cGuide: community service at cornell med (1999-2000)
WEILL CORNELL COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS 1999-2000
(Special thanks to Malini Patel for providing this list!)
AIDS Teaching Program (ATP)
Coordinators: Kendall Genre 570-5184, Amy Schefler 772-3560, Neville Bamji 327-4945, R. Scott Staton 744-4027, Andrew Engel 734-4078, Rupa Krishnamurthy 517-2565.
The AIDS Teaching Program aims to educate area high school and junior high students about HIV/AIDS and STDs. The actual project consists of three or four one-hour sessions conducted by trained student volunteers. The sessions have two informational components: (1) learning basic facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs and (2) developing decision-making skills with regards to sexual behavior utilizing group discussions on HIV/AIDS, educational games, and role-playing. In preparation, the medical students participate in a 4-hour training session in the fall.
American Medical Association - Medical Student Chapter (AMA-MSS)
Coordinators: Rebekah Gee 588-1537, T. Debbie Maerz 396-0307.
The AMA-MSS represents the interests of medical students throughout the country. ItRs student branch focuses on medical policies, social policies, and community projects, including the annual New York Cares Day. As a member, students have an opportunity to participate in local, regional, and national meetings and receive professional publications.
Coordinators: Henry Wei 472-4023, Maggie Skinner.
AMSA is the largest independent national student run organization of approximately 30,000 students in training at over 100 medical schools. The 19 issue-oriented task forces, ranging from womenRs health to international medicine, are the cornerstone and actual programming of the organization. This year, AMSA will focus on needs within the Upper East Side community. AMSA sponsors a number of community service activities throughout the year including administering immunizations and working with Lenox Hill PPD/Immunization Clinics.
American Medical WomenRs Association (AMWA)
Coordinators: Natasha Herron 452-3142 Dorothy Wang 439-0798
AMWA is a national organization devoted to the concerns of women in medicine. It helps to address issues facing women in medicine today, both by providing a support group for women and by addressing social and political issues. Members attend regional and national meetings where they hear different speakers and participate in discussion and workshops.
Boricua-Latino Health Organization (BLHO)
Coordinators: Juan Vernon 472-4033 Leslie Diaz 772-8245
In addition to BLHORs efforts to promote the recruitment and retention of Latinos into the medical field, Weill medical students plan events to educate and promote awareness of health-related issues. They participate in activities such as the Mentor Program, Minority Pre-Medical Conference, Minority Weekend, and the Summer Research Program.
Communicating with Your Health Care Provider
Coordinators: Judit Saenz-Badillos 472-4094
Michelle Loy 717-8638
To promote communication of patients with health care providers, the CCE has developed a videotape entitled Communicating with Your Health Care Provider and a curriculum to enhance discussion around such issues as barriers to communication, preconceived ideas about communications with health care providers, and strategies to increase communication. Volunteers will be trained by CCE in 2, 3 hour training sessions to prepare for the delivery of the program and will participate in 2-3, 1-1.5 hour sessions and their subsequent follow-up sessions. Volunteers will need to provide 2-3 references and fill out some basic paperwork.
Coordinator: Sara Glickstein 570-2900
Weill volunteers in this program serve as research mentors for a group of 7th grade students to assist them in all steps of their independent science project. The objectives of this outreach are (1) to enrich the science curriculum; (2) to teach the scientific method: developing hypotheses, experimentation, data analysis, and drawing conclusions; and (3) to encourage studentRs interest and study in science. The program culminates in a science fair at which outstanding projects will be recognized.
Family Practice Interest Group
Coordinators: Adam Weinstein 517-6398 Steven Stein 535-2573
The FPIG provides a forum for learning and discussion for those students at Weill interested in Family Practice. In coordination with Institute for Family Practice, the FPIG organizes lunch and dinner seminars once a month on topics related to primary care. They also coordinate the preceptorship program allowing students to shadow a family practice physician in the New York City area. The time commitment ranges from a one-day shadowing to weekly or monthly contact.
Geriatric Interest Group
Coordinators: Chandra Ivey 288-2273 Hilary Hochberg 744-6494
The Geriatric Interest Group hopes to stimulate interest in geriatrics and geriatric research by sponsoring panel discussions, visits to the Center for Aging, and discussions on pertinent topics such as elder care, elder abuse, and hospice care. Students also participate in the American Federation for Aging Research Program. Community projects include blood pressure screenings, social gatherings, possible home visits, and medical escorting. The project needs as many volunteers as possible and the time commitment is very flexible.
