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Animal Rescue League of Boston: Amy is working to investigate and address the need for culture- and language- appropriate education resources and services related to companion animal health, care, and welfare within underserved communities in Boston.  She is developing and facilitating workshops to teach adults and youth about animal-related topics of interest and need in these communities.  She hopes that this work will raise awareness of the importance of integrating non-human animal issues into health education outreach efforts, while promoting cultural competence among her colleagues in the animal health and welfare sectors.

Elexa Waugh-Quasebarth, Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation
Chelsea Soldier’s Home: Elexa is collaborating with the veterans and staff at Chelsea Soldier’s Home to develop an unrestrictive arts program for aged veterans with neurodegenerative disease.  Her project incorporates input from experts in the field of fine arts, therapeutic arts, occupational therapy, and long term dementia care to develop a program best suited for people with such diseases as Alzheimer’s Disease.

Ashley Younger, Boston College Connell School of Nursing
Mattapan Haitian Multi-Service Center, Voices of the Tabernacle Church: Ashley’s project is a two-fold approach to health disparities in the Haitian community of Mattapan.  First she is organizing a scholarship program to provide Haitian immigrants with certified nursing assistant training and certification.  Second, the scholars will be trained as community outreach educators engaging in illness prevention and cancer screening projects among the local community.

2007-2008

Danielle Adams, Clark University
Strengthening Vulnerable Communities in the Worcester Built Environment: Through community monitoring, participatory education and resource model creation, Danielle collaborated with local residents and organizations to alleviate indoor pollution problems and provides a model for other communities facing similar problems.

Shirley Austin, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Catholic Charities: Shirley’s project addressed the oral health needs of the newly settled Somali Bantu and the Burmese/Myanmar families.  Specifically Shirley worked to address the language and cultural barriers that new immigrants face when seeking oral health care.

Sara Burton, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences – Nursing
Saint Vincent Hospital: Sara collaborated with the volunteer program at Saint Vincent Hospital to enhance the services provided by the volunteer department and increase the capacity for older adults to volunteer at the hospital.  Sara also served as a companion to an elderly woman at the Worcester Senior Center.

Jason Carmichael, Brandeis University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Alpha Thalassemia Awareness Project: Jason collaborated with Tufts-New England Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital to improve the access of genetic health information for Cambodian families in Lowell. Specifically, the project addressed the Cambodian community''s knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding alpha thalassemia, a severe anemic condition prevalent in this community. Through the development of educational materials in Khmer and conducting community outreach, this project helped the population make informed health care decisions.

Emily Christiansen and Nadia Stegeman, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Emily and Nadia have surveyed veterinarians and developed a list of veterinary care related resources for animal disaster response throughout the state.  They also created and distributed pertinent disaster planning information to local veterinarians to improve the community''s capacity to respond to an emergency.

Richard Downey, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences – Nursing
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Barbara McInnis House: Richard provided hair cuts to the homeless individuals who stay at the Barbara McInnis House, a 90 bed facility for homeless people recovering from illness. Richard strengthened the sustainability of this program by recruiting additional volunteers and securing donations. 

Pritesh Gandhi and Laura Hooper, Tufts University School of Medicine
Operation Frontline: Pritesh and Laura volunteered with Operation Frontline to provide on-going education on nutrition, healthy cooking, and food budgeting to low-income Boston residents. They also collaborated with Operation Frontline to strengthen the organization''s capacity to serve low-income participants by developing a nutritional curriculum for parents of young children and a series of online volunteer training videos. 

Nicolas Gonzalez Castro, Harvard Medical School - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program:  Nicolas assisted in direct care activities serving as a medical interpreter for Hispanic patients, and translating brochures and other materials into Spanish.

Wilson Grandin, Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program: Wilson collaborated with BHCHP to organize a support group for homeless patients suffering from HIV infection and substance abuse.

Rebecca Hanson and Elizabeth Lima, BU-Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
TILL TRASE: Rebecca and Elizabeth organized group sessions to facilitate the development of participants in the TILL TRASE, an after school program for adolescents with developmental delays.  The group sessions focused on nutrition education and cooking classes to prepare healthy snacks. 

Mary Higgins, MGH Institute for Health Professions
Wellspring Cape Ann Families (WCAF): For the past year Mary collaborated with WCAF, a community-based program in Gloucester, MA, which provides support and education to parents and children living in stressful situations and experiencing isolation.  Mary''s project focused primarily on nutrition, positive parenting and family safety. She co-created "Recipes for Success", an insert that appeared in the Gloucester Daily Times, co-facilitated the Nurturing Program and Parent Connection, and helped develop a new initiative, "Home Alone", geared towards parents and youths, aged 11-14.

Matthew Ingham and Carolyn Vaughn, UMass Medical School
AIDS Project Worcester: Matthew and Carolyn conducted pre and post-test counseling, administered the rapid HIV tests at free clinics in Worcester, and organized the training of other medical students to carry out this task.  They also partnered with community members to start the Akwaaba Free Health Clinic to address the unmet health needs of Worcester’s African-immigrant population.

Adam Levin, New England Conservatory of Music
Adam''s project was a multi-dimensional outreach program that serves a variety of different areas in healthcare, education, and community welfare.  He led a weekly music discussion and performed a musical program comprised of unique classical and flamenco traditions spanning the past 300 years, for participants at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center.  He also started an after-school guitar workshop for students at English High School in Jamaica Plain. 

Yi Li, Harvard Medical School
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center: Yi served the program and volunteer coordinator for the Boston Asthma Swim program located in Boston''s Chinatown neighborhood.  This program built upon evidence that swimming provides benefits to asthmatic children.  Once a week, the afterschool program brought together elementary-aged, asthmatic students for an educational session and a swimming lesson.  Students learned the basics of respiratory physiology, asthma care, and healthy lifestyle decisions.  The exercise component empowered children to pursue a lifetime of physical fitness.  In addition to recruiting new participants, Yi established a standardized curriculum, documented the program''s structure and progress for networking with other national programs, increased community involvement and ownership in the program, and designed the first phase of a multi-year assessment to evaluate the program''s impact on pediatric asthmatic participants.

Anthony Lim, Boston University School of Medicine
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Barbara McInnis House:  Anthony led support groups for homeless individuals recuperating from illness at the Barbara McInnis House in Jamaica Plain.  The sessions addressed important issues relevant to Boston''s homeless population, such as improving organizational skills, problem-solving, coping with stress and anxiety, and complying with medical recommendations.  Outside of the support groups, Anthony conducted structured one-on-one interviews of the residents, helped lead walking groups, and assisted at two health fairs put on at the Pine Street Inn and Long Island Shelter.

Laura Little, MGH Institute for Health Professions
Boys and Girls Club: Laura developed a health and fitness program for pre-teen girls at the Boys and Girls Club in Charlestown.  Each week she introduced the girls to a new physical activity such as yoga, tumbling and kung-fu.  Each session integrated brief physiological lessons, such as taking heart rate before during and after an activity and ended with a healthy snack.

Ashiyana Nariani, Tufts University School of Medicine 
Building Bridges: Ashiyana organized the First Annual "Bridging the Gap with Faith" Conference that brought together religious heads and community members in order to discuss ways to improve collaborations between religious communities and their role in medicine. She partnered with Sadhu Vaswani Mission and Tufts Interfaith Council to organize free health screenings at a variety of religious centers in Massachusetts. They also organized drives to provide food and clothing to individuals at various homeless shelters. Finally, she built a team within the Tufts Medical School & Dental School communities that will continue the outreach program that she created.

Allan Pang and Parita Patel, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Bridge Over Trouble Water: Allan and Parita''s project aimed to increase awareness about oral health for at-risk and homeless youth in Boston. They developed an oral health education program for Bridge''s residential facilities, performed oral health screenings, and provided treatment.

Geoffrey Pickering, Boston College Law School
AIDS Action Committee: Geoffrey’s project addressed the CORI requirement as a hurdle for people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing and obtain employment. He also served as a legal volunteer to help clients address a variety of legal issues. 

Allison Quady, Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition
St. Francis House: Allison collaborated with St. Francis House, a homeless shelter in downtown Boston.  Allison and members of the St. Francis House community discussed nutrition and prepared healthy meals with ingredients from the community garden they created together.

Elizabeth Selden, Boston University School of Medicine
South End Community Health Center: Elizabeth helped to pilot a weight management group at the South End Community Health Center.  She also facilitated a walking group with participants.

Tara Slivinski, UMass Medical School
Family Health Center: Tara worked with the Family Health Center to increase their patients’ utilization of exercise programs available at the YWCA through the creation of patient exercise plans and other free exercise resources in English, Spanish, and with visual assistance.  The ultimate goal of the project was to improve usage of the free exercise access to patients, especially in improving three specific areas of health concern:  diabetes, obesity, and depression.  Tara also organized a weekly walking group to encourage physical activity in the community. 

