UNLV School of Medicine will provide medical students with intensive, hands-on educational experience that is grounded in the community. One of the medical school's main objectives is to make every aspect of the training community-based -- to give students an appreciation, understanding and connection to their community's medical and social needs. The curriculum was designed with courses which would expose the medical students to the local community from Day 1 and give them the opportunity to view their medical school training through the lens of civic responsibility, compassion and social justice.
Beginning in September, 2017, the Nevada Community Service course began with the medical students volunteering in one of 80 area service organizations that included the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club, Doolittle Senior Center, Salvation Army, and The Shade Tree, a shelter for women. They also took classes from health experts and leaders in local service organizations, learning about problems that can create obstacles to their caring for future patients, such as homelessness, obesity, sex trafficking and behavioral health issues.
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Maureen Schafer, Chief Of Staff, UNLV School of Medicine. Speaking at the Nevada Health Conference, November 13, 2017
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The UNLV School of Medicine faculty
physicians are also doing their part in being involved with community engagement activities. Three of those physicians, Dr. Rooman Ahad, Dr. Nadia Gomez and Dr. Oriaku Kas-Osoka are involved in mentoring with the UNLV GEAR UP program, a federally-funded program housed by the UNLV Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach (CAEO). It is designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree.
Dr. Ahad, a pediatric neurologist, has worked with the GEAR UP program at East Technical Academy in the Clark County School District for the past 2 years. She's served on a panel for young women interested in various health career choices as well as speaking to diverse students interested in a career in the medical field. She shared with audiences her experiences in undergraduate college and medical school, her role as a woman in medicine and how to navigate goals and careers.
In December Dr. Ahad will be joined by Dr. Gomez and Dr. Kas-Osoka on a panel of speakers for the GEAR UP program -- each will share information about her area of expertise.
Dr. Ahad, the division head of pediatric neurology in the department of pediatrics, sub-specializes in autism and neurobehavioral disorders. Dr. Gomez, who specializes in benign gynecological surgery, is the director of the division of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and an assistant professor in the OB-GYN department. Dr. Kas-Osoka is the section head in adolescent medicine and an associate program director for the pediatric residency program.
While these physicians truly enjoy the mentoring experience, they hope to have high school students shadow them in their daily lives so they may see firsthand the work they do as doctors. Each believes community engagement is a powerful vehicle for bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that will improve the health of the community and its members. It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for changing policies, programs, and practices.
