LATINO MEDICAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Spring 2014

Inside this issue

LMSA Annual Conference............ .1

LMSA West Newsletter

LMSA West 30th Annual Conference: A Testament of Passion and Dedication
Miguel Ruvalcaba and Olivia Campa-UC Davis School of Medicine

Case Mgt.to Stamp Out Diabetes..3 Wellness Center Collaboration.....4 Empowering Young Latinas.....5 Outreach & Mentorship..5 Chapter Update......6 Mentorship & Networking...7

Comprometidos con la Comunidad.8 Medical Spanish.......9 United Health Fndn. Scholar..9 Scholarship Recipients.......11

The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) chapter at University of California, Davis has been extremely busy and excited, preparing to host the annual LMSA Western (LMSA -West) Regional conference. Why is this such a big deal? It will be LMSA -Wests 30th annual conference, a reminder of the power of the movement behind us. While Latinos/Hispanics make up 17% of the U.S. population, only 5.5% of the physician workforce is of Latino/Hispanic origin. However, in the last thirty years, the number of Latinos/Hispanics in medical school increased significantly and we hope to celebrate the work of those individuals in the past, present, and future. Our LMSA chapter members have worked incredibly hard throughout the last few months to make this event possible and the day is drawing near. From workshops to designing programs, numerous volunteers collaborated in hopes of making this event a success, led by LMSA-Wests Vice President of Conference and UC Davis 4th year medical student, Olivia Campa.
Several of the UC Davis LMSA chapter members that were pivotal in the organization of the Annual LMSA-West 2014 Regional Conference

(continued on pg.2)

Annual Conference (continued from pg. 1)

The importance of the conference is made clear in light of recent events in health care. There is still a shortage of Latino physicians in the field right now, and with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a more diverse healthcare workforce is imperative. LMSA-West is dedicated to diversifying the healthcare workforce with the goal of eliminating health disparities in the Latino community and other underserved communities. With that in mind, we are excited to have many intelligent, likeminded, dedicated students, physicians, and professionals with similar goals in one conference. The 30th Annual LMSA Conference will be held in Sacramento, California on March 21st-22nd 2014, at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel. This historic conference will host over 600 attendees from throughout the region including: high school students, undergraduate students, medical students, and physicians. The years theme is Transforming Our Script in Medicine: Advancing Leadership, Policy, Research, and Community, and the official social media hashtag is #LMSAwest2014. This conference is a testament to the student-led work happening across the U.S. to bring healthcare to underserved communities and increase the number of Latinos in medicine. The weekend will kick off with the networking event on Friday evening for medical students and physicians. Saturday, March 22nd will be filled with motivational speakers and informative workshops to aid students in their pursuit of higher education and medicine. At the Gala on Saturday, medical students, faculty, and staff will be recognized for their contributions to their LMSA chapters and the Latino communities. In addition, we will honor the graduating senior medical students who will soon continue their journey as medical professionals at residency training programs across the nation. This conference was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the UC Davis LMSA members, faculty/staff and sponsors, and they look forward to hosting this grand event on March 21st and 22nd!

Making the Case for Case Management-Patients and Students Partner to Stamp out Diabetes
Gabriela Pauli-UC Irvine School of Medicine

For one group of very committed patients, coming to the UC Irvine Outreach Clinic has evolved into more than just a doctors visit. For eleven men and women coping with diabetes, monthly meetings of the Diabetes Self-Management and Education Program (DSMEP) are a chance to share their experiences, learn about specific health issues related to their diagnosis, and seek one-on-one counseling with their trained case manager. Thanks to generous support from the UCI School of Medicines LMSA and Outreach Clinic, the Diabetes Self-Management and Education Program is in its 3rd year. The program serves uninsured, diabetic Latino patients for whom uncontrolled blood glucose levels pose a major threat to their present and future health. The program pairs each patient with a Spanish-speaking undergraduate student who serves as that patients case manager. Case managers attend all classes and doctors appointments with their patients, make regular phone calls to check-in, and provide general support and encouragement as patients learn to maintain their blood glucose at safe levels. Because each patient receives a glucometer, testing strips, and pedometer through the program, case managers encourage patients to set goals of checking their blood glucose and walking a certain distance per day. In addition to providing direct medical and health education services to Latino patients, the program strengthens the Latino community by offering undergraduate and medical students invaluable experience teaching and managing a prevalent chronic disease. Case managers and medical students lead the monthly group classes which focus on diabetes -related health issues. In this way, students teaching the classes become empowered to disseminate diabetes awareness and education among the Latino community. Students are also exposed to team-centered medical care, which is quickly gaining ground as the preferred model within primary care specialties. In our view, this combination of experiences prepares and encourages our students to pursue careers as primary care physicians to underserved, Latino patients. With four classes remaining in the 2013-2014 cohort, we plan to strengthen the program such that current patients will potentially serve as peer educators the following year. Individual growth, scalability, and sustainability are three crucial factors for any program seeking to positively impact a large and diverse patient population. Forgetting one corner of the triangle leads to either the program becoming irrelevant to patients individual needs, insular, or too fleeting to aid patients whose conditions are lifelong. DSMEP strives to address all three corners, bringing its patients and community a little closer to the high-quality health care each person deserves.

