ENGAGED

News from Internal Medicine's Office of Belonging and Community Engagement

March 2025

In person Registration: Empowered by Intent - University of Nebraska Medical Center-UNMC

Zoom Registration: Meeting Registration - Zoom

UNMC Fostering the Future is a student-led, interprofessional initiative dedicated to promoting resources and solutions to address the health challenges at-risk youth face in the Omaha-metro area.

We are helping to collect toothpaste and mouthwash, Shampoo/Conditioner, Deodorant, Diapers and baby wipes, bottles, pacifiers, crackers, nuts, dried fruits, and granola bars to be distributed by Project Everlast.

As participants in this campus-wide initiative, we have created a bin for donations in the MSB 5^th Floor elevator lobby in addition to the bins at MSC 2017B, Center for Nursing Third Floor Atrium, and Mauer Center for Public Health, Second Floor commons. Items will be collected until March 21, 2025.

Volunteers Needed

Howard Kennedy Elementary School STEM Night

April 17, 2025

After participating last fall, we have been invited back to do a Germ Machine activity with kids at Kennedy's STEM Night. Last time, we had 75 students participate and learn about hand hygiene and medicine, and 9 even learned how to take Blood Pressures. We are going back again in April to inspire and engage with potential future healthcare providers. Please join us! 

Benson High Career Summit

On February 7, 2025, the Internal Medicine Office of Belonging and Community Engagement team was present at the Benson High School Health Career Summit hosted by the College of Medicine Office of Strategic Initiatives. The purpose of the event was for healthcare professionals to engage with freshman high school students interested in health careers. IM Department volunteers included residents Drs. Chydubem Nwaiwu and Debra Wekesa, faculty Drs. Natalie Crump and Jasmine Marcelin, and program manager Stacy Rafferty. The group met with 105 students, facilitating multiple interactive 15-minute sessions sharing stories about their inspiration and journeys in pursuing medical training. They also played games designed to teach students about different medical specialties and brought out the famous “Germ Machine” to teach about hand hygiene. We even met one student leader from a prior year when we participated who thanked us for inspiring them last year and shared, they are a senior and got into UNO on premed track!



Volunteer Stacy Rafferty observed, “Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1990s, I never saw medical professionals who reflected different communities— not until I was an adult after university. It’s incredible that these 9th-grade students now have the chance to see professionals who share their experiences and backgrounds, thriving in fields ranging from research and dentistry to nursing, family medicine, and internal medicine. These students will be some of our medical professionals one day, that’s exciting.” 

Delta Sigma Theta Heart Health Event

The Office of Belonging and Community Engagement team collaborated with the Community Wellness Collaborative (CWC) to attend the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Omaha Alumnae heart health event on February 28, 2025. IM Department volunteers included faculty Drs. Jenn Davis and Jasmine Marcelin. During this event, they joined a blood pressure screening team and provided education to event attendees about blood pressure management. Of the almost 65 attendees at the event, approximately 25 people volunteered for blood pressure screening, including 3 who we were able to refer to the UNMC/Nebraska Medicine community wellness collaborative patient navigator for new primary care appointments, 3 who were referred back to their established PCP for follow up of hypertension, and many other individual consultations and advice on blood pressure and stress management. 

Women's History Month 2025

Since 1980, the month of March has been dedicated to recognizing the economic, political and social achievements of women in U.S. history. This year, the National Women’s History Alliance designates the theme “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations” to celebrate the strength and influence of women who have dedicates their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership.

Thank you to all the women educators of UNMC who make immeasurable impact!

Learn more about Women’s History Month Home - National Women's History Alliance

AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar

For early-career professionals in academic medicine, taking the first steps in developing a strategic career plan to achieve your leadership goals can be daunting. Consider applying for the AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar to gain the strategies and resources you need to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

Learn more and register...About - 2025 Early Career Women Faculty Leadership Development Seminar (February)

New to the Internal Medicine Administration space, the IM Office of Belonging and Community Engagement’s Belonging Board provides an opportunity to for all staff, trainees, and faculty to engage and celebrate the things and people who inspire us. All are invited to contribute, so please stop by (near the chair’s office) and share your inspiration!

Here are some highlights from last month’s Belonging Board: What Historical figure from Black History do you admire most, and why?

Martin Luther King, Jr. – “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular, but he must take it, because his conscience tells him it is right.”

James Baldwin – “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.” 

This month’s board theme for Women’s History Month: Name a woman who made groundbreaking scientific, technological, or medical achievements.

All are invited to participate in an “UNMC HIV ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcome)” presented by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)/Nebraska Medicine Specialty Care Center to be held the first Thursday of the month (except January/July 2025) from 12:00-1:30 pm (Central). Sessions to be presented via the official iECHO website.  

What to Expect: Didactic sessions from Subject Matter Experts to include HIV basics, PrEP, Rural Population Health, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Harm Reduction, and much more! Didactic sessions will be followed by case studies presented by community members, clinicians, and public health professionals. Q&A time following didactic and case study presentations. Subject matter experts available to answer questions regarding HIV care, telehealth services, implementation science, and rural populations.    

**Please email UNMCHIVECHO@unmc.edu to register for the HIV ECHO sessions** 

Ramadan – February 28, 2025 through March 29, 2025

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims and followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which the Prophet Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran and typically occurs in the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar. The timing of Ramadan changes each year since it is based on a lunar calendar. Fasting occurs from sunrise to sunset and each day’s fasting concludes with iftar, a heavy meal with family and friends. One way to promote belonging during Ramadan: be considerate of fasting patients and colleagues when scheduling activities around mealtimes. Ramadan concludes with Eid al-Fitr, a major celebration with prayers, food, family and friends. A traditional greeting at this time is “Eid Mubarak”, which means “Blessed Eid” or Blessed celebration”.  



Learn more… Ramadan 2025 ‑ Calendar, Fasting, Celebrations | HISTORY

Patsy Takemoto Mink  

Patsy Mink, as the first woman of Asian ancestry and first woman of color to be elected to the US House of Representatives, co-authored and sponsored the critical extension of the Higher Education Act that states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.”

The spirit behind Title IX of 1972 was rooted in the history of discrimination faced by women in educational institutions. It was later recognized by the Supreme Court in the landmark case US v. Virginia [constitutioncenter.org] that “our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination”. Take the 19^th Amendment for example. At that time in 1972, the right for women to vote had been federally protected for only one quarter of the nation’s history. Since the inception of Title IX which applies to educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance, the number of women with a bachelor’s degree or higher has grown from 11.8 percent in 1972 to 41.6 percent in 2015. [bls.gov]

In addition to expanding opportunities for women to participate in academics and school sports, Title IX also requires that schools provide safe environments and address sexual harassment of students by both teachers and peers. In April 2024, the Department of Education expanded Title IX to include prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity, which would offer protections for transgender individuals. In January 2025, these changes were reversed, returning Title IX to its 2020 regulations.

Stay abreast of changes in the interpretations of Title IX and continue to think critically about how the changes affect you, people who are like you, and people who are not like you.

Learn more about Patsy Mink... Biography: Patsy Mink 

Learn More about Title IX... https://www.unmc.edu/titleix/

We are always aiming to improve, so if we missed the mark in any way or you would like to contribute content to the newsletter, please email stacy.rafferty@unmc.edu. Thank you!