Concentration: Advocacy and Activism

Project Mentor: Thomas M. Lasater, PhD

Graduation Year: MD 2011

Concentration Title:
Know Your Numbers Campaign

Concentration Description:
When I began my scholarly concentration, I envisioned, my project focusing on health disparities, especially those related to cardiovascular disease. As the years passed, the focus of my project widened, and I began working on projects that addressed minority health disparities and increasing political awareness among these communities. The scholarly concentration program helped me to brainstorm my project ideas while having several mentors available to assist me in executing them. The Advocacy and Activism Concentration opened my eyes to the necessity of having active community involvement and feedback when implementing programs directed towards them. I worked with several community and professional health organizations in order to provide needed wellness and health education seminars to local communities. In doing this, I attracted a more diverse and larger group of participants than I could have on my own.This concentration increased my desire to complete a family medicine residency, because it helped me to see the whole person and the external issues that directly affect them. I will continue to remain an active participate in my local communities throughout my career.