Diabetes Self-Management and Education Program patients, case managers, and medical students practice squatting during Januarys class on cardiovascular health and exercise at the Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange, CA.

Forming New Relationships with the Virginia Garcia Wellness Center

Michelle Kleiman-Oregon Health & Science University

The Virginia Garcia Wellness Center opened one year ago and is designed to promote wellness both physically and emotionally to the mostly migrant and seasonal farm worker community of Cornelius, Oregon. OHSU LMSA contacted the Wellness Center in the fall to try to establish ways that our students could participate with the community through this center. The center not only has wellness promotion and prevention services such as daily Zumba classes, a teaching kitchen and community garden, it also has a primary care clinic, pharmacy, vision and dental clinic that are open five days a week. On our first visit to the Center we came on a Thursday evening and the place was packed. Families were waiting in the waiting room to see physicians that have stayed until 7 pm to accommodate working hours of the Center. Pharmacists were patiently explaining the proper use of diabetic medications to patients at the window. More than 25 women and one bold man were dancing and swinging their hips in rhythm to Shakira songs in the Zumba class. At Virginia Garcia, all activities and services are bilingual so that everyone feels comfortable in the wellness space they have created. After this visit, it was clear that there were several ways in which OHSU and LMSA could volunteer our time here. This past Saturday the Center held an open house. Again, there were crowded dance classes, and individuals working in the garden. We helped out in the test kitchen. Normally these classes are only held on Tuesdays and Thursdays but today was a special occasion. Ten women joined in to learn about nutrition and how to make healthy substitutions to create better meals with less fat. Sometimes the ingredients come from the Centers own garden. Today we were making a chicken southwest salad with cilantro lime dressing. It was delicious. The women chatted with each other, naturally switching between Spanish and English to include everyone. They talked about ways to improve recipes they have tried before, while learning about the health benefits of quinoa over rice, and baking chicken instead of frying it. After the food was prepared we all sat down to enjoy the meal and took turns around the table talking about ways in which we could improve our health in the next week, making goals and even writing them down to take with us. Volunteering with Virginia Garcia Wellness Center has been slow to get started but this center offers many ways in which OHSU and LMSA can continue to stay involved. We really enjoy the center because so much of our time as medical students is focused on treatment, so it is great to be able to work with the community on more whole-body wellness and disease prevention strategies.

We really enjoy the center because so much of our time as medical students is focused on treatment, so it is great to be able to work with the community on more whole-body wellness and disease prevention strategies.
4

UCSD Medical Students Serve as Role Models at the Adelante Mujer Conference in San Diego: Empowering Young Latina Girls
Diana Garcia-UC San Diego School of Medicine

"So, what classes do I have to take to become a pediatrician?" A young Latina in the 6th grade asked us that question along with the other very well informed questions being asked by inquisitive mothers and soon to be college students at the Adelante Mujer conference on March 1st 2014. The room was filled with enthusiasm and curiosity, by both parents and the youth who had a vision, who had hopes for a better future. Adelante Mujer, now in its 21st year, is a conference that grew from the vision of high school teachers who wanted to empower young Latina's and inspire them to create a dream and a vision. One of our graduating LMSAers father was UCSD Medical Students at the Adelante Mujer a supporter of the conference from its inception. This Conference conference takes place every year in South San Diego and targets Latina youth. LMSA at UCSD hosted a Your Path to Medical School workshop. UCSD medical students: Vicki Chia, Carina Lopez, Viri Tapia, Silvia Fonseca and Diana Garcia shared stories of their journey to medical school along with challenges they faced in achieving their dream. It is our obligation, our sense of duty to give back to our communities and to empower our youth to dream, a dream that they can smell, taste, touch and see", stated Carina, who has been organizing LMSAs participation in this event. LMSA is looking forward to participating in this panel next year. We hope to make it a long-standing tradition.