Zirui Song, Harvard Medical School
Brookside Community Health Center: Zirui collaborated with the Brookside Community Health Center in Jamaica Plain to develop a youth sports program.  His project was part of a comprehensive approach to encourage pediatric patients to adopt a healthier and more physically fit lifestyle.

Michelle St. Fleur, UMass Medical School
Great Brook Valley, Worcester Housing Authority: Michelle served as the Director of the Center for Healthy Kids, a local resource for kids living at Great Brook Valley to learn about health and nutrition.  Michelle was responsible for all programming run through the Center, ensuring that all activities have the overall health of the children as their aim.

Tuyen Trinh, Harvard School of Public Health
Dorchester Multi-service House: Tuyen''s project composed of two components. The first was a weekly workshop, called "Me, Mommy & Movement”, designed for young and vulnerable mothers and their babies. The workshop focused on three objectives: 1) mother-child bonding through music and dancing, 2) effective parenting skills, and 3) nutrition education and counseling for healthy child growth. The second component was an implementation of a new screening system to detect early signs of developmental delays among children ages 0 to 3.

Venis Wilder, Harvard Medical School
ByUs! Media: Venis collaborated with the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston to create a program to inspire a positive self-image of minority youth, with the goal of positively impacting self-esteem and altering negative images of self.  Venis worked with participants to design public media campaigns about non-violence and image to decrease the incidence of violence.  

James S. Yeh, Boston University School of Medicine
Boston Medical Center: James'' project increased the level and improved the manner in which alcohol and drug screening, brief intervention, referral and treatment were provided in outpatient (emergency department, primary care clinics, and urgent care center) and inpatient settings at Boston Medical Center.  James served as a medical student health promotional advocate working with MASBIRT (Massachusetts Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment) to conduct screenings and offer brief intervention using motivational interviewing techniques with patients to elicit self-directed changes.  Additionally, James worked with the medical school faculty to create a curriculum for medical students to gain clinical skills and knowledge in diagnosing and treating substance abuse.

Sarah Zaman, Harvard Medical School
Cambridge Health Care for the Homeless: Sarah worked with homeless women in Greater Boston to create a resource book about health and homelessness as they have experienced it.  She organized focus groups and writing workshops at several shelters and clinics, so women at different stages of homelessness could share strategies on staying healthy.  Their advice was collected into a guidebook, to be distributed to newly homeless women through shelter enrollment programs.

2006-2007

Najiba Akbar, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
Indigo House: Najiba designed and conducted weekly healthy lifestyles classes for teen girls living at Indigo House, a shelter for adolescent girls who are in the custody of the Department of Social Services (DSS). The curriculum focused on the following key areas of health and wellness: nutrition, exercise, and mental health. The curriculum was delivered in the form of workshops, guest speakers, field trips, videos, and group discussions.

Justin Au, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Project CORRECT: Justin expanded the existing Project CORRECT (Child Oral Rehabilitation Residential Education Counseling and Therapy), which provides oral health education, and prevention instruction to children housed in residential treatment centers.  He also created a manual including lesson plans, outlines, and resources.

Manasa Basavapatna, Harvard Medical School
Children''s Hospital Boston: Manasa worked with the Youth Advisory Program at the Center For Young Women''s Health at Children''s Hospital Boston. She developed a comprehensive training curriculum for the new female peer advisors. The curriculum contains aspects of leadership and development training (goal setting, critical thinking, group facilitation, presentation skills), and several modules pertaining to adolescent health and well being (teen violence, safety, self image, media, reproductive health).
Manasa also ran several training sessions with the girls, and prepared them to lead education sessions in the community in local schools, community centers and more.

Maria Broderick, New England School of Acupuncture
New England School of Acupuncture: Maria’s project educated parents and school professionals on the benefits of acupuncture for the treatment of ADHD. She also provided low-cost treatment to adolescents with ADHD at the New England School of Acupuncture teaching clinic in Watertown.

Rob Chamberlin, Boston University School of Medicine
Boston Medical Center, Haitian Health Institute: Rob worked with the Haitian Health Institute (HHI) to increase the number of Haitian-American students who choose to pursue a career in health care. This was accomplished by working with the Haitian Health Institute to develop the framework for a mentoring program, helping to organize a day-long healthcare conference for Haitian American high school students, and doing some one-on-one mentoring of a local high school student.  

Darrah Doyle and Jay Lawrence, UMass Medical School
Darrah and Jay continued The Wellbeing Collaborative, a UMass Medical School initiative to educate underserved residents in the greater Worcester area about health and health care issues.  Jay and Darrah formed partnerships with community newspapers including The African Radiant and the In City Times.  They published articles about relevant health topics including health care reform in Massachusetts, identifying early signs of a stroke, and recognizing when childhood illnesses require visits to a primary care physician.  Articles were written by medical students with collaboration from community doctors and faculty of the UMass Medical School.

Dustin Duncan, Harvard School of Public Health
Open Doors to Health: Dustin volunteered with the Open Doors to Health Program to increase physical activity to prevent chronic diseases and mitigate health disparities among public housing residents (who are low-income predominately racial/ethnic minorities) in Roxbury and Dorchester. To achieve this goal, Dustin created a culturally appropriate resource guide about physical activity opportunities for underserved residents in these communities and assisted with administrative aspects of the ODH program in the office and at the public housing sites, which raised awareness about the importance of physical activity.

Shennen Floy, Harvard Medical School
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center: Shennen served as the program and volunteer coordinator for the asthma swim program for Chinatown youth at the South Cove Community Health Center. In addition to recruiting new participants, program goals included developing a second classroom curriculum targeted to multi-year participants in the fifth and sixth grades, increasing parental involvement through parent meetings and monthly newsletters, and elevated community involvement and ownership in the program, including but not limited to recruiting additional high school volunteers from the Chinatown area. Shennen designed and executed the first phase of a multi-year assessment evaluating the Boston Asthma Swim program''s impact on pediatric asthmatic participants.

Sade Foose, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Pharmacy
Sade created a pamphlet that focuses on informing parents and caregivers about the many over-the-counter choices they have when treating their children. The pamphlet focuses on teaching parents how to read medication bottles to avoid giving their kids multiple medications with the same ingredients. Also included are examples of products for common ailments, and what information to keep track of when trying to choose medications.

Melanie Gaiser, Tufts University School of Medicine - Public Health
Southern New Hampshire Medical Center (SNHMC): Melanie coordinated the design of a "healing" garden and related activities for psychiatric inpatients at SNHMC in Nashua, New Hampshire. The project gave patients an opportunity to interact with their natural surroundings during their stay in the Behavioral Health Unit and start a new hobby that has the benefit of reducing stress and anxiety.

Stacy Gent, Tufts University School of Medicine - Public Health
Tewksbury Hospital Equestrian Farm: Stacy conducted volunteer recruitment activities for an equine facilitated program near Boston.  T.H.E. FARM, a North American Riding for the Handicapped Association certified center, is a non-profit organization providing therapeutic equestrian programs for the clients of the Tewksbury Hospital, as well as public riding programs and special events to individuals of all abilities.

Guibenson Hyppolite, Harvard Medical School
Riverside Health Center of Cambridge Hospital: Guibenson created and conducted an educational program for Haitian patients with diabetes. The goal of this project was to improve the health endpoints of diabetic patients among the Haitian immigrant population. The classes covered the biology of diabetes, potential effects of uncontrolled diabetes, specific exercise routines that patients can use, and nutritional modifications that cater to patients'' unique diets.

Lara Jirmanus, UMass Medical School
Neighborhood Strength: Lara volunteered with "Neighborhood Strength: Strengthening Vulnerable Communities in the Worcester Built Environment", a participatory research project of the George Perkins Marsh Institute of Clark University in collaboration with the Family Health Center of Worcester, the Regional Environmental Council of Central Massachusetts and other community partners. She worked with Family Health Center in Worcester, MA, to develop a Health Outreach Workgroup with the participation of local residents to help the Health Center increase access to health care and better serve the community. The Health Outreach Workgroup organized several focus groups to learn more about the health needs of the community, which lent insight into the gaps in access to health services in Worcester''s immigrant communities. Lara also participated in other community based initiatives, including the Worcester Immigrant Rights Coalition and the United African Communities organization.

Sari Kalin, Simmons College Graduate School of Health Sciences
Share Our Strength/ Operation Frontline: Sari volunteered with Operation Frontline to help create a packet of recipes that reflect Boston''s ethnic diversity. She also provided on-going education on nutrition, healthy cooking, and food budgeting to low-income Boston residents.

Amanda Lewis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences- Nursing
Outdoor Explorations: Amanda has volunteered with OE this past year serving as a leader on trips and group work. Outdoor Explorations provides opportunities for people with disabilities to experience the outdoors. Trips include weekend long camping trips, hiking, canoeing, white water rafting and sailing just to name a few. She participated in several of these, including snowshoeing and indoor rock climbing in the winter. She also helped organize a recruiting event that had over 90 applicants, the most ever for OE. Her time was spent assisting others to challenge themselves and try new things.

