Community-Engaged Learning

Distinction in Community Health for Medical Students

Each year, several medical students, who also excel in community health scholarship, graduate with the Distinction in Community Health. This is an option for students who make significant longitudinal contributions to community service, excel in the Community Health Improvement Courses and engage in learning about current issues and topics in community health throughout medical school. This is an opportunity for M.D. candidates to complete substantial and sustainable community health improvement with community partners, and experience health outside of health care first-hand.

Exemplar Medical school graduates may also be awarded the Costanza Community Impact Award, the Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award or the Creative Initiative in Community Health Award, available only to Distinction Candidates with exceptional projects.

Stay tuned for details about the 2023 Distinction Awardees – Coming in May!

Here are the winners of these awards for the graduating class of 2022:

Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient

This award is given to the Distinction candidate whose work exemplifies outstanding community engagement with the greatest potential for sustainable impact on the health of the community.

Veronica Yu

Project Title: Addressing the Use of Law Enforcement Restraints on Pregnant, Incarcerated Individuals

Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipients

This award is given to the Distinction candidate(s) whose work demonstrates significant scholarship in community engagement through academic rigor, robust evaluation and substantial dissemination.

Amundam Mancho

Project Title: The 4th Trimester Model: A New Approach to Improving Perinatal Care

Sara Peterson

Project Title: 4th Trimester Project: A New Approach to Perinatal Care Emphasis on North Ponds Site & Contraception Data

Creative Initiative in Community Health Award Recipients

This award is given to Distinction candidate(s) whose work generates a new partnership initiated by the Candidate(s) that developed into a meaningful, creative and impactful project where the candidate(s) integrated the new partner for sustainability beyond the project and students' involvement. This award will only be given in years where there are candidates that excel in this category.

Jessica Meyer

Project Title: Somos un Equipo: A Partnership to Increase URMC Provider Awareness of Farmworkers and Improve Local Farmworkers' Healthcare Access

Shireen Saxena

Project Title: Increasing Awareness of the Immigrant Farmworker Community: Health Barriers and Solutions