Service track serves communities, students
There’s an old saying that goes, “The best way to find yourself is to your lose yourself in the service of others.”
Jennifer Miller Meyer is learning this firsthand.
She is part of a group of students enrolled in the College’s Service Distinction Track, a unique program that recognizes students who work extensively with medically underserved, marginalized, or rural populations.
Miller Meyer, M4, recently returned from a second trip to Mazatlan, Mexico on the Pacific coast, where she is working to deliver nutrition- and diabetes-education materials to residents of some of the city’s poorer and medically underserved neighborhoods.
“Most people think of Mazatlan as a resort town and tourist destination,” Miller Meyer said, “but when I first traveled to the area as part of a medical mission with my church, I was struck by the health disparities among many of its residents. I wanted to go back and find ways to expand upon what the church is doing.”
For several years, the Vineyard Community Church in Iowa City has organized medical service trips to Mazatlan, led by Bill Iverson, MD, UI faculty member in internal medicine, and Katie Iverson, PA-C, a UI physician assistant in emergency medicine. Partnering with her church, on her most recent trip Miller Meyer conducted a preliminary survey to learn more about the dietary habits and health of residents in the neighborhoods the church serves. Her plan is to develop educational materials that she will deliver on return trips to the area, beginning in September.
This fall will mark the fourth year of the Service Distinction Track, which resulted from a dialogue between students and collegiate leaders, noted Penny Rembolt, program associate in the Office of Student Affairs and Curriculum (OSAC) and co-coordinator of the program.
“Our students initiated the discussions and really pushed for this, but not for personal recognition or something to add to their diplomas,” Rembolt said. “The College has had a well-established research distinction track for several years, and students felt it was equally important to recognize a commitment to service with a formal program and support structure.”
Rembolt noted that many medical students bring a wealth of volunteer experience from their undergraduate years and see service as an inherent part of the medical profession.
Community service and social justice issues have always mattered to Miller Meyer, and the Service Distinction Track is a way to put her interests into action.
“One of the things that drew me to medical school at Iowa was the support the College has shown for students interested in service,” Miller Meyer said. “The Service Distinction Track validates what I want to do, but it’s also made look deeper into myself and think about why I want to do this.”
Many medical schools encourage service and volunteerism among its students, but the College’s program is unique in that it’s “ahead of the curve,” said Gerry Wickham, curriculum coordinator for the clinical years and co-coordinator of the service track.
“The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the national accreditation agency, last year initiated a stipulation that medical schools must provide service-learning opportunities for students,” Wickham said. “It will be interesting to see LCME’s feedback when the College begins its re-accreditation process in the fall, but I’d argue that we have a pretty good model for how to do this. That’s a credit to Penny and Helen Damon-Moore before me – we now have three years under our belts, and it’s been well received.”
Rembolt and Wickham stressed that service distinction is more than a name-only designation – it’s a rigorous program.
Specific Service Distinction Track guidelines and other details are available here, but it’s worth noting that students who enroll in the program are required to:
- Identify and work with a faculty mentor who will guide the student throughout the program;
- Gain clinical experience with underserved populations;
- Perform volunteer service with the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic, or other approved clinical experience;
- Develop and complete a fourth-year capstone project, which includes a scholarly paper and final presentation of the project.
Health education, policy development, course electives, or other clinical activities also are options for fulfilling service track requirements, as approved by the Service Distinction Track Council, comprised of students, faculty, and community members.
“The Service Distinction Track requires students to perform above and beyond their normal workloads. Ultimately, this benefits both the students and the communities and people they’re serving,” Rembolt said.
Opportunities for volunteerism and service are available to all students regardless of the service track, she added, noting the multidisciplinary, student-run Mobile Clinic and outreach and fundraising activities that are organized with the College’s four Learning Communities.
Currently, there are 14 students from the Class of 2010 enrolled in the Service Distinction Track, and around 20 students each from the 2009 M1 and M2 classes.
Starting this fall, the students will benefit from a $20,000 gift to the UI Foundation from the John R. Wright and Eloise Mountain Wright Foundation that
“The gift will provide small grants to help cover printed materials and other costs associated with the students’ capstone projects,” Wickham said. “Plus, it will give students experience in administering a small grant, which is a boon to the track.”
For Yolanda Villalvazo, a graduate of the Class of 2009, participating in the Service Distinction Track helped her stay connected to where she’s been. And where she’s going.
Villalvazo’s project focused on women’s health education and health screenings for migrant Latino farm workers. Working with Proteus, an Iowa-based nonprofit organization that serves workers who lack access to health care and who face language barriers, Villalvazo connected with migrant workers living near Williamsburg, Iowa. For three summers, she led a series of education sessions for the women in the migrant camp.
She also fostered a partnership between Proteus and the Mobile Clinic, ensuring continued women’s health sessions and additional health clinics for all the migrant workers after she completed her project.
“My family was a migrant family, and my parents are still farm workers in California, so it’s a lifestyle I’ve known,” said Villalvazo, who is beginning a residency in internal medicine in Phoenix, Ariz.
“I’ve always had a sense of wanting to help the underserved,” she continued, “and this was a way for me to keep in touch with this population while I was in Iowa. In the moments when med school got tough, I was able to connect with what I know. It helped reaffirm what I was doing, and it helped keep me on track. It was a very rewarding experience.”