Michelle Long, Tufts University School of Medicine
Michelle volunteered with the Sharewood Project health clinic in Malden to create a patient database to keep track of information from each patient encounter.  This database will be used to better target care to the population that utilizes the clinic and also to identify new services that are needed in the community.  Michelle was excited to make the first change at Sharewood based on information from the database - since so many patients find out about the clinic through the Sharewood website, Michelle updated the website to contain a more patient centered website (www.sharewood.info).

Lexi Malkin, New England College of Optometry
Elder''s Right to Sight Collaborative (ERTS): Lexi evaluated current environmental conditions in public housing and educating seniors about lighting, contrast, and visual health. Her project consisted of resident education and further development of current grassroots efforts among residents and resident councils.

Meghan Moda, Clark University
Strengthening Vulnerable Communities in the Worcester Built Environment: Meghan collaborated with multiple community organizations including the Regional Environmental Council, Family Health Center, and Worcester Youth Center, to educate Worcester residents about environmental health issues including air pollution and indoor health hazards like mold and radon.  Through this project, Meghan involved community residents in sampling for environmental health issues and then determines potential household and community solutions to these issues.

Katie Muse-Fisher, Boston College Lynch School of Education
Academy of the Pacific Rim (APR): Katie formulated psycho-educational workshops for families of Boston public school students to improve the mental health of middle school students. Katie organized several information workshops for families to address unmet health needs.  The goal was to distribute relevant psycho-educational information to families with the hope of supporting APR students. Workshop topics addressed academic and personal development.

David Nawrocki, MGH Institute for Health Professions
Kit Clark Senior Services Center: David’s project improved local community access to Alzheimer''s patient and caregiver information through the organization and facilitation of patient and caregiver support group meetings in underserved Boston communities. David’s project also included program advocacy with the Massachusetts Alzheimer''s organization addressing local community health care access for Alzheimer''s patients.

Monica O’Reilly, Boston College Connell School of Nursing & Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC): This project was supported by the Health Resources and Service Administration''s Health Disparities Collaborative which aims to transform primary care in order to eliminate health disparities. Monica volunteered with the Depression Collaborative team at EBNHC.  The team tested and studied changes and interventions that address barriers to access and the continuity of depression care in the immigrant communities of East Boston.

Vaishali Patel, Harvard Medical School
Citizen Schools: Vaishali volunteered with Citizen Schools of Boston to design and develop an anti-tobacco education curriculum to incorporate into an after-school program for middle school and high school students. Using activities that strengthen academic and leadership skills such as writing, debate, performance, and arithmetic, the curriculum spotlighted issues such as the negative health impacts of tobacco, tobacco influences in the media, and the global consequences of tobacco use. The modules culminated in creative and inventive anti-tobacco projects that the students designed in groups to educate their peers.

Michelle Peart, Boston University School of Dental Medicine
Michelle’s project expanded a newly establish oral health initiative that provides dental screenings, fluoride varnish application, classroom-based dental education and parent and staff trainings.  This project served children (birth to school age) enrolled in the four Associated Early care and Education Centers in Metropolitan Boston.

Itamar Ringel, New England Conservatory of Music
Itamar gave educational concerts for communities in need, presenting various types of music such as classical, ethnic and contemporary. The concerts showed the connection between these different musical traditions and their relevance and vitality today.

Scott Smalley, Northeastern University Physician Assistant Program
Sharewood Project: Scott volunteered for The Sharewood Project in Malden. This is a student-run, free health clinic where he provided direct patient care, under physician supervision, to uninsured community members of greater Boston. In addition, Scott drafted a Feasibility Study to identify the opportunities and challenges of expanding the scope of practice of the clinic by suggesting two options: establishing a second night of free health service or starting a new clinic in a new location of Boston.

Jon Snyder, Tufts University School of Medicine
Jon worked with Health Care for All to improve its Helpline, a resource to aid people in accessing programs for reduced and free health care in the Boston area.  Jon also volunteered, providing direct medical services at the Sharewood Project, a free student-run clinic in Medford.

Elly Stout, Tufts University School of Medicine - Health Communication
Boston Health Care for the Homeless (BHCHP): Elly volunteered with the BHCHP HIV Team to develop a brochure and patient pocket card to increase awareness of BHCHP''s comprehensive services for homeless persons with HIV. She also worked with the BHCHP Diabetes Collaborative to do formative research with providers and patients; this research will be used to develop materials to support homeless persons in successfully managing their diabetes among homeless persons.

Charles Strom, UMass Medical School
Great Brook Valley, Worcester Housing Authority: Charles volunteered at Great Brook Valley, teaching nutrition and exercise classes to elementary and middle school-aged residents. During the summer, he instituted an outdoor exercise program with the kids, focusing on aerobic games and relay races and teaching about heart rate, oxygen consumption, and blood pressure. Charles also tutored Liberian refugees at "the Valley," working on the English and math they are learning in school.
 
Leah Swann, New England Conservatory Music
Paraclete Center: Leah taught an interdisciplinary music class and violin lessons at an after school program in South Boston for underserved students.  The class examined the relationship between music and other subjects while offering the students hands-on experience with instruments as they learned to play the violin.  She believes that while many public schools have music programs, there is no context for that music and there is no relationship between it and the students’ lives or the other material they are learning in school. Thus, despite these fledgling music programs, the students are unlikely to remain invested or interested in music, and unlikely to enjoy the myriad of ways that an engagement in the arts can contribute to a healthier, more creative lifestyle.

Susan Swords, UMass Medical School
Great Brook Valley, Worcester Housing Authority: Susan taught yoga classes to children at Great Brook Valley. The weekly yoga class helped her students gain improved appreciation for their bodies, helped them better analyze and control their emotions, and improved self-esteem. Susan also held a discussion group after each class to talk with the students about issues such as body image, anger issues, and any other issues that come up during the self-examination that is inherent in a yoga and meditation practice.

Joanna Toke, Boston College Law School
AIDS Action Committee: Joanna’s project addressed the CORI requirement as a hurdle for people living with HIV/AIDS to find housing. She ran monthly workshops for individuals who encountered problems with their CORI and assisted clients in preparing for court. Joanna also developed a reference book to aid both clients and professionals in handling CORI-related problems.

Juliana Wilkinson, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Nursing
Pernet Family Health: Juliana is volunteered with Pernet Family Health, an organization that provides a variety of services for women and children. Juliana provided free nursing home visits to new mothers and their infants who otherwise would not qualify for care.  She also designed and offered a mindfulness-based stress reduction module within the weekly parenting group at Pernet.

Donna Wysokenski, Clark University
Strengthening Vulnerable Communities in the Worcester Built Environment: Donna engaged community members in participatory action research to identify environmental and other factors that impact community health.  Together with the Health Outreach Workgroup (HOW) she helped conduct health listening sessions with the Vietnamese and African communities as well as with Worcester youth.  She also worked with school-based health centers in the Main South neighborhood on an asthma project.

2005-2006

Olufemi Adegoke, Harvard School of Public Health
Roca: Femi worked with a non-profit organization, Roca, that implements programs which enhance the health and well-being of youth, families, and residents of Chelsea, Lynn, Revere, and East Boston. The goal of his project was to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS and un-intended pregnancy through behavioral change communication and promoting condom use.

Julia Africa, New England School of Acupuncture
Pathways to Wellness: Julia provided free acupuncture treatments to long-term survivors of AIDS at Pathways To Wellness, a nonprofit public health organization that provides holistic care in Boston.

Tara Agrawal and Afsan Bhadelia, Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
International Rescue Committee (IRC): Tara and Afsan collaborated with IRC on their Northstar Curriculum to develop a series of health literacy workshops to complement existing IRC services through an extended focus on public health related issues.  Their project consisted of home-based and community workshops on topics including: understanding perceptions of health in the Bantu community, nutrition and healthy eating, family health, mental health, and neurological disorders.  Program activities included focus group discussions that utilized health literacy curricula and promoted health messages while increasing health related vocabulary.

Marlene Camacho, Tufts University School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Public Health
Boston Asthma Initiative: Marlene worked on the Healthy Public Housing Initiative to develop training programs for resident asthma advocates and took part in the recruitment of the advocates. Her project also included developing an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program.

Merredith Collins, Boston University School of Public Health
International Rescue Committee and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Merredith volunteered with a Boston-based organization that focuses on refugee and immigrant health, particularly focusing on those who have suffered mental health trauma due to civil conflicts, abuse, or illness due to HIV and AIDS.

Deborah Cook, Harvard School of Public Health
MCI-Framingham: Deborah assisted in a newspaper project at the women’s prison in Framingham. She worked with the women to create a health column in the paper and a calendar to educate and empower the inmates to make better choices about their health both behind bars and once they reenter society.

Christine Daniels, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center: Christine collaborated with the Health Center to create a project for Brockton’s homeless men and women have improved access to the health and community services they need to be well.

