Students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School will support Worcester residents by increasing affordable dental care; improving preventive care for women with substance use disorder; and educating adolescents about substance use disorder, thanks to this year’s Mick Huppert Community Scholar Awards. Named after late UMass Chan faculty member Mick Huppert, MPH, the awards are presented to students who are addressing community needs and plan to publish or present their final outcomes. The following projects were selected and are led by students who have finished their first year of medical school:
Evaluating oral health care access among patients at the Worcester Free Care Collaborative Medical Program
Recipient: Victoria Pajak, MassAHEC Rural Health Scholar
Mentor: Hugh Silk, MD, professor of family medicine & community health
Pajak’s interest in community health began while working as a medical interpreter for Polish-speaking patients in the CommunityHealth free clinic in Chicago, where he witnessed patients with chronic tooth pain or mouth sores who were unable to visit dentists due to financial constraints and lack of insurance.
“Growing up under the care of my Polish immigrant grandparents, I felt the impact of poor health access on the entire family. I wanted to practice medicine to improve the health care experience for immigrants and other underserved populations,” Pajak said.
Pajak, a Dartmouth local who studied behavioral neuroscience and health humanities at Northeastern University, became involved in a monthly oral health night at the Epworth Free Medical Program in Worcester after she started medical school. She works with a volunteer dental hygienist from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to provide free dental screenings, fluoride and dental referrals to people with limited or no dental insurance.
Pajak will evaluate oral health access among Epworth Free Medical Program participants via a survey, with the hope of tailoring the program to address barriers. She plans to use the award funds to present her research at the Family Medicine Education Consortium in Philadelphia in September.
Improving women’s preventive care among patients with substance use disorders at Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center
Recipient: Xiao Tong, MassAHEC Urban Health Scholar
Mentor: Zachary Bay, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health
Tong’s interest in serving medically underserved populations formed when she was a teenager in San Mateo, California, where she witnessed how language barriers and a lack of affordable health care deterred people from seeking assistance.
“I saw neighborhood gentrification and homelessness in San Francisco causing people to lose access to community and medical resources,” said Tong, who studied neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. “I hope to explore gaps in health care within the Worcester community, which will allow tailored care to help patients overcome these barriers.”
Tong has partnered with the Office-Based Addiction Treatment program at Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, which offers outpatient medical assistance and behavioral health services to adults with opioid and alcohol use disorders. She aims to increase preventive care for women with substance use disorder by reminding caregivers, via electronic health record notes, to discuss contraception, update cervical cancer screening and inform patients about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP for HIV prevention.
Tong hopes to use Mick Huppert funds to share her research at regional conferences with those who are passionate about community health and to create informational pamphlets for patient education.
Substance use disorder curriculum development for adolescents in the Worcester Motivating Youth Recovery Program
Recipient: Vivien Tran, MassAHEC Urban Health Scholar
Mentor: Jennifer Bradford, MD, MPH, assistant professor of family medicine & community health
Tran’s interest in population and community health was sparked while she was working as a hypertension care coordinator at DotHouse Health, a community health center in Dorchester, where she grew up.
“I really valued a space where immigrants and low-income patients could get health services tailored to them,” said Tran, who studied population health at Harvard. “I like the idea of a center that’s working in the neighborhood, where most of the patient population lived, and I became interested in how to best provide quality care to underserved populations.”
Tran’s project will explore and implement evidence-based methodologies for educating adolescents about substance use disorder, specifically at the Motivating Youth Recovery Program for adolescents. She plans to research and develop curriculum, gaining feedback from clients on their thoughts and concerns.
“This award will help me consolidate my ideas into a cumulative presentation that I can share and disseminate to others who might be interested in this work,” Tran said. “This project is meaningful. It can and should be replicated and I hope to challenge others to do the same.”
