| October 27, 2008 | Media contact: Shantell Kirkendoll E-mail: smkirk@umich.edu Phone: 734-764-2220 |
Graduate students kick off mentorship program
New UM-community partnership to address social and health disparities
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tough economic times increase the chance that health professionals will meet families facing not only medical problems, but economic ones as well.
Faculty and students from eight University of Michigan graduate schools have developed a partnership with the Community Action Network to provide broad mentorship with essential legal, educational, social, medical and dental services needed by low-income families living in Ann Arbor. The partnership kicks off at 6 p.m. Oct. 29 with a haunted house at Bryant Community Center, 3 West Eden Court.
The grassroots, graduate student initiative is called Service Learning and Trans-disciplinary Education Project. It draws from the expertise of U-M’s schools of dentistry, education, law, medicine, nursing, public health, social work and pharmacy.
It’s a novel form of service learning and a community-university partnership intended to teach students how to work with underserved communities, community organizations, and members of other professions.
When living below the poverty line, more than one issue may be at play. For instance, a child’s asthma is controlled with needed doctor visits, but is the family struggling to pay rent? Or, the distraction of an aching tooth could be the cause for a child’s lack of attention in class.
“There’s a growing movement to address poverty problems with a multi-disciplinary approach,” says Jacob Kurlander, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. “We’ll get to know families and ask what challenges they face – does their child have a pediatrician? Or are they in danger of being evicted?”
Teams of graduate students will partner with families on specific needs and develop larger-scale projects with children. Those needs are significant in Washtenaw County where 8.6 percent of children live below the poverty line.
“Those of us from the various schools who are serving as faculty mentors are proud to assist SLATE's student teams,” says Casey B. White, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Medical Education and assistant professor for medical education. “We review their progress toward specific learning goals and monitor the family-based activities and support they are providing to members of the community who need it most.”
The group has gained support from local business but continues to look for funding through grants and other contributions.
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