Engaging Students and Pharmacists in Medical Missions

Medical mission trips help meet the needs of underserved populations in the United States and abroad. As the medication experts, pharmacists play an important role in providing pharmacy services during these trips. Students can serve as pharmacist extenders by applying the knowledge, skills, and values learned in the classroom to reach more patients in resourcelimited settings. This paper describes the experience of the Gregory School of Pharmacy in sponsoring faithbased domestic and international medical missions. We believe that medical missions not only benefit those in need, but also foster professional growth and provide an opportunity for participants to develop a servantleadership mindset. Unlike the traditional leader, the servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

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An Innovative United States–Mexico Community Outreach Initiative for Hispanic and Latino People in the United States: A Collaborative Public Health Network

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354920972699 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003335492097269

Author(s):

Michael A. Flynn ◽

Alfonso Rodriguez Lainz ◽

Juanita Lara ◽

Cecilia Rosales ◽

Federico Feldstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Health Services ◽

Alaska Native ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

Community Outreach ◽

The United States ◽

Native People ◽

Hispanic People ◽

Mexican Government

Collaborative partnerships are a useful approach to improve health conditions of disadvantaged populations. The Ventanillas de Salud (VDS) (“Health Windows”) and Mobile Health Units (MHUs) are a collaborative initiative of the Mexican government and US public health organizations that use mechanisms such as health fairs and mobile clinics to provide health information, screenings, preventive measures (eg, vaccines), and health services to Mexican people, other Hispanic people, and underserved populations (eg, American Indian/Alaska Native people, geographically isolated people, uninsured people) across the United States. From 2013 through 2019, the VDS served 10.5 million people (an average of 1.5 million people per year) at Mexican consulates in the United States, and MHUs served 115 461 people from 2016 through 2019. We describe 3 community outreach projects and their impact on improving the health of Hispanic people in the United States. The first project is an ongoing collaboration between VDS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address occupational health inequities among Hispanic people. The second project was a collaboration between VDS and CDC to provide Hispanic people with information about Zika virus infection and health education. The third project is a collaboration between MHUs and the University of Arizona to provide basic health services to Hispanic communities in Pima and Maricopa counties, Arizona. The VDS/MHU model uses a collaborative approach that should be further assessed to better understand its impact on both the US-born and non–US-born Hispanic population and the public at large in locations where it is implemented.

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COUNTERPOINT: Should the United States Provide Postgraduate Training to International Medical Graduates? No

CHEST Journal ◽

10.1016/j.chest.2016.01.009 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 149 (4) ◽

pp. 895-897 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jess Mandel

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Postgraduate Training ◽

The United States ◽

International Medical ◽

International Medical Graduates ◽

Medical Graduates

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Student perception about working in rural United States/Canada after graduation: a study in an offshore Caribbean medical school

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.5927.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 301

Author(s):

P Ravi Shankar ◽

Arun K Dubey ◽

Atanu Nandy ◽

Burton L Herz ◽

Brian W Little

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Professional Growth ◽

Student Perception ◽

Medical Schools ◽

The United States ◽

Rural Practice ◽

Growth Potential ◽

Cultural Issues ◽

The Government

Introduction: Rural residents of the United States (US) and Canada face problems in accessing healthcare. International medical graduates (IMGs) play an important role in delivering rural healthcare. IMGs from Caribbean medical schools have the highest proportion of physicians in primary care. Xavier University School of Medicines admits students from the US, Canada and other countries to the undergraduate medical (MD) course and also offers a premedical program. The present study was conducted to obtain student perception about working in rural US/Canada after graduation. Methods: The study was conducted among premedical and preclinical undergraduate medical (MD) students during October 2014. The questionnaire used was modified from a previous study. Semester of study, gender, nationality, place of residence and occupation of parents were noted. Information about whether students plan to work in rural US/Canada after graduation, possible reasons why doctors are reluctant to work in rural areas, how the government can encourage rural practice, possible problems respondents anticipate while working in rural areas were among the topics studied.Results: Ninety nine of the 108 students (91.7%) participated. Forty respondents were in favor of working in rural US/Canada after graduation. Respondents mentioned good housing, regular electricity, water supply, telecommunication facilities, and schools for education of children as important conditions to be fulfilled. The government should provide higher salaries to rural doctors, help with loan repayment, and provide opportunities for professional growth. Potential problems mentioned were difficulty in being accepted by the rural community, problems in convincing patients to follow medical advice, lack of exposure to rural life among the respondents, and cultural issues.Conclusions: About 40% of respondents would consider working in rural US/Canada. Conditions required to be fulfilled have been mentioned above. Graduates from Caribbean medical schools have a role in addressing rural physician shortage. Similar studies in other offshore Caribbean medical schools are required as Caribbean IMGs make an important contribution to the rural US and Canadian health workforce.