Jamie Levine Davis, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Boston Living Center and Cambridge Cares About AIDS: Jamie provided services to African American women in the Boston area who are affected by HIV/AIDS.  She provided prevention and health-promotion services to women who are HIV-positive or at high risk for HIV.

Ana Diaz, Harvard School of Public Health
Roca: Ana assisted with the development of a business that provides training and jobs for disenfranchised youth. Ana also assisted Roca in planning and research, recruitment of youth, and served as a role model for young Latinos.

Surbhi Grover, Harvard Medical School
Elizabeth Stone House: Surbhi continued the Women Survivors Health Initiative, a project that promotes awareness about health-related issues and encourages community building amongst women living in the Elizabeth Stone House. The project consisted of continuing to develop the women’s prevention and health promotion curriculum, and using it to conduct weekly interactive small group workshops aimed at helping residents develop into peer health educators.

Kelly Hannon, BU-Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
Children''s Hospital Boston, Project Respite Care: Kelly worked with Project Respite Care, which matches qualified college students with families of children with special health care needs. Additionally, she worked on Steps to Success, a program co-sponsored by Project Respite Care, Children''s Hospital Boston and the Boston Ballet.  Steps to Success is an innovative program designed to increase the activity levels of children with Down Syndrome using respite care and participation in an adaptive dance program.

Amie Jo Hatch, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Worcester
MassMedline: Amie contacted doctors in the Worcester area that currently refer their patients to MassMedline, a toll-free hotline that provides prescription information and referrals. She educated them on all services offered by the program and obtained feedback on health outcomes of patients they have referred.

Fizza Jafry, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Kennedy Hope Academy at Franciscan Children’s Hospital: Fizza expanded the existing Project CORRECT (Child Oral Rehabilitation Residential Education Counseling and Therapy), which provides oral health education to children housed in residential treatment centers. In addition to providing direct service at Kennedy Hope Academy, Fizza motivated more dental students to become involved in the project.

Natalie Langlois, Boston College Law School
Greater Boston Legal Services – Health & Disability Unit: Natalie worked on a program that provides free legal services, advice, and information to low-income disabled individuals concerning their health care coverage through MassHealth, as well as their disability benefits through Social Security.  She worked on a program through GBLS, the Medicare Advocacy Project, that provides free legal services, advice, and information to Medicare beneficiaries concerning their health care coverage through Medicare.

Celeste Lopez, Harvard Medical School
Bridging the Gap: Celeste led Bridging the Gap, a refugee/ immigrant family advocacy and medical student immigrant health education project. She organized and coordinated educational and cultural sessions for students and families to participate in together.

Candice McElroy and Sarah Teasdale, UMASS Medical School
Great Brook Valley, Worcester Housing Authority: Candice and Sarah taught nutrition and arts classes that enhanced a six-week curriculum developed and taught by UMass medical students about nutrition and healthy living.  Their project now has a permanent home in the establishment of the Center for Healthy Kids at Great Brook Valley.

Ashley Morris, Harvard Medical School
MGH Revere Youth Zone: Ashley worked at the MGH Revere Youth Zone, which provides a safe place for youth to seek sexual health care, develop life skills, and gain support in dealing with the challenges of adolescence. Her project specifically reached out to and improved the quality and sensitivity of care provided to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth.

Zachary Morris, Harvard Medical School
Elizabeth Stone House: Zachary created MESH (Mentors at Elizabeth Stone House).  This program provided mentorship for the adolescent boys residing with their mothers at the Elizabeth Stone House, a Roxbury shelter for victims of domestic violence.  The mentors met weekly with their mentees for the purpose of tutoring, discussion, and recreation.

Vilas Patwardhan, UMASS Medical School
Vilas published a medical student-run community health newspaper. The newspaper was distributed at no cost throughout Worcester and was published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The paper contains relevant health topics and informs people on how they can better access medical care.

John Reyes, MGH Institute for Health Professionals
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center: John worked with the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center to evaluate the community''s need for a literacy and health education class for new immigrant community members. He also acted as a Spanish interpreter and an assistant in the Urgent Care unit.

Cherisse Sardon Garrity, Boston College Connell School of Nursing
Healing Our Community Collaborative (HOCC): Cherisse worked with the Healing Our Community Collaborative program, which provides HIV prevention and education programs to high-risk women. She focused on reaching out to the Greater Boston community to increase the number of women who are aware of HOCC’s programs.

Rachael Sargent, UMASS-Boston School of Nursing
Rockingham Park: Rachael ran a health clinic for migrant workers at the Rockingham Park horse racing track in Salem, New Hampshire. She expanded the project by reaching out to more of the population and provided health care screening and preventative care.

Meghan Slining, Tufts University School of Medicine, Graduate Program in Public
Health/Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Share Our Strength/Operation Frontline: Meghan provided on-going education on nutrition, healthy cooking, and food budgeting to low-income Boston residents. She also conducted a study that provides data for Operation Frontline program staff to assist in the assessment of the appropriateness of the current nutrition education curriculum to the needs of their clientele.  The data is also useful in the design of future interventions. 

Monica Soto-Gil, New England Conservatory of Music
Hattie B. Cooper Community Center: Monica worked in Roxbury, where she initiated and led a music program for preschool and kindergarten students.  The program gave children a basic musical education and introduced them to genres and instruments they may not have been exposed to otherwise.

Amit Sura, Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston Public Health Commission: Amit worked with the Boston Public Health Commission on their Health Van; he provided screening services such as blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure testing.  Amit worked with a medically uninsured and underserved population to provide them with valuable resources and encourage continuity of care.

Stacy Truta, Harvard Medical School
The BABIES Program: Stacy reorganized the BABIES program at Harvard Medical School, a program that unites medical students with pregnant and parenting adolescents.  After performing a needs assessment analysis, she implemented new program components including expanded volunteer training, a resource manual, and educational group sessions for teen parents.  She also served as a mentor for several young mothers.

Raymond Tsai, Harvard School of Public Health
Wellmet Project: Raymond provided assistance and support to families and individuals that face cultural barriers to health care in the Boston area. He focused on helping immigrant and refugee families get beyond the cultural barriers that have prevented them from acquiring health care.

2004-2005

Dominic Amirtharaj, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Cambridge Department of Social Services: Dominic developed a mentoring program for older adolescents in the social service system.  Dominic’s program focused on career development in preparation for independent living beyond the social service system.

Katharine Barnes, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester PIP Shelter: Katharine conducted health education classes for female clients at the PIP shelter in Worcester. 

Binta Beard, Harvard School of Public Health
Binta participated in the HIV/AIDS outreach and early intervention programs for at risk youth in the Boston area. 

Michaelina Bolton and Joline Swonger, Boston University School of Medicine
United South End Settlements: Joline and Michaelina worked in an after-school program to educate girls and boys 8-11 about health, wellness, and science.

Melissa Cole, Harvard School of Public Health
MetroLacrosse: Melissa incorporated a healthy lifestyle educational program for the approximately 500 underserved youth participating in MetroLacrosse.  The educational program had three goals: to teach the importance of good nutrition, sustained exercise, and the dangers associated with drug/alcohol use; to provide participants with a listing of community resources; and to have participants become positive role models, in health and nutrition, for their families and peers.

Gabriela Diaz, New England Conservatory of Music
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Gabriela organized and performed in a series of chamber music performances in the oncology unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  She also organized two benefit concerts for local cancer research organizations.

Darrell Doucette, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Homeless Outreach Project: Darrell worked with the homeless population at the PIP shelter in Worcester. He provided basic medical care to the shelter patrons as well as conducted a survey of insurance status.

Nikora Downey, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Cambridge Women’s Center: Nikora provided childcare services at the Women''s Center in Cambridge and introduced these groups of hearing children to Deaf culture and American Sign Language.  She also volunteered at DEAF Inc. to assist with their role in Project Hope, a program that provides education and outreach on HIV/AIDS in the community.   

Kerri Gosselin, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Boston Healthcare for the Homeless: Kerri worked with the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless program, as part of both the Street and Family Outreach teams.  She visited shelters in the greater Boston area to assess the nutritional needs of the residents and their children.  Kerri also rode on the Pine Street Outreach Van, and frequently visited residents of the Boston Night Center. 

Meenakashi Gupta, Harvard Medical School
Dorchester House Teen Center: Meenakashi developed and implemented Chef it Up!, an after-school cooking program that teaches teens about the link between diet and disease, while helping them cultivate pragmatic skills that will enable them to make healthy lifestyle changes.

Rachel Hallberg, Boston University, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Animals as Intermediaries: Rachel worked with a local non-profit agency to develop and deliver animal and nature-based programs for elders with physical, cognitive, and social impairments who have limited access to the outdoors.

Brooke Howard, Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Home for Little Wanderers: Brooke ran a weekly wellness/exercise group in the residential treatment program that has been identified as the agency''s model for wellness implementation.  In addition, she supported the administrative staff in their agency-wide Wellness Initiative through resource identification, feedback, and staff and volunteer training.

