Distinction in Community Health
Distinction in Community Health
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.
Costanza Community Impact Award: This award is given to the Distinction candidate(s) whose work exemplifies outstanding community engagement with the greatest potential for sustainable impact on the health of the community.
Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award: 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.
2026 Students of Distinction
The following Class of 2026 medical students were awarded an M.D. with Distinction in Community Health, being recognized for their significant longitudinal contributions to community service:
Nikhil Bamarajpet
Project Title: Healthcare for the Homeless: Using Narrative Documentary Film to Examine Healthcare Barriers and Stigma Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Rochester, NY
Jack Bookbinder
Project Title: URWell-RAWNY Clinic: Connecting Formerly Incarcerated People in Rochester with Health Care
Philomena Burger, Constanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Career Spotlight!
Alyssa Deacon, Constanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: The Career Formation Roadmap: Creating Sustainable and Student-Centered Health Career Mentorship Opportunities at East High School
Ammu Dinesh
Project Title: Strengthening RHRI’s Medical-Legal Partnership to Improve the Medical Evaluation of Asylum Seekers
Ashwath Elangovan
Project Title: Integrating Preventive Cancer Screening into UR Well Clinics
Tony Guo
Project Title: When Community Needs Shift: Rebuilding Primary Care Capacity at UR Well @ St. Joe’s
Ibrahim Jalal, Constanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: The Rochester MEPP and ACT FAST Curriculum Pilot: A Framework for Meaningful High School Outreach in Medicine
Antoinette Nguyen, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award
Project Title: From Volunteers to Stewards: A Qualitative Evaluation of Mentorship and Sustainability in the Rochester Health Hub
Sydney Peters
Project Title: Improving Youth Mental Health Through Medical Student Mentorship: A Community-Based Initiative with Compeer
Anish Rana
Project Title: Crossovers & Conversations: Improving Healthcare Career Exposure Among Underserved Youth
Alex Schick, Constanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: The Meliora Educational Pathway Program (MEPP): Empowering the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals
Hannah Schneider
Project Title: Identifying Barriers to Vision Care at Community Events in Monroe County
Jo Ann Sun
Project Title: Commissary-Adapted Health Education to Improve Hygiene, Infection, and Nutrition Management in Incarcerated Individuals at Monroe County Jail
Oumou Toure, Constanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Shaping Future Health Professionals: Evaluating a Youth Health Literacy Training Model
Sarah Wegman
Project Title: Feeding Tube Buddy Program Quality Improvement Project
The following Class of 2025 medical students were awarded an M.D. with Distinction in Community Health, being recognized for their significant longitudinal contributions to community service:
Lauren Eisner, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Empowering Rochester’s Outreach Teams: Improving Wound Care for Our Unhoused Communities
Residency Match: ISMMS Mount Sinai Hospital-NY (Emergency Medicine)
Diamond Guy, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: ROCDermEd and Bringing Dermatology to Jordan Health
Residency Match: U Rochester/Strong Memorial-NY (Medicine-Preliminary & Dermatology)
Catherine Liu
Project Title: Veggie Phobia: Mindset Shifts at a Local Food Pantry
Residency Match: Rush University Med Ctr-IL (Internal Medicine)
Arman Niknafs, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Weathering Adversity: Heat- and Cold-Weather-Related Illness Response Training for Outreach Teams Serving Rochesterians Experiencing Homelessness
Residency Match: UCLA Med Ctr-CA (Internal Medicine)
Matthew Tae
Project Title: Get Ready to GROW: Identifying and Evaluating Demographics, Health Needs, and Impact of Community-Based Developmental Screenings for a Pediatric Population
Residency Match: Stanford Health Care-CA (Pediatrics)
The following Class of 2024 medical students were awarded an M.D. with Distinction in Community Health, being recognized for their significant longitudinal contributions to community service:
Acacia Bowden
Project Title: Need for Improved Access to Dermatological Care in Underserved Populations
*Residency Match: Yale-New Haven Hospital, Connecticut - Pediatrics
Devon Clark, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: "I just didn’t feel like going:" Evaluating Patient and Patient Navigator Perspectives to Identify Common Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening
*Residency Match: Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Pennsylvania - Transitional Year
U Michigan Hospital - Ann Arbor - Radiology-Diagnostic
Carly Eiduson, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: The Fourth Trimester Model: Improving Equity in Breastfeeding Duration and Exclusivity through Community Partnership
