Research Initiative

Medical Student Research Projects

Fourth Year Medical Student Research Projects

The Department of Family Medicine and Community Health offers a number of research opportunities for fourth year medical students, including the university-wide Senior Scholars Program and a departmental Fourth Year Elective in Preventive Medicine and Public Health (both of these coordinated by Judy Savageau, MPH). The Senior Scholars Program allows the student a two- to three-month opportunity to participate, in depth, in a research project. Numerous departmental faculty offer a number of opportunities for these students to explore/expand their research interests in adolescent medicine, substance abuse, community oriented primary care, international health, health status of vulnerable populations, and many more. The Fourth Year Elective provides a month-long block rotation for students interested in Preventive Medicine and Public Health, during which time students spend 50% effort on a research project that they define and the remaining 50% effort encompasses many short-term clinical segments related to this field. Some of these include exercise physiology, dyslipidemias, nutrition, the history of public health, mental health and primary care, clinical preventive medicine, refugee health, and communicable diseases.

The following students participated in these research opportunities during the past two academic years.

SENIOR SCHOLARS: 

Olga Valdman (with Judy Savageau, MPH)
Implementation of Portable Medical Records into Rural and Mobile Communities of Haitian Sugarcane Workers Living/Working in the Dominican Republic: Assessing Efficacy and Impact on Population Healthcare

Ellen Green (with Sara Shields, MD)
Improving Breastfeeding Outcomes at the Family Health Center of Worcester

Jeffrey Phillips (with Jay Himmelstein, MD, MPH)
Clinical Health Informatics Meets Medical Education

Candice McElroy (with Judy Savageau, MPH)
Characteristics of Patients Utilizing St. Anne's Free Clinic

Stephen Carpenter (with Mick Godkin, PhD)
Serum Zinc Estimation in Patients Suffering from Old-World Visceral Leishmaniasis (L. donovani) Compared with Healthy Adult Controls 

Andy Geller (with Judy Savageau, MPH)
Bone Marrow Donation - Understanding Cultural Issues in the Southeast Asian Community 

Patricia Seymour (with Ron Adler, MD, Jeremy Golding, MD and Judy Savageau, MPH)
Obstacles to Follow-up After Abnormal Cervical Cytology at an Urban Health Center in Worcester, MA 

Sangita Sundaramurthy Pillai (with Judy Savageau, MPH)
A Community Needs Assessment with Patients and Providers in a Small Village Community in Southeastern India 

Heather Smith (with Jay Himmelstein, MD, MPH and Judy Savageau, MPH)
Characterizing Medical Student Involvement in Health Policy Activities: Who Are They and What Do They Need? 

PREVENTIVE MEDICINE / PUBLIC HEALTH ELECTIVE: 

Molly Moore (with Judy Savageau, MPH)
Patient Survey on Nutrition, Diet and Weight Loss 

Ramothea Webster (with Rick Beaman, MPP, MSW and Judy Savageau, MPH)
Aging Services Access Points / Physician Program Evaluation