Matthew Keller and Babak Nazer, Harvard Medical School
South End Community Health Center:  Matt and Babak conducted a summer and fall basketball camp with a nutritional education component for children ages 8-13 who are overweight or otherwise at risk for obesity.

Nadia Khouri, Boston University School of Public Health
International Rescue Committee: Nadia provided outreach to refugee/immigrant families regarding accessing and understanding options for health insurance.  She included information about the application process and eligibility and provided assistance in filling out enrollment paperwork.

Julie Lamb, Harvard School of Public Health
Science Club for Girls: Julie worked with the Science Club for Girls, developing and implementing after-school projects for 2nd grade girls interested in the field of science.

Gladys Lee, Boston University School of Medicine
Unite for Sight: Gladys worked with students at BU School of Medicine to provide vision screenings at shelters, schools, and other community centers.  She also conducted two eyeglass drives in the Fall and Spring.

Sarah Oppenheimer, Harvard School of Public Health
The POWER (Partnering Opportunity with Educational Resources) Initiative:
Sarah worked on a collaborative effort between the AIDS Action Committee, Plymouth County Correctional Facility, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to create an educational and skills-building resource for incarcerated men living with HIV/AIDS.

Marisa Pease and Rick Sollom, New England School of Acupuncture
International Institute of Boston: Rick and Marisa provided acupuncture treatments to refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers in the Boston area who suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Beverly Shin, New England Conservatory of Music
Josiah Quincy Elementary School: Beverly created highly interactive music outreach programs for kindergarten students at the Quincy school.  The programs were designed to encourage students to access their innate musicianship and creativity in a hands-on, communal setting.

Viviany Taqueti, Harvard Medical School
Family Van: Viviany worked on the Family Van Writing Project to create a written manuscript containing narratives, photographs, and a quantitative sociodemographic profile documenting the work of the Family Van in serving community health.

Jennifer Usas, Harvard School of Public Health
Children''s Hospital Boston: Jennifer worked with Project Respite Care to provide respite for a family whose child has special needs.

Lisa Viveiros, University of Massachusetts Boston School of Nursing
Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center: Lisa ran breast-feeding and childbirth education classes for Latina women.

Emily Whitfield, University of Massachusetts Medical School
AIDS Care Project: Emily volunteered as a clinical assistant and developed a survey to determine the needs in Worcester.

Eileen Wu, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Healthworks:  Eileen worked with the staff of a not-for-profit gym, Healthworks Foundation Fitness Center, to create physical activity education materials and a strength training instructional DVD.  Additionally she will be providing staff training based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change to help introduce these materials.  This 3,500 square foot facility provides free gym membership for single mothers and low-income women in the greater Boston area and is fully equipped with a complete line of cardiovascular machines, strength training equipment, and a group exercise studio.

Ying Wu, Harvard Medical School
Elizabeth Stone House: Ying developed Healthy New You, a project that aims to promote the health and well-being of survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual abuse who live in transitional housing/shelters.

Jane Yoo, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government
Boston Medical Center, HIV/AIDS Clinical Research Center: Jane worked with the Clinical Research Center to understand attitudes of African men and women towards medical research, in order to overcome major barriers to access and enrollment in HIV/AIDS clinical trials.

2003-2004 

Tobin Abraham, UMass Medical School
Special Olympics and Umass Medical School: Tobin assisted the Healthy Athletes Program and mobilized medical students to interact with this population group.

Rachel Anderson and Dana Yee, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Boys & Girls Club/Chinatown YMCA: Rachel and Dana Co-lead and expanded the Operation Mouthguard program that makes customized mouthguards for children and provides oral health education.

Sarah Billipp, New England School of Acupuncture
Sidney Borum Health Center: Sarah introduced teens with mild depression to the benefits of acupuncture and provided treatments.

Leena Bitar, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Chinatown YMCA: Leena promote oral health awareness and literacy for preschool children through reading.

Carolyn Casey, Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital: Carolyn facilitated collaborations between HAVEN & HMS by providing support and advocacy to victims of domestic violence.

Jennifer Cavallari, Harvard School of Public Health
MassCOSH: Jennifer assisted the Workers Resource Network campaign by performing an assessment of work-related health and safety needs and creating literature for workers on occupational health and safety.

Grace Chan, Harvard Medical School
South Cove Community Health Center: Grace developed an asthma swim program for kids and provided education on asthma management.

Tonya Fogleman, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Home for Little Wanderers: Tonya developed a self-esteem program for children at risk that discussed self-image, identifying problems, and planning means of overcoming problems.

Deborah Goldstein, Boston College Law School
MGH-Chelsea Clinic: Deborah educated patients on health and legal services that are available to them and recruited fellow law students to assist the project.

Liina Hynynen, Boston University School of Public Health
MATCH-UP: Liina conducted personal history interviews of residents of nursing homes and trained other volunteers in conducting oral history interviews.

Carolyn Hyson, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Jamaica Plain Asthma Environmental Initiative: Carolyn developed an asthma management and environmental health advocacy program.

Sachin Jain, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Square Homeless Health Clinic: Sachin served as student director for this student clinic, conducted a reassessment of clinic services, and suggested methods of quality improvement.

Karrie Kalich, Tufts University School of Nutrition
Keene State College: Karrie developed a service-learning program for undergraduates in the health science curriculum.

Lynn LaPierre, Boston College Law School
Mass Medline/Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Lynn educated seniors on prescription drug assistance programs.

Matthew Lewis, Harvard Medical School
Project Respite Care: Matt provided respite care for a family with a special needs child, developed a resource guide for medical students on caring for special needs children, and recruited volunteers.

Rachel Meltzer, Tufts University School of Nutrition
Tufts School of Nutrition/City of Somerville: Rachel helped develop the communication aspect of a Somerville-wide childhood obesity intervention program.

Gary Mendese, UMass Medical School
University of Massachusetts Memorial Healthcare Pediatric Clinic: Gary assisted the literacy program at the clinic by reading to children in the waiting room and work with local Worcester organizations to encourage children to read.

Haley Naik & Lakshmi Nelson, Harvard Medical School
Prevention Now! at Hennigan School: Haley and Lakshmi co-lead and expanded Girl Power, a science and health educational and mentoring program for African-American and Latina girls.

Caroline Nemet, Boston University Sargent College, Occupational Therapy
Women’s Lunch Place: Caroline developed a life skills program for young mothers in transitional housing.

Vidya Raju, Tufts University School of Medicine
Brookside Community Health Center: Vidya provided diabetes prevention education to clients in Jamaica Plain.

Lindsay Rosenfeld, Harvard School of Public Health
La Alianza Hispana and other organizations: Lindsay trained professionals at multiservice organizations and community health centers on health literacy and helped them develop literature at appropriate reading levels for their clients.

Jennifer Siegel, Harvard Medical School
MassCOSH: Jennifer help expand the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow and helped develop their Healthy Schools Network program.

Maya Vijayaraghavan, Boston University School of Medicine
BU Outreach Van Project: Maya coordinated the ongoing work of the van in East Boston and expand services provided through the van. Boston Coalition for Adult Immunization: Co-coordinated the BCAI project at BU for the fall immunization campaign.

Robert Wall, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Health & Educational Services, Inc & Transformational Assistance for Offenders (TAO): Robert Taught mindfulness skills to homeless, mentally-ill, and the incarcerated individuals to help decrease levels of self-violence and regulate emotional stress.

Grand Wong, Tufts University School of Medicine
Media and Technology Charter High School (MATCH): Developed a peer-education health and wellness curriculum for students and teachers.

2002-2003

Anh Bui, Harvard Medical School
Vietnamese Cable TV: Anh worked with the Health NOW! Health Literacy Initiative, to improve health literacy in the Vietnamese-American community through ESL health class segments on Vietnamese cable TV.

Lorraine Cordeiro, Tufts School of Nutrition Science & Policy
Helping Others Prepare for Education Project (HOPE): Lorraine provided health and nutrition workshops for Southeast Asian teens in Lowell.

Keith Dominick, UMass Medical School
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): Keith served as a caseworker for abused or neglected children who were transitioning to permanent homes.

Kevin Fairley, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Nursing
T.H.E. Brain Trust:  Kevin assisted the strategic development of the organization and lead focus groups of people with brain injuries on using computer-based consumer health information systems and improving provider-patient health care interactions.

Elizabeth Freck-Frasier, Boston University School of Medicine
BU Outreach Van Project: Elizabeth worked with the Latino Health Institute, Boston Health Care for the Homeless, and other organizations to improve and expand services offered to transient populations.

Yulika Fridman, Tufts University Child Development
Jewish Children & Family Services: Yulika identified and conducted a needs assessment of isolated frail Russian elderly survivors of the Holocaust and connected them with volunteers to reduce their social isolation.

Daniel Gluck, Harvard Law School
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau: As President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Daniel provided free services and expanded the pool of clients and law students who serve as volunteers.

