IU Medical Student Project Promoting Primary Care Earns National Recognition

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Foundation has named an IU School of Medicine student project as its Best Community Outreach National Primary Care Week Project 2004. Two hundred thirty-eight IU medical students and residents participated in several events during the week of October 17-23, 2004, producing the highest participation in any National Primary Care Week event held around the nation.

An annual campaign funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions and co-sponsored each year by students at various medical schools around the country, National Primary Care Week is designed to educate health professions students about primary health care and encourage them to consider primary care as a career.

In addition to a plaque and $100 cash award, AMSA recognized the project at its 55th annual conference in Washington, D.C., March 16-20, 2005.

Fourth-year medical student Shannon Gearhart coordinated several activities during National Primary Care Week in October 2004. The theme of the 2004 celebration was Caring for the Underserved: Careers in Community Health. “With the increasing population of underinsured patients and the increasing need for adequate health care in our country, it is pertinent for future physicians to consider a career in primary care,” says Gearhart. “With the help of the Indiana Area Health Education Center and other IU students and faculty, throughout National Primary Care Week, we hoped to educate students on the importance of care for the underserved and inspire them to choose a career in primary care. Thanks to the students who came out for our events this week, we hopefully made a small dent in the future care of the underserved.”

Throughout the week, IU hosted speakers focusing on the theme of underserved medicine in Indiana, aiming to inspire students to learn to deliver high-quality health care to all Hoosiers, especially medically underserved populations. Presenters for the week-long lunch talks included:

James Springer, Ed.D., director, Indiana Area Health Education Centers program Louis Winternheimer, M.D., staff physician at Raphael Health Center, Indianapolis Donna Olsen, Indiana Parenting Resource Network State Representative David Orentlicher, M.D., J.D. Gregory Wilson, M.D., then Indiana State Health Commissioner

Presentations are available on the World Wide Web via streaming media at www.ahec.iupui.edu/ahecnew/2004primarycareweek.htm.

The week’s events were capped off on October 23 with the 6th Annual Westside Health Fair and Open House at a local community health clinic. More than seventy-five community members were treated to free health screenings (blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure), free adult flu shots, and health education provided by over 100 medical student volunteers. Pictures from the health fair are available on the Internal Medicine Student Interest Group website at http://medicine.iupui.edu/imsig.

Indiana’s National Primary Care Week 2004 activities were supported with financial contributions from the American Medical Student Association Foundation, the IU School of Medicine Internal Medicine Student Interest Group, the IU Department of Family Medicine’s Area Health Education Centers program, the IU Departments of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Geriatrics, and the Medical Student Council.

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