Longitudinal Advocacy Project Tracks

CARE Track

The Community Health and Advocacy Resident Education (CARE) Track is an elective two-year longitudinal experience, starting in the second year of residency. Since CARE Track started there have been 164 resident participants. CARE starts with a two-week “mini-MPH” block. CARE project areas are determined by each resident's interests.

2018 CARE Block participants at Teen Empowerment

CARE Resident Testimonials

The city of Rochester has a strong history of social activism; some of the country’s greatest stalwarts like Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglass spent many years there working for equal rights. Given my strong interest in medicine and advocacy, when I learned that the University of Rochester, in addition to having an excellent reputation in pediatric training, had created a Community Health and Advocacy Resident Education (CARE) Track, I knew Rochester was where I wanted to be for my Pediatric Residency. 

Elizabeth Haworth-Hoeppner, M.D.
Pediatrics Resident Graduate from URMC in 2018 

I very much enjoyed my experience with the CARE track through the Hoekelman Center. I knew for a long time that I had wanted an international medical experience that was actually helpful to the local community I visited. In the CARE block weeks with Dr. Andy Aligne I narrowed down my options to decide on training Helping Babies Breathe to help create a system that could perpetuate itself upon my departure. With much help from Dr. Nirupama Laroia and Dr. Aligne, I educated myself on international medicine, read about the local Ladakh, India region, became a trainer in Helping Babies Breathe as well as the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, arranged traveling, plus we arranged meeting with and working with local personnel, traveled to Ladakh, India, trained 117 personnel in 3 locations including 2 locations never previously trained, reinforced a relationship with 1 local champion Pediatrician, and established a relationship with a new local champion Pediatrician. After the trip, I was able to present some of the data we collected from surveys at one regional and one national conference. I feel like the long list of things I was able to get through with this experience through my busy residency was only possible due to the scheduled time I had in my CARE track, the support I had from the physicians and staff from the Hoekelman Center, and the support of the local Pediatricians in India who previously had a relationship with the University of Rochester. I would recommend anyone considering international medicine to find one of the international sites with a connection with URMC and to use this track as a platform to get there and help improve their world.

Oliver J. Salmon, D.O.
Pediatrics Resident Graduated from URMC in 2017

Refugee Track

Many of our residents do projects with refugee agencies. For those interested in medical care for refugees, we have a template developed by a CARE resident for a refugee track that involves spending time in a local refugee clinic while doing a refugee related project. For more information please reach out to Dr. Andy Aligne.