Joyce Hairston and Dayle Whiteman, Harvard Medical School
Hennigan School: Joyce and Dayle lead Girl Power, a Boston Schweitzer project initiated in 2000-01 that introduces science and health education to adolescent African American and Latina girls.

Daniel Helfet-Hilliker, UMass Medical School
Queen Street Family Practice:  Daniel assisted in the development of the center’s depression screening program by improving screening tools and documentation systems and conducting screenings.

Joan Hu, Harvard Medical School
Germaine Lawrence School for Girls: Joan lead an exercise & nutrition program for special-needs girls.

Todd Hultman, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Nursing
Cambridge Health Alliance: Todd provided Hepatitis C prevention education to injection drug users and helped develop materials appropriate to the literacy levels of clients.

Korena Larsen, Northeastern University Physician Assistant Program
Youth Enrichment Services (YES): Korena developed educational materials on preventing diabetes for youth, conducted workshops on health and nutrition, and organized outdoor sports activities.

Alice Lee, New England School of Acupuncture
The Cotting Connection & RowAsOne: Alice helped breast cancer survivors gain access to alternative care providers and helped lead qui-gong and other strengthening exercises.

Alessandro Mangili, Tufts School of Medicine
Immigrant Workers Resource Center & Latino Health Institute: Alessandro helped lead ESL, health education, and labor rights classes and compiled resources for health care for immigrants.

Sam Merabi, Tufts School of Dental Medicine
Franciscan Children''s Hospital: Sam provided oral care to special needs children, including plaque testing and teaching patients proper dental care.

Sophie Naudeau, Tufts University Child Development
Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse Children''s Center/District Courthouse: Sophie helped provide support to children of incarcerated parents and conducted a needs assessment of parents in incarceration or on probation.

Eileen O''Connell, UMass Boston Nursing
Boston Arts Academy: Eileen taught mind/body health connections to faculty, nurses, and students at the Boston Arts Academy.

Rachelle Pierre, Harvard Medical School
Haitian Health Careers Initiative: Rachelle continued a 2001-02 Boston Schweitzer project matching Haitian teens with Haitian mentors in health fields.

Wasana Punyasena, Boston College Law School
Physicians for Human Rights & PAIR project: Wasana established a network of mental health specialists to provide free mental health care to asylum seekers in INS detention centers who are victims of torture.

Christine Ricardo, Harvard School of Public Health
Somerville Primary Care: Christine conducted diabetes care outreach in the Brazilian immigrant community. She evaluated community needs in relation to existing health care services and built partnerships with community agencies.

Rishita Saraiya, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Boys & Girls Club of Boston: Rishita continued Operation Mouthguard, a Boston Schweitzer 01-02 project providing dental education and custom fitted mouthguards for children at the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Tanya Shah, UMass Medical School
Worcester Public Schools and Therapy & The Performing Arts: Tanya established a skating program for visually-impaired children and developed a curriculum for Therapy & the Performing Arts ice skating programs for special needs children and children with disabilities.

Doreen Toskos, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Doreen conducted oral hygiene/nutrition workshops and assisted in the provision of dental care to children and teens.

Michael Westerhaus, Harvard Medical School
PACT-DOT: Michael helped implement and run a directly observed drug therapy program for non-adherent HIV/AIDS patients.

Emily Wilcox, Simmons Graduate School of Health Sciences Nursing Program
Jamaica Plain Asthma/ Environment Initiative: Emily provided asthma education and support to elementary school children.

Rochelle Witt, Harvard Medical School
Suffolk County Jail & Boston-area ESL Centers: Rochelle continued Health NOW! Health Literacy Initiative with detainees in pre-trial detention and developed a health literacy curriculum that could be incorporated into ESL programs in the Boston area.  

Ami Zota, Harvard School of Public Health
MassCOSH: Ami developed and co-facilitated a youth organizing and peer leadership program for teenagers of color on workplace health and safety. 

2001-2002

Abe Abdulwaheed, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Chinatown Outreach Program: Abe provided dental health information and screening services to children and elders in Chinatown.

Soukaina Adolphe, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Haitian Health Institute: Soukaina created an understanding among the Haitian community and health providers of the needs of families with special needs children.

Amy Anderson Boutwell, Harvard University JFK School of Government
HIV Clinic, Boston Medical Center: Amy assisted patients with HIV/AIDS with their treatment and self-care plans.

Elsa Ascenso, Northeastern University / Speech & Language Pathology
Massachusetts Migrant Education Program: Elsa conducted workshops on literacy and health issues and provided referrals for families who did not qualify for  migrant services offered by the agency.

Aaron Askanase, New England School of Acupuncture
Dimock Community Health Center: Aaron provided free acupuncture treatment to low-income people with MS and publicized information about acupuncture to the MS community.

Nahid Bhadelia, Tufts University School of Medicine
Sharewood Project: Nahid expanded the free clinic services to include community resources and networking among area non-profits.

Heather Binder, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Latino Health Coalition, Worcester: Heather improved access and services in mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Oni Blackstock and Ann Chang, Harvard Medical School
Prevention Now!: Oni and Ann lead Girl Power, an after-school science, health, and environmental program for preadolescent Black and Latina girls at the Hennigan School.

Julie Chen, Harvard Medical School
Hepatitis B Initiative: Julie developed and implemented patient outreach programs for Hepatitis B screenings and vaccinations.

Luqman Dad, Boston University School of Medicine
Shattuck Hospital: Luqman worked with court-involved adolescents.

Honora Englander, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Epworth Free Clinic/Family Health Center: Honora improved links between the two clinics to improved care for uninsured patients who attended the free clinic.

Gemina Gianino, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Salvation Army Summer Camp, Sharon: Gemina improved a science/nature curriculum for the campers from low income communities.

Janice Goodman, Boston College School of Nursing
Lutheran Social Services: Janice identified psychosocial needs and documented personal narratives of unaccompanied refugee teens from Sudan; facilitated a psychoeducational support group for female refugee teens from Sudan.

Tarayn Grizzard, Harvard Medical School
Whittier Street Health Center: Tarayn created a student-run health education program for pregnant and parenting adolescents.

Brian Grossman, Harvard School of Public Health
Gay Men''s Domestic Violence Project: Brian documented community need, updated and expanded community resource guide, and assessed feasibility of expansion of services to other New England states.

Azul Jaffer, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Youth Guidance Center: Azul introduced young adults to photography as a way to build self-esteem, gain a skill, and provide an alternative to unhealthy behaviors through mentoring.

Christina Kim, Tufts University School of Medicine/Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
Science Elementary Education Partners (SEEP): Christina oversaw a program matching Tufts University students with science teachers in Somerville elementary schools to improve science teaching.

Emily Ko, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Worcester Healthy Start Initiative: Emily taught physical fitness and activity in the perinatal health care intervention for pregnant women.

Alisa Land, Harvard Medical School
MGH Chelsea Health Clinic: Alisa developed a student psychosocial and health outreach and advocacy program for newly arrived refugee children and their families, matching student volunteers with families.

Nicole Lewis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Physician Assistant Studies
Project Life / Mission Main Boston: Nicole established a mentoring program between MA College of Pharmacy physician assistant students and children enrolled in Project Life and Mission Main Boston.

Lauren McTeague, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Jackson Mann Elementary School: Lauren created a health education curriculum for elementary school children.

Daphne Mitchell, University of Massachusetts/Boston / Clinical Psychology
Martha Eliot Health Center: Daphne developed, implemented, and evaluated an asthma program for families to improve psychosocial functioning in children.

Elizabeth Molina, Tufts University School of Medicine MD/MPH
Latino Health Institute: Elizabeth implemented a health education / cultural sensitivity curriculum.

AJ Ortega, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Boys and Girls Clubs in Boston: AJ provided oral health education to youth and manufactured custom-made mouthguards for the children.

Jennifer Rabke-Verani, Harvard Medical School / Harvard School of Public Health
East Cambridge Health Center: Jennifer increased immunization coverage for children in East Cambridge.

Joel Sawady, Harvard Medical School
Haitian Health Institute: Joel developed a mentoring program and annual conference for Haitian high school students interested in health careers.

Skye Schulte, Tufts University School of Medicine/ Public Health/Nutrition Science and Policy
Somerville Family Network: Skye offered infant and toddler nutrition workshops to families newly arrived in the U.S. and taught healthy eating practices to children.

Robyn Smith, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Peace at Home Adolescent Health Center, Boston Medical Center: Robyn improved ways health providers identified and assisted teens exposed to violence.

Melin Tan, Boston University School of Medicine
Women''s Health Demonstration Project: Melin served as a caseworker and advocate for women patients and held focus groups to identify unmet needs.

Sarvenaz Zand, Harvard Medical School
PROMESA, Brigham and Women''s Hospital: Sarvanaz improved communication between Honduran patients and clinicians who treat them.

2000-2001

Jennifer Alt, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
The Clothesline Project: Raise awareness about the prevalence and impact of domestic abuse through workshops on domestic abuse and displays of t-shirts  decorated by women survivors.  