Health Education for Life Program (HELP)
Coordinators: Monique Sellas 517-9485 Ted Du 327-1698
HELP members lead discussions at three different Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter Sites. Throughout the year, 2-3 medical students talk with groups of about 20 shelter clients about current health issues. Topics covered include mental illness, diabetes, STDs, AIDS/HIV, TB, hepatitis and womenRs health. The emphasis of each session has two different components: (1) conveying basic knowledge about the health topics, and (2) teaching prevention strategies. Volunteers need to be able to commit two to three hours per month.
International Committee
Coordinator: Lisa Mills 639-1834
This committee offers opportunities to share experiences and information about international health. They sponsor talks by faculty and students, are active in The National International Health Consortium, and hope to develop a Spanish course.
Jewish Student Organization of Cornell (JSOC)
Coordinators: Beth Ginsburg 535-6223 Reuven Minkowitz 472-5306
Glenn Rosenbluth 734-4078
JSOC is an organization involved in developing Jewish related events for the students of Weill Medical College. It strives to assist students at Weill with the means to express themselves in a Jewish manner --whether that be religiously or culturally. The group organizes Shabbat dinners, dinner in the Sukkah building, a Chanukah Party etc.
Lenox Hill Mentoring Program
Coordinator: Jonathan Bress 517-4438
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, located one block from Weill Medical College at 331 East 70th Street, offers tutoring to elementary school-age children as part of an after-school program that serves children whose parents either live or work in the area. The tutoring sessions, which focus largely on reading and math, are held for one hour on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. Volunteers are expected to commit to tutoring a child one or two hours per week for the entire year. Your assistance will be invaluable in helping the family and the child gain tools to improve the quality of their lives.
Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered Organization (LGBTO)
Coordinators: Joseph Matta 288-5371 Julie Clark 570-5722
LGBTO provides on- and off- campus events to educate and promote understanding of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals and to help end intolerance, misconceptions, and stereotypes through education, outreach, activism, visibility, and cultural awareness. Activities in the past year include the Matthew Shepherd vigil, World AIDS Day Vigil, GMHC AIDS Walk, Heritage of Pride Parade, and Same Sex Marriage Panel: the Mental and public Health Implications.
Neighborhood Center for Homeless People
Coordinators: Jodi Accaria 517-6470 Jai Jayaraman 772-3720
Sanjay Vanguri 249-5731
Visits to this Shelter are both a community service and an educational experience. A group of five students, one fourth-year student and four second-year students, visit the center two times a week for two hour visits. The students (in groups of two, supervised by the 4th year) learn to take a full history of a patientRs illness and to conduct a complete physical exam on patients assigned to them by the nurse on duty at the shelter. The students also provide first aid treatment (e.g. wound dressing), dispense health care products (e.g. vitamins, Band-Aids), educate the patient on preventive health care (e.g. safer sex practices, hygiene, maintenance of current treatments etc.), and provide necessary referrals. The program offers an excellent opportunity for students to hone their patient interaction/physical exam skills while addressing health concerns about which the patient might otherwise never get medical advise.
Office of Women in Medicine (OWIM)
Coordinators: Naomi Hayashi 570-9719 Zsofia Stadler 472-4078
OWIM is composed of a group of physicians, faculty, staff, and students aimed at strengthening the status of women in the medical center and to emphasize the health needs of women in medical education, training, and practice. Working in conjunction with AMWA, students have organized a WomenRs Health Day, invited speakers, and organized group lunches.
Outing Club
Coordinator: Rebecca Miksad 988-5421
This club organizes and leads outdoor trips for all Weill Medical Students in an affordable and accessible fashion. Trips are led to accommodate all levels of outdoor experience and skills. They have a small stockpile of outdoor equipment and maps for students to borrow free of charge. Past trips included backpacking, bike rides, day hikes, rock climbing, and white water rafting.