Passion for Outreach and Mentorship

Pablo Sanchez and Jessica Sanchez -University of Arizona College of Medicine

The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine is maintaining a passion for outreach and mentorship of underserved Latino student populations at the undergraduate level, as well as fostering cultural competency in our medical school. One of our goals is to inspire students to consider a career in medicine and elucidate the pathways to get them there. In February, LMSA partnered with Fostering and Achieving Cultural Equity and Sensitivity (FACES), and Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine (CCM) to put on a Vitals Workshop for undergraduate students interested in medicine. Twenty-two medical students and 35 undergraduates participated. The undergraduate students rotated through three different stations covering a different portion of the physical exam (cardio/respiratory, abdominal/musculoskeletal, neuro/HEENT), and one station using specimens and models to demonstrate different pathology.

U of A Students use a hands-on approach to teach undergraduates about pathology

Outreach and Mentorship (continued from page 5)

We received several comments from pre-med students about how helpful, fun, and educational the event was. We could see in their faces, an element of amazement as we explained the reason behind a particular heart murmur, or neurological sign. As a result of a successful event, other undergraduate clubs have asked us to provide a similar opportunity to them. Also in February, LMSA, in coordination with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), we had the opportunity to conduct Histories and Physicals on volunteer Spanish-speaking patients from the El Rio clinic in south Tucson. About fifteen medical students attended. After receiving some very positive feedback from students as well as words of encouragement from the volunteer patients about how important events like these are, LMSA and ODI will sponsor providing Spanish H&P cards to current 2nd year medical students, so that these can be used throughout 3rd year clerkships.
U of A Medical Students outreach to undergrads

Updates from Western University

Ruben Mora-Roman Jr. -Western University

At Western University, it is a priority to reach out and give back to the Pomona community. Predominantly a Latino population, many are underserved and the need for medical services is evident. A local free clinic, Montclair Clinic serves as a great opportunity for medical students from Western University to gain valuable clinical experience. Many of the LMSA members volunteer at the clinic. Not only do students have the opportunity to fine-tune their clinical skills, they also help out many patients who would otherwise not have access to medical services. Since many of the patients that visit Montclair Clinic speak mostly Spanish, our members are able to practice their medical Spanish. The Western University LMSA chapter recognized the need for medical students to learn Spanish; we have organized a Spanish class with 3 different levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) to better prepare our colleagues to interact with Spanish speaking patients. Over 50 students signed up and there has been great feedback. At the clinic, there are leadership opportunities for students to help coordinate such activities. We recently transitioned from this years second year medical students to the first year medical students. As a clinic coordinator, I am excited to continue to be involved and serve as a community advocate.

Mentorship and Networking at UCSF

Adali Martinez-UC San Francisco School of Medicine

On September 4, 2013, The Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) Program held its very first dinner of the school year. I wandered into the room accompanied by three of my new first-year friends. There were plenty of empty seats at tables with men and women whose nametags were accompanied with two simple but intimidating letters, M.D., but instead we sat down in the only empty table of the room. Luckily, for us, we were about to receive a seminar on networking, and were given the opportunity to practice those skills with the diverse group of physicians in the room. Every month since September, UIM has hosted many mentorship and leadership workshops specifically targeted to underrepresented medical students. Although the medical students population at UCSF continues to diversify, the teaching faculty is not representative of this progress. Often, students from underrepresented backgrounds lack direct connections to the medical field and struggle to access UCSFs wide network of physicians and researchers. Even if students are to enter this network, as minorities, we navigate this world differently. Our paths to medicine were often accompanied with barriers that are more familiar to our underserved patients than the physicians that teach us. For this very reason, mentorship is especially important in the medical education of minority students. In collaboration with the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and Native American Health Alliance (NAHA), LMSA students this year were actively involved in creating a mentorship match up program where Latino, African American and Native American students were given the opportunity to receive mentorship from physicians of similar backgrounds. We received an incredible amount of interest from faculty and alumni with 84 mentors! The UIM mentorship program has served as an incredible resource for minority medical students struggling to navigate UCSF. Students have been able to rely on their mentors to connect them with resources, give them advice on summer research projects, and have someone to guide them through difficult situations. Along with providing mentorship opportunities within the medical school, we continue to pay it forward by providing individual mentorship to undergraduates at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. We are excited and pleased to sponsor nine undergraduates from both schools to attend the LMSA West Regional Conference. For the students that were unable to attend the conference, we provide one-on-one mentorship through a similar match process as UIM. Many undergraduate universities lack the resources specifically for Latino and first generation college students. We hope to fill that gap for undergraduates that participate in our programs.