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Evaluation of a course to prepare international students for the United States Medical Licensing Examination step 2 clinical skills exam

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions ◽

10.3352/jeehp.2017.14.25 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rachel B. Levine ◽

Andrew P. Levy ◽

Robert Lubin ◽

Sarah Halevi ◽

Rebeca Rios ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Medical School ◽

Clinical Skills ◽

The United States ◽

International Medical ◽

Pass Rate ◽

Pass Rates ◽

Medical Licensing ◽

Licensing Examination ◽

Usmle Step

Purpose: United States (US) and Canadian citizens attending medical school abroad often desire to return to the US for residency, and therefore must pass US licensing exams. We describe a 2-day United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 2 clinical skills (CS) preparation course for students in the Technion American Medical School program (Haifa, Israel) between 2012 and 2016.Methods: Students completed pre- and post-course questionnaires. The paired t-test was used to measure students’ perceptions of knowledge, preparation, confidence, and competence in CS pre- and post-course. To test for differences by gender or country of birth, analysis of variance was used. We compared USMLE step 2 CS pass rates between the 5 years prior to the course and the 5 years during which the course was offered.Results: Ninety students took the course between 2012 and 2016. Course evaluations began in 2013. Seventy-three students agreed to participate in the evaluation, and 64 completed the pre- and post-course surveys. Of the 64 students, 58% were US-born and 53% were male. Students reported statistically significant improvements in confidence and competence in all areas. No differences were found by gender or country of origin. The average pass rate for the 5 years prior to the course was 82%, and the average pass rate for the 5 years of the course was 89%.Conclusion: A CS course delivered at an international medical school may help to close the gap between the pass rates of US and international medical graduates on a high-stakes licensing exam. More experience is needed to determine if this model is replicable.

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Negative health outcomes associated with food insecurity status in the United States of America: A systematic review of peer-reviewed studies

10.31232/osf.io/uk9xw ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Daniel Jose Arenas ◽

Sara Zhou ◽

Arthur Thomas ◽

Jici Wang ◽

Gilberto Vila Arroyo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

United States Of America ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

The United States ◽

Health Providers ◽

Populations At Risk ◽

Negative Health Outcomes

Introduction: Social determinants of health, such as food security, are an important target for health providers, particularly in the care of patients from underserved populations, including the uninsured and socially marginalized. Preliminary research has shown that food insecurity status (FIS) is associated with negative health outcomes.Objective: We aim to present a concise, yet comprehensive resource that lists the health outcomes associated with FIS. This guide is meant to provide innovative health providers with the tools needed to justify the importance of using FIS screening and treatment as a preventive medicine intervention.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed manuscripts that studied FIS in the United States of America (USA) and at least one health outcome. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus and had multiple reviewers examine each abstract and manuscript. We only retained peer-reviewed studies that contained USA data, directly measured FIS, and directly compared FIS to a health outcome.Results: The initial search yielded 1,817 manuscripts. After screening abstracts for duplicates and inclusion criteria, a total of 117 manuscripts were retained and fully examined. Several manuscripts showed significant association between FIS and neurologic, cardiac, endocrine, and pulmonary health outcomes. Studies in the USA population show robust associations between FIS and poor mental health (including depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, impaired cognitive functioning, and epilepsy), metabolic syndrome, hyperlipidemia, greater risk for bone fracture in children, higher risk of end-stage renal disease in patients with chronic kidney disease, self-reported poor health, and higher mortality in patients with the human immunodeficiency virus. Though other literature reviews show positive associations between FIS and health outcomes such as diabetes, body mass index, and hypertension, our systematic review showed mixed results.Conclusions: FIS leaves underserved populations at risk for negative health outcomes. More research should be done to examine the effects of FIS alleviation as a preventative medicine intervention.

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Sexual Health Competence of International Medical Graduate Psychiatric Residents in the United States

Academic Psychiatry ◽

10.1176/appi.ap.34.5.361 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 361-368 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A. Sciolla ◽

L. A. Ziajko ◽

M. L. Salguero

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Sexual Health ◽

International Medical Graduate ◽

The United States ◽

International Medical ◽

Medical Graduate ◽

Psychiatric Residents ◽

Health Competence

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Sokolow, Anna (1910–2000)

Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism ◽

10.4324/9781135000356-rem1669-1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Kosstrin

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

The United States ◽

Power Structures ◽

Martha Graham ◽

Dance Company ◽

Jewish Immigrants ◽

United States Mexico

In her seventy-year career, Anna Sokolow contributed to dance fields in the United States, Mexico, and Israel. A child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Sokolow rose to prominence in the 1930s as a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and as an independent choreographer of her own leftist dance group. She infused her formalist compositions with substantive accusations against authoritarian power structures, highlighted Jewish themes, gave voice to underserved populations and marginalized countercultures, and composed lyrical love ballads and tributes to artists and social figures she esteemed. Sokolow’s early choreography exposed societal ills and indicted fascist governments.

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Providing Hearing Education and Resources for Underserved Populations (HEAR-UP) in our Local Neighborhoods

Seminars in Hearing ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1708509 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (02) ◽

pp. 124-132

Author(s):

Kathleen Costigan Coyan ◽

Elaine Mormer

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Community Service ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

The United States ◽

Local Communities ◽

Local Form ◽

Educational Organizations ◽

The Past

AbstractHealthcare services in the United States are difficult to access for at least 10% of our population. Moreover, hearing healthcare services, including hearing aids, are largely inaccessible even for those individuals who may have health insurance and access to healthcare. Humanitarian audiology has been recognized as a means of supplying hearing services and devices to underserved populations around the globe. However, little has been publicized about humanitarian audiology projects taking place in local communities within the United States. This article describes one such project that has been in place in Pittsburgh, PA, for the past 4 years. This service results from collaboration across a collection of healthcare, community service, charitable, and educational organizations. The resources necessary to create similarly sourced services in other U.S. locations are described. Challenges and solutions for this local form of humanitarian audiology are discussed.

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