*Residency Match: Childrens Hospital Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Pediatrics
Hannah Jackel-Dewhurst, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: The Fourth Trimester Model: Disparities in Fourth Trimester Visit Attendance
Yoav Kadan
Project Title: Increasing Access to GI Care and Cancer Screening at the UR Well Student-Run Clinic
*Residency Match: U Miami/Jackson Health System, Florida – Anesthesiology
Malavika Satheesh
Project Title: Hypertension and Telemedicine Initiative
*Residency Match: Northwestern McGaw/NMH/VA-Illinois - Internal Medicine
The following Class of 2023 medical students were awarded an M.D. with Distinction in Community Health, being recognized for their significant longitudinal contributions to community service:
Mariah Erlick, Creative Initiative in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: Improving Medicolegal Advocacy for Asylum Seekers
Kiersten Flodman
Project Title: Addressing Accessibility Barriers at the EquiCenter Farm for Participants with Mobility Challenges
Shane Fuentes, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Crossovers & Conversations
Tresne Hernandez
Project Title: Implementation of the One Key Question to Support People’s Reproductive Choices & Planning
Katie Klapheke, Creative Initiative in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: Improving Volunteer Visibility for Rochester Human Rights Initiative
Nilsa Ricci, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Understanding and Improving Trauma Debriefing Sessions for URMC Spanish Interpreters
Eli Rogers
Project Title: PPD Testing at UR Well St Luke's
Valentina Sedlacek, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: ROCovery Wellness
The following Class of 2022 medical students were awarded an M.D. with Distinction in Community Health, being recognized for their significant longitudinal contributions to community service:
Anusha Amaravathi
Project Title: Assessing the Impact of Lifespan’s “Unlocking Joy in Dementia Caregiving” Workshop Series on Caregiving Skills, Emotional and Mental Health of Caregivers
Alexandra Buda
Project Title: Promoting Mental Health & Wellness Among Our Critical Care Nursing Staff
Shannon Cleary
Project Title: Engaging Rochester Communities on Climate Impacts and Action
Kevin Li
Project Title: Addressing Sports Injuries: Student-Athlete Community Outreach (SCOre!)
Amundam Mancho, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: The 4th Trimester Model: A New Approach to Improving Perinatal Care
Jessica Meyer, Creative Initiative in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: Somos un Equipo: A partnership to increase URMC provider awareness of farmworkers and improve local farmworkers’ healthcare access
Rachel Moyer
Project Title: Reflecting on the UR Well-Nazareth Social Work Partnership
Sara Peterson, Fiscella Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: 4th Trimester Project: A New Approach to Perinatal Care Emphasis on North Ponds Site & Contraception Data
Betsy Rojas
Project Title: Bridging the Gap by Being the Change
Shireen Saxena, Creative Initiative in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: Increasing Awareness of the Immigrant Farmworker Community: Health Barriers and Solutions
Andrew Stoner
Project Title: Improving Community Mental Health Training for Future Physicians
Veronica Yu, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Addressing the Use of Law Enforcement Restraints on Pregnant, Incarcerated Individuals
Rachel Yull
Project Title: Creating Connections to Improve Maternal Child Health
The following Class of 2021 medical students were awarded an M.D. with Distinction in Community Health, being recognized for their significant longitudinal contributions to community service:
Michaela Barry
Project Title: Homeless in the Hospital: Utilizing statistics from the URMC EMR to survey disease burden associated with homelessness
Fatima Bawany
Project Title: Home Phototherapy: Improving Access to Dermatologic Care
Mary Buswell, Costanza Community Impact Award Recipient
Project Title: Contraceptive Needs Assessment of Clients at Trillium Syringe Service Program
Celia Fung
Project Title: COVID-19 Education and Prevention in Rochester Homeless Shelters
Kunali Gurditta, Excellence in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: Training Adult Advisors to Support Peer Leaders in Disseminating a School-Based Vaping Prevention Intervention
Mahima Iyengar
Project Title: Community Led Mutual Aid Efforts to Combating Inequity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluation of the Rochester Mutual Aid Network's Efforts from 04/2020 to 10/2020
Michelle Liu
Project Title: Identifying Barriers to Obtaining Long-term Housing for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Renee Miller
Project Title: Creating Recipes that Positively Influence Nutrition in Low Socioeconomic Communities
Stephen Powell
Project Title: Perceptions of Infection & Testing in UR Well-Asbury's Patron Population
Fritzlaine Roche
Project Title: Implementation of a Teledermatology Program at UR Well
Hannah Silva, Creative Initiative in Community Health Award Recipient
Project Title: A Comprehensive Health Education Program for Individuals with Down Syndrome