Pediatric Interest Group
Coordinators: Leslie Diaz 772-8245 Amy Schefler 772-3560
Over in Pediatrics at NYPH, the playroom usually closes at 4:30 pm when the Child Development staff leaves for the day. In the hopes of extending the playroom hours, the leaders of the Pediatrics Interest Group worked with the hospital to develop this program in which students volunteered in the playroom four afternoons per week. Activities included reading to/with the children, taking story dictation from the kids, leading arts and crafts activities and medical play. Volunteer commitment will vary according to interest and project and can be tailored to individual schedules.
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)
Coordinator: Jonathan Melk 794-2743
PSR provides a strong voice for health professionals, medical students, and citizens who care for the present and future of the Earth and its inhabitants. Utilizing its membersR unique influence within the medical community and links to policy makers to address grave threats to human well-being and survival, PSRRs mission is three-fold: 1) Eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons, 2) Guarantee a healthful environment, and 3) End the epidemic of gun violence. In 1985, PSR shared in the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, for its efforts. PSR actively encourages medical student chapters, offering support for a wide range of projects and new innovations.
REMEDY
Coordinator: David Greenblatt 517-6810
Still in its planning stages, Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World (REMEDY) is a project to collect unused medical items (sponges, gowns, gloves etc.) and send them to the medical facilities in the developing world who are in dire need of them. The benefits of this program are three-fold: 1) to the environment - reduces waste; 2) to the hospital - reduces waste disposal cost and helps to identify areas of commercial loss; and 3) to the students - increases familiarity with the operation of the hospital. Once off the ground REMEDY will need as many volunteers as possible.
Service Activities of the Asian Health Forum
Coordinators: Makoto Ishii 517-3190 Genevieve Yuen 794-7006
Henry Wei 717-0031
The activities and interests of the Asian Health Forum encompass the areas of community service, cultural events, Asian American/minority issues, and health issues in the Asian American community. Last year, the Asian Health Forum organized a Minority Bone Marrow Drive in collaboration with BLHO, SEOM, and the Southeast Asian Student Association. The drive was aimed at registering minority donors, which are poorly represented in the registry, with the National Marrow Donor Registry.
St. Agnes Homeless Shelter
Coordinators: Robert S. Staton 744-4027 Naomi Hayashi 570-9719
Lauren Schwartz 585-0934 Jonathan Bress 517-4438
This project is intended as a community service for the shelter clients, as well as an educational experience for the medical students. The shelter, part of the Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation (GSNSSC), serves primarily transient men. Throughout the academic year, a team of 4 Cornell students visit the shelter one night a week from 5 - 9 pm. Students take vital signs and brief medical histories, address basic medical concerns, educate shelter clients on preventive care, dispense health care products, and provide any necessary referrals to St. Vincents Hospital or Bellevue. Last year, they instituted their first Streetside at Cornell flu & Pneumovax vaccination campaign, which was deemed a great success.
Streetside at Cornell
Coordinator: Holly Colwell-Vanni 717-2694
Working with Dr. David Warren, Assistant Professor of Medicine and the faculty advisor for Streetside, student volunteers visited shelters, soup kitchens, etc., administering pneumonia and influenza vaccines and participating in a needle exchange program. Its second component of the project aims to educate Weill Medical College students on subjects such as breast cancer, psychiatric illness and AlzheimerRs Disease by arranging for speakers, showing films, and holding panel discussions. Forty-plus volunteers are needed to commit to one four-hour session.
Student National Medical Association Outreach (SNMA)
Coordinator: Nonkululeko Dladla 737-6365
SNMARs service initiatives are aimed to (1) increase awareness of the medical professions in the minority community, (2) encourage student interest in pursuing careers in medicine, (3) provide social contacts with medical students, and (4) provide exposure to science research. In the past they have participated in Health Fairs, activities with Emmaus House, and a Health Careers Mentorship Program.
Teen Labor Coaches (TLCs)
Coordinators: Leslie Diaz 772-8245 Margaret Skinner 517-8537
First and second-year medical students act as labor coaches, bedside assistants and advocates for teens in labor at NYPH. The roster allows for a student to be on call once or twice a month. If called in, the volunteer is expected to attend from 6 pm to midnight. Volunteers receive their training in the fall through the hospitalRs Teenage Pregnancy & Parenting Program (TAPP), an outreach program for females 18 years old or younger. TLC needs at least 25 volunteers able to commit to one night a month.