LMSA at UCR: Comprometidos con Nuestra Comunidad

Edgar Ortega-UC Riverside School of Medicine

We are happy to announce that our new LMSA chapter here at the UCR School of Medicine has been progressively growing in number and constantly engaging with our community and students. Last month, we introduced the LMSA undergraduate mentoring program with a mentor-mentee mixer event at the school of medicine. The event gave a platform for the medical students to meet their undergraduate counterparts, and gave everyone the chance to mingle and interact with each other. It was through eating some pizza and a speed dating matching proverb game that the undergraduates were able to find their assigned medical student. Furthermore, this gave the mentors the opportunity to explore what the undergraduate students expected from the program. The turnout for the mixer was amazing, and it was invigorating to see hungry and dedicated undergraduates that are receptive to advice, guidance, and direction. LMSA board & med students selfie during the
mixer

As we established our mentoring program, we have gradually added more mentors, and we are pleased with the participation of our first year medical school class. As of the moment, we have 25 medical student mentors exceeding the 20 undergraduate mentees that have signed up for the program. Our newly appointed LMSA mentorship chairs Rafael Ornelas and Talab Ibrahim were in charge of the recruitment as well as matching undergraduate mentees to the medical students based on common interest and preferences. The mentorship chairs were also responsible for designing the protocols and dynamics of the mentoring program, and organizing events that would bring the mentors and mentees together. LMSA at UCR is committed to make the program a one-to-one mentoring opportunity in order to provide a unique, more personalized experience for the undergraduates. Therefore, it is required that medical students spend at least an hour each month to ensure that their respective undergraduate students are getting all the guidance they can possibly get. We hope to coordinate more events with LMSA PLUS, the pre-medical organization at UCR, and possibly expand the number It was through eating some pizza and a "speed dating" of mentees and activities to further enmatching proverb game that the undergraduates were hance the experience.
able to find their assigned medical student

Broadening the Cultural Experience at ATSU-SOMA

Erinn Rieser-ATSU School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
The spring has been very productive and busy for the LMSA-SOMA branch. January welcomed the new years first Spanish classes as a continuation from last year. We are seeing great progress in our fellow students abilities to speak, recognize, and understand medical Spanish and appropriate cultural practices. Class participants are excited to be learning such a useful skill! To follow the model of our uniquely structured curriculum, we are seeking to match the information offered in Spanish classes to the material being taught in the current block. Dialogue sheets have also been created to match current physical exams. Past blocks have included musculoskeletal, renal, cardiopulmonary, neural and HEENT. There has been great interestthe professors have even decided to offer the Dialogue sheets alongside the required classroom material! In order to keep the momentum high this spring, we will be moving the Spanish learning from the classroom into the clinic. Intermediate and advanced students have already begun to take full medical histories in Spanish, and are acting out patient encounters. Within the next few months we will be hosting Spanish standardized patient encounters to really integrate and further their newly learned skills. Beginners and advanced speakers alike will be participating.

Intermediate Spanish-speaking students practice history-taking and exam skills during a biweekly Spanish class.

