Community-engaged learning, sometimes including service-learning, is critical for medical students and other future healthcare professionals to better understand and address the unique needs of the diverse populations they’ll serve. The Community Health Education initiatives at the Center for Community Health & Prevention (CCHP) offer students, at all levels of training, opportunities to engage with their community and explore how social drivers of health (SDOH) shape individuals' lived experiences.
Various community health education initiatives include the Community Health Improvement Courses (CHIC) for medical students, academic internships, a Distinction in Community Health honor for students graduating from the MD program, and an E. Cowles Andrus Summer Fellowship in Community Health Improvement. These initiatives are directed by Theresa Green, MBA, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and director of Community Health Education and Policy at the CCHP, and coordinated by Carolyn Settle, MPH.
Learning about Community is Learning about Health
CHIC courses are two-week programs offered at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) that link students with community partners for service-learning experiences. Students learn first-hand how SDOH impact health outcomes and how evidence-based interventions can improve the health of our communities, helping eliminate disparities along the way. Last year, 39 medical students completed a CHIC course and worked with a variety of partners, including the Central Library of Rochester, EAST High School’s Biomedical Sciences Pathway, Foodlink, Refugees Helping Refugees, and more.
Each year, after completing various eligibility requirements, medical students excelling in community health scholarship graduate with an MD with Distinction in Community Health. This recognition is for those who make lasting contributions to service, excel in the Community Health Improvement Courses, and engage in community health learning throughout their education. It allows MD candidates to create sustainable health improvements with community partners and experience health beyond clinical care.
“Medical students are eager to learn about social drivers and are equally eager to give back to their community,” shares Green. “CHIC and Distinction provides an opportunity for students to learn firsthand from community-based experts, while making a real difference in health for our residents. This is critical information, since we know that behaviors, social circumstance, and environment are the strongest influencers of health outcomes.”
Other benefits of Distinction include the opportunity for students to present their work at the Distinction in Community Health Forum in the spring semester, and other learning, presentation, and funding opportunities through the Distinction network. The Distinction process, and the tremendous work of these medical students are supported by the medical school, the CCHP, and Mary Costanza, MD, a SMD alumna and generous donor.
Exemplar Distinction honorees may also be awarded the Costanza Community Impact Award, the Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award or the Creative Initiative in Community Health Award, available only to Distinction Candidates with exceptional projects. This year, Lauren Eisner and Arman Niknafs received the Costanza Community Impact Award for their work with Rochesterians experiencing homelessness. Additionally, Diamond Guy was awarded the Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award for her work expanding access to dermatological care in partnership with Jordan Health.
Impact From Rochester, NY to Rochester, MN
In 2023, SMD student Shane Fuentes was one of eight graduates who earned an MD with Distinction in Community Health. His project, Crossovers & Conversations, a program that uses the game of basketball to spark meaningful health and wellness discussions among Rochester youth, began as an idea in 2020. It was quickly halted by the pandemic but relaunched in 2022 with support from a mini-grant provided by the CCHP and the UR Clinical & Translational Science Institute.
What started as a single camp grew into an annual program, now including both week-long and day-long camps. To date, 10 camps have been hosted at the Rochester Community Sports Complex. Curriculum is grounded in Positive Youth Development principles, using teens’ interest in basketball and their lived experiences to emphasize that the same social-emotional skills built on the court—like resilience, communication, and teamwork—are essential off the court as well. All programming is offered entirely free of charge.
After graduating, Fuentes transitioned the program into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and expanded it to Rochester, Minnesota, where he is currently an Internal Medicine Resident at the Mayo Clinic. There, Crossovers & Conversations has partnered with the local school district to host four individual week-long camps for middle and high school students, with plans to continue long-term programming. Meanwhile, programming continues in Rochester, NY under the leadership of current URMC medical students and UR undergraduates, with Fuentes providing ongoing supervision.
“Being a Student of Distinction helped me realize that community engagement isn’t just something you do outside of medicine—it’s central to how we care for people,” shares Fuentes. “As a resident, I approach patients not just as individuals in a clinic or hospital, but as members of families and communities. That lens shapes how I build trust, how I communicate, and how I advocate for long-term wellness.”
Summer Fellowship Accelerates Student Growth
In addition to the Distinction in Community Health opportunity, medical students (or exceptional public health master’s students) can take advantage of the CCHP’s E. Cowles Andrus Summer Fellowship. The $5,000 fellowship offers an opportunity to plan and conduct community health improvement projects that impact the health and wellness of Rochester and its surrounding areas. The summer fellow works independently full-time for eight weeks on a substantial and sustainable project mutually agreed upon by the student and the needs of the CCHP.
Cowles Andrus, MD, was a leader in cardiology who made significant contributions to heart research, teaching, and patient care and was instrumental in the development of cardiology as an independent medical discipline. While our Center’s clinic is largely focused on cardiovascular risk reduction, the fellowship project can take place in any program area.
This summer, we are pleased to welcome two Andrus Summer Fellows to the Center, including rising second-year SMD medical student Andreas Gilpin-Falk and Medical Scientist Training Program student Corey Schultz. Both will be working on community nutrition initiatives in conjunction with their community partners and with additional guidance from Susan Gasparino, MD, MPH, medical director of Clinical and Community-Based Programs, and our team of registered dietitians. They will start in June.
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