David Beakey, Tufts-Emerson Master’s Program in Health Communications
Quincy Medical Center: Increase the attendance of seniors at mental health programs by eliminating communication and program barriers.  Develop a video on the Psychiatric Day Program at Quincy Medical Center involving elderly patients who use the facilities.

Nazleen Bharmal, Harvard Medical School
Brookside Community Health Center & Peace At Home:  Work with pre-adolescents to develop a multi-disciplinary approach to discussing healthy relationships that can be shared with community agencies to prevent violence in teen dating. 

Sarah Brezinsky, Tufts University Boston School of Occupational Therapy
Salvation Army Summer Camp: Develop a curriculum on nature, respect for others, and respect for animals. 

Lisa Delgrosso, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Women’s Lunch Place: Conduct health education workshops on HIV, menopause, and sexual assault.

Ellie Feinglass, Harvard School of Public Health
Dimock Community Health Center: Review patient information materials and suggest ways to improve them for low-literacy patients. Present workshops for the staff on health literacy in order to improve communications with clients.

Seth Goodwin, New England School of Acupuncture
NESA Clinic:  Help arrange and provide free acupuncture treatments to individuals with phantom limb pain.

Jamal Harris, Harvard Medical School
Soldiers of Health: Design and implement a leadership program and community newsletter with young adults in Roxbury. 

Renee Hsia, Harvard Medical School
HepB Initiative: Coordinate a Hepatitis B education and immunization campaign directed to the Asian community in Boston. 

Carey Johnson, Harvard School of Public Health
GLBT Health Access Project: Develop a health services network for Boston-area gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender populations by creating a database of agencies and establish a coordinating committee.

Meghan Kalinich, Boston College Lynch School of Education
Thomas Gardner Extended Services School:  Assist with the implementation of health and dental services for Gardner students and help the students and their families enroll in the dental and health clinics that will be provided by the school.

Michelle Kemper, Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
The Windsor House: Teach fall and fire prevention techniques to the elderly.

Enna Lee, New England College of Optometry
Prevent Blindness: Create a post-screening protocol to encourage children to obtain vision care.

Susan Martin, Tufts University School of Medicine
Crossroads Family Shelter: Provide education on public health issues at the shelter. Conduct classes on personal hygiene, disease, food safety, nutrition, violence prevention, parents, self-esteem, and prenatal care.

Angela Martz, Northeastern University Physician’s Assistant Program
Uphams’ Corner Health Center: Assist the Women’s Health Department with clinics and health education, focusing on high-risk pregnant teens and diabetic elders.

Karran Phillips, Boston University School of Medicine
Cathedral High School: Develop a mentoring program for underserved youth. 

Mai Pho, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Family Health Center Clinic:  Design a research study and focus groups to assess the knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS among Vietnamese American youth.

Julie Rackliffe-Lucey, Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Brookline Department of Public Health: Organize food test kitchens for low-income elderly in Brookline senior housing and pubish a cook book of healthful recipes based on local contributions.

Adam Saltzman, Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston Elementary Schools:  Establish partnerships between Tufts University undergraduates and Somerville public school teachers by recruiting undergraduate science majors to teach science in an exciting, engaging way to youth. 

Daniel Smith, Harvard Medical School
Barbara McInnis House: Conduct creative writing workshops and teach basic computer skills to homeless residents and create a website for the McInnis House.
 
Eileen Stuart-Shor, Univ. of Massachusetts College of Nursing & Health Sciences
RoxComp:  Work with the Roxbury Church of Christ and Roxbury Heart Center to implement a cardiovascular health awareness program. Also teach fourth grade children weekly poetry writing, meditation, and facilitate social interactions to improve self-esteem and mind-body connection.

Vimy Varghese, Boston University School of Law
Global Lawyers and Physicians/Health Care for All:  Provide legal assistance to indigent clients who were denied access to health care, conduct legal research on health care policy and impact litigation for Health Law Advocates, and assist the Global Lawyers and Physicians organization with research on international human rights issues.

Sierra Washington, Harvard Medical School
Hennigan Elementary Mad Scientist Club: Organize an after-school program for preadolescent girls in conjunction with the “Prevention Now” program at the Hennigan School. 

1999-2000

Ashley Ackerman, Boston University School of Medicine
Boston Univ. Sch. of Medicine Outreach Van Project: Develop a health education program through the Van and Boston Health Care for the Homeless for the workers at Suffolk Downs Racetrack

Arshiya Baig, Tufts University School of Medicine
Centro Presente: Complete a needs assessment of occupational hazards in the Boston Latino community and design a curriculum to teach Latinos about their occupational health rights

Jessica Diamond, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
P.A.W.S. Project: Organize veterinary students and technicians to help people with Medicine immunodeficiencies care for their pets in the Worcester area

Kurt Fink,  Harvard Medical School
Coalition for Coverage: Develop materials for Latino community health centers and action programs on health care resources and assist with health care enrollment in Massachusetts

Ann Marie Francisco, Boston University School of Medicine
Project Health: Assist inner city youth in Boston through teaching photography and illustrating theirHarvard Sch. of Public Health written essays on their environment and health

Julie Freedman, Harvard Medical School
Children''s Hospital Young Parents Program: Implement developmental assessments of one- and three-year-olds in the program

Jennie Greene, Harvard School of Public Health
MissionSAFE: Help run a video workshop including health topics in an afterschool program with junior and senior high school students

Karen Ho, Harvard Medical School
Hepatitis B Education and Prevention Boston Initiative: Help with community awareness and outreach about Hepatitis B

Clemens Hong, Tufts University School of Medicine
South Cove Community Health Center: Establish a clinic at the center to follow-up on TB treatment

Rahul Kakkar, Tufts University School of Medicine
Expand a Tufts Univ. children''s theatre troupe program and perform plays on healthy living at shelters and schools in the Boston area

Jim Kim, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Children''s Hospital: Develop educational materials on preventing caries in children with HIV

Wilson Liao, Harvard Medical School
Barbara McInnis House: Provide live music therapy, entertainment, and computer classes to homeless people still recovering after hospital stays

Brianne Luu, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Provide oral health information to people with disabilities

Rishi Manchanda, Tufts University School of Medicine
Soldiers of Health: Develop a health education and community advocacy project

Jillian Martin, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Rosie''''s Place: Develop nutritional education programs

Rey Ramos, Harvard Medical School
South End Community Health Center: Establish an urban youth literacy program

Jean Raphael, Harvard Medical School
Riverside Health Center: Work with the Men''s Evening Clinic on adolescent stress and mental health issues

Eleni Spartos, Harvard School of Public Health
Sierra Club Inner City Outings: Expose Boston area children to the outdoors and work with them on outdoor skills, self-esteem, environmental awareness, and relationships with mentors and adults

Sandhya Srinivasan, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Mobile Caries Prevention Program: Provide sealants to children in Roxbury, arrange treatment for these children at Harvard Dental School, and teach them about good oral health and hygiene

Sara Stulac, Tufts University School of Medicine
Work with children in underserved areas of Boston on a health-related project

John Su, Boston University School of Medicine
Hepatitis B Education and Prevention Boston Initiative: Build a strong community collaboration to continue the HEP B Initiative

1998-1999 

Belinda Abbott, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
Gap Junction: Belinda identified primary and middle school students in accessible after-school programs who would benefit from an interactive science based educational program.

Sarah Adler, Tufts University School of Medicine
The Claddagh Campaign: Sarah provided moral support and guidance to female court-involved teens in South Boston. She also assisted South Boston residents as an after school homework helper and provided general office support the campaign.

Jennifer Boyd, Harvard School of Public Health
The Horizons Initiative:  Jennifer conducted assessment of educational needs of school-aged children living in family shelters in Boston.  She presented information on children’s developmental needs at their Volunteer Trainings and also assisted at the Elizabeth Stone House.

Stephen Buttenwieser, Harvard Medical School
Coalition for Coverage: Stephen wrote a draft of a comprehensive guide to all health insurance resources in Massachusetts for community and social service agencies and individuals.  Stephen also assisted individuals and families, particularly in Latino populations, to enroll in health insurance programs.

Christine Chung, Harvard Medical School
Soldiers of Health:  Christine promoted health and fitness among adolescent girls in Roxbury through a jump rope club and workshop.  Her goal was to increase self-worth and respect among these girls through health and fitness.

Tayla Colton, Harvard School of Public Health
Rosie’s Place and Girl Power: Tayla provided reliable support to women living in permanent residence as well as homeless women living with HIV/AIDS.  Tayla visited the home weekly to cook meals, organize special outings, and work as relief staff.  She also organized a Friday afternoon after school program for fifteen teenage girls.

Jeffery Cox, Salem State College Social Work
Neighborhood Faith Collaborative:  Jeffery met with academic, religious, and medical experts to discuss faith and health issues among minority religious communities.  He also volunteered with Roxbury Tenants of Harvard where he organized social events for seniors. In addition, Jeffery served as a night and weekend chaplain for New England Baptist Hospital.