As a climactic way to end the year of our Spanish learning experiences, we will be hosting two trips to the border town of Chaparral, New Mexico. Students will be working in the community health clinics and exploring the lifestyle and culture of the area. It will be an eye-opening learning experience for all, and will give insight into the world of immigration health and policy. Our hope is to instill a better understanding of life in a multi-

The 5thAnnual United Health Foundation Diverse Scholars Forum in Washington DC

Leslie Margarita Cepeda University of Utah My name is Leslie Cepeda. I am currently studying Anthropology with a Health Emphasis, and minors in both Human Biology and Chemistry at the University of Utah. I am from Bogota, Colombia and I am pursuing my goal of becoming a doctor someday. Last summer, I had the privilege to attend the 5thAnnual United Health Foundation (UHF) Diverse Scholars Forum in Washington, D.C. for three days. This was my first time in Washington, D.C. and I had the opportunity to hear from community leaders, doctors and health policy makers that are passionate about giving back to the community and helping ethnic groups. Students from different ethnic groups attended. I was one of the 9 students chosen from 600 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) scholars to represent Latino students around the country. (continued pg. 9)

Scholars Forum (continued from pg. 9)

In this forum, I learned the importance of having diverse health care providers that not only provide quality primary care but also get involved in health policy in order to advocate for our community and help to enhance health care delivery. For example, a great way to help your patients that are part of an ethnic group to lead healthier lifestyles, is to include the family and community in the process of healing. Additionally, we went to the Capitol Hill and the House of Representatives. There, we heard from some of the US House of Representatives, who encouraged us to follow our dreams and give back to the community. Additionally, the House of Representatives honored our hard work and accomplishments to help our communities by hoisting an American flag on top of the Capitol for each state that we represented. The American flag was hoisted in my and the state of Utahs honor since I was the only one coming from Utah. Additionally, every UHF diverse scholar received letters from the US senators representing the states where we come from. I had the privilege to receive letters and a Certificate of Special Recognition from Senators Orrin Hatch and Michael Lee, who represent the State of Utah. In the letters, they congratulated me for receiving the Diverse Scholar Initiative Scholarship honoring my hard work and enUndergraduate Pre-Medical Students at the 5thAnnual deavors in reaching out to my community. United Health Foundation They encouraged me to follow my dreams and to continue giving back to the community. All of the special recognitions and honors awarded at this conference embody the hard work of every college student representing different ethnic groups, like the members of LMSA that strive to serve their communities and want to make a difference. This conference also commemorates all of the work we do in and for our community through engaged involvement and service. This experience has truly enabled me to see that in every small act of kindness, together we can do great things.

Pre-medical Mujeres from Utah Representing at the Nations Capital

10

Meet Our 2013-2014 Scholarship Recipients

Si Se Puede Scholarship

Joaquin Michel-UC Davis

Elina Serrano-UC Berkeley

Cecil Benitez-UC Los Angeles

Ngabo Nzigira-UC Davis

Nanse Mendoza-CSU Bakersfield

Ashley Smith-University of Washington

Nancy Rivera-UC Davis

Renzo Corzano-UC Riverside

Edgar Corona-UC Los Angeles

11

Read all about the Si Se Puede Recipients at: http://lmsa.net/west/what-we-do/scholarships/si-se-puede/winners2013/

Latino Medical Student Association-West We are a group of passionate medical students, organized to recruit and support individuals in the healthcare professions who will strive to improve the access and delivery of healthcare to Latinos and medically underserved populations. We actively promote: The development of a communication network for medical, pre-medical, and health care students interested in serving the medically underserved. Medical, pre-medical and healthcare students' interests that will lead to the improvement of healthcare for underserved communities. Health policy education that affects underserved communities. Educational enrichment programs for the recruitment of medical school applicants. Collaborations with other organizations committed to the improvement of health care delivery for underserved communities. The academic success and support of students dedicated to improving health care services to underserved populations.

Scholarship Recipients (continued from pg.11)

Cinthia Felix Scholarship

Alexis Velazquez -UC Los Angeles

Andrea Banuelos-UC Berkeley

Jennifer Pinal-UC Berkeley

Maria Rosales-Charles Drew University

Axana Rodriguez-Torres-UC Davis

To learn more about LMSA West please visit Read all about the Cinthia Felix Recipients at: http://lmsa.net/west/ http://lmsa.net/west/what-we-do/scholarships/cinthya-felix-scholarship/winners/

Dr. Amanda Perez Scholarship

For questions regarding the newsletter contact VP of Newsletter, Karla Gonzalez

Vanessa Martinez-CSU Fullerton Read all about Vanessa at: http://lmsa.net/west/what-we-do/scholarships/cinthya-felix-scholarship/winners/

12