Grace Hsiao, Harvard Dental School
South Cove Community Health Center & Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Grace worked to improve infant, and teen oral health care education.  She also established community service for dental students at Harvard Dental School.

Catherine Kim, New England College of Ophthalmology
Family Van Vision Screenings:  Catherine worked to provide eye care to the underserved in Boston.  She set up and implemented vision screenings on the Family Van at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

P. Nelson Le, Boston University School of Medicine
Boston GLASS: Nelson assisted gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning teens at risk to view healthcare more positively.  He provided teens with health lecture series, an open forum for teens on sex, and was present at Boston GLASS on a weekly basis.

Janet Lee, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Mobile Caries Prevention Program:  Janet organized dental exams and sealant treatment for elementary children in Boston schools through a mobile dental clinic organized with Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene.

Mark Lepore, Boston University School of Medicine
Outreach Van & Suffolk Downs Race Track: Mark participated on the BUMC Outreach Van to provide food, clothing, blankets, and information on health services to the homeless.  He also provided ESL classes and health information to workers at the Suffolk Downs racetrack.

Ella Oong, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Boston Healthcare for the Homeless:  Ella assisted Healthcare for the Homeless with a survey of dental needs of victims of domestic violence.  She developed a referral program through Women’s Dental Society of Massachusetts.

Jessica Stevens Pollard, Tufts University School of Medicine
Centro Presente:  Jessica collected oral histories from Central American workers in the Boston area and documented their exposures to occupational health hazards.  She planned a meeting of local organizations on occupational health and safety.

Chrasandra Reeves, Suffolk University & Simmons College
Temporary Home for Women and Children: Chrasandra assisted women at the Home to find permanent housing.  She obtained an initial assessment of clients and guided them in the processes of finding a home.  She also provided day care for the children and referred ill children to physicians.

Franchot Slot, Boston University School of Medicine
New England Shelter for the Homeless Veterens: Franchot oriented the clients to the dental services, provided histories and physical exams, and developed patient charts and tracking forms for medical care.  He also made appointments for the clients and constructed a database of information for each dental visit.

Eleni Spartos, Harvard School of Public Health
Sierra Club Inner City Outings:  Eleni exposed Boston area children to the outdoors and worked with them on their outdoor skills, self-esteem, environmental awareness and relationships with mentors and adults.

Helen Stubbs, Harvard School of Public Health
Teens Against Gang Violence:  Helen planned and coordinated a summer program for inner city youth in Dorchester.  She taught youth skills and knowledge on areas of violence, substance abuse prevention, safe sex, peer leadership, and personal presentation.

1997-1998

Mary Afsari, Tufts University School of Medicine
Codman Square Health Center: Mary created a breast health program through the health center for teenage women from Dorchester High School.  The program educated young women on breast disease and risk reduction.  Mary also worked to train them to become health advocates in their own community.

Sarita Aggarwal Mohanty, Boston University School of Medicine
Uphams Corner Health Center: Sarita developed a domestic violence protocol for the health center.
Proochista Ariana, Harvard School of Public Health
North American Indian Center of Boston: Proochista conducted a needs assessment of the health status and health needs of urban Native Americans for the center.

Ezra Barzilay, Tufts University School of Medicine
Baystate Medical Center: Educated the medical community about the needs of deaf patients and aided the deaf community in navigating through the resources available.

Ari Berman, Boston University School of Medicine
Codman Square Health Center: Ari created a curriculum and formal personal training session with “Dads Make a Difference” program in order to educate boys on prevention of pregnancy.  He also worked to initiate a program on General Health in the lives on children.

Kate Berrien, Harvard School of Public Health
Prevention Now: Kate implemented Girl Power, which is an after-school program for pre-teens.  She also assisted the volunteer office of Children’s Hospital and implemented a Health Adventures program for children to visit health facilities.

Sharon Brown Kunin, Harvard School of Public Health
Arts and Prevention Program: Sharon taught dance and art classes to youth at the Louis D. Brown Social Development Center.  She also organized a radio call-in program for youth on violence prevention.

Sachiko Sato Castleman, Simmons Graduate School of Health Sciences
Elderlink: Sachiko visited clients in their homes to teach strength, flexibility, and balance exercises.  Sachiko also taught home safety and fall prevention for home health aides. 

TinhVan Diep, Harvard School of Public Health
South Cove Community Health Center: TinhVan assisted the health center to assess knowledge of managed care processes and needs of clients and staff.  TinhVan also provided interpreter services for the adult medicine department and helped the support staff with English instructions.

Jonathan Hertz, Tufts University School of Medicine
Jonathan created a mental health assessment of homebound elderly.

Leslie Hsu, Harvard School of Public Health
Hepatitis B Education and Prevention- Boston Initiative: Leslie organized publicity campaigns on Hepatitis B among the Chinatown community.  She mobilized health students to participate in screening and immunizations.  Leslie also conducted a survey to assess middle school students’ awareness of the virus.

Matthew Lally, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Brantwood Camp:  Matthew served as a ropes course instructor at the camp and also taught anger management, health education and conflict resolution to boys.

Lorie Ann Lepley Parks, New England College of Optometry
Lorie Ann mobilized a team of students and instructors who conducted free eye examinations for residents of homeless shelters.  The team also provided free eye glasses for the patients who were in need of them.

Nancy Lord Lewin, Boston University School of Public Health
Latino Health Institute:  Nancy helped implement community health education program on HIV/AIDS prevention.  She also worked to reduce the risk and increase knowledge of HIV infection among Latinos in Boston communities.

Shan Woo Liu, Harvard Medical School
Educated Family Van providers regarding common medical drugs used by their patients. Determined patient compliance in relation to appointment follow up.

Victor Presto, University of Massachusetts School of Nursing and Health Sciences
The Autism Partnership: Victor implemented and assisted with a training program for families and pediatricians on caring for children who suffer from autism.

Karen Wang, Boston University School of Medicine
New England Home for Little Wanderers:  Karen taught health education groups at the Therapeutic After School Program every two weeks.

Lisa Doherty Watt, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Epilepsy Foundation of America: Lisa conducted plans on epilepsy for children and families across Massachusetts to raise awareness of the disease.

1996-1997

Charlene Brown, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Rosie’s Place: Charlene provided literacy instruction to guests and helped serve meals at Rosie’s.  She also attempted to plan and implement language stimulation groups for children.

Katherine Cook, Tufts University School of Medicine
Hospice Care, Inc: Katherine taught massage techniques to family, friends, and caregivers of the terminally ill and created an instructional video for distribution to area hospices.

Martha Fairbanks Perry, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Sharing Together and Reading Together (SHARE):  Martha developed SHARE, a reading program for children in waiting rooms.  She distributed children’s books to parents, and started a “Prescriptions for Reading” that physicians can hand out to patients.

Abram Herrera-Peters, Boston College School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Critteriton Hastings House: Abram acted as a case mentor for young Spanish-speaking coupes with children.  He also conducted parenting classes for mothers at the house.

Jennifer Kaylor, University of Massachusetts/Boston College School of Nursing
Pine Street Inn:  Jennifer visited homes of formerly homeless men who had stayed at the Inn and assisted them with their transition into living independently.

Alyce Kuklinski, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Coolidge House:  Alyce organized discussion groups among the residents on stress management, parenting, and violence prevention.

Rebecca Reynolds Weil, Tufts University Boston School of Occupational Therapy
Lindemann Mental Health Venter and Cambridge Hospital:  Rebecca created a garden with the help of residents at an in-patient psychiatric unit at the health center.  She also brought animals to visit with children at the child assessment unit at the Cambridge Hospital.

Jennifer Richard, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Freedom House:  Jennifer continued a weekly exercise program for seniors started by fellow Louisa Bray.  She provided these individuals with knowledge and skill to incorporate regular exercise into their lifestyle.

Eve Rittenberg, Harvard Medical School
Brookside Community Health Center: Eve designed a patient history form for adolescents and designed a flow sheet for adolescent patients that allows clinics to track health services utilization over time. 

John Paul SanGiovanni, Harvard School of Public Health
John Paul attempted to work on publicizing the dangers of in-home pesticides but the project never materialized.

Jonathan Sorci, Harvard School of Public Health
COMPASS School:  Jonathan designed a music program at the school as an alternative to drugs, violence, and alcohol abuse.  He provided opportunities for students to record music at a professional recording studio though the Jam Plan.

Jared Strote, Harvard Medical School
Shortstop: Jared taught simple health education classes to high-risk youth and participated in informal recreation at the site.  All of the youth Jared worked with had been removed from their families and were currently living at Shortstop.

Ana Christina Terra DeSouza, Harvard School of Public Health
MA Alliance for Portuguese Speakers:  Ana worked with the Portuguese community on health issues for teens that included STDs, and pregnancy prevention.  She facilitated community group meetings on domestic violence and helped complete Peace at Home curriculum.

Bill Yuen Tu, Boston University School of Medi