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Photo: Bryan Goodchild
The Remillard Family Community Service Fund has announced the recipients of funding for its 2026 cycle, awarding 12 grants to support innovative projects led by UMass Chan Medical School faculty, residents, staff and students that address social determinants of health and equitable and affordable access to care, and support developing and expanding community outreach programs.
Established at the Medical School in 2015 with a $3 million donation by the Remillard Family Foundation, the fund is dedicated to providing ongoing support for community outreach programs.
A total of nearly $170,000 in grants of up to $18,000 each was awarded to this year’s projects.
Caring for the Feet of Our Most Vulnerable in Worcester
Proposed by Hugh Silk, MD, MPH, professor of family medicine & community health, vice chair of community health; Jillian Joseph, MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; David Runyan, DNP, instructor in family medicine & community health; and medical students Gennifer Rubin, Rosa Herneandez, Jessica Seidenberg, Hanna Hovren, Alexindra Wheeler, Jada Scotland, Jeannette Brook, Fiona Lessell, KeeSeok Lee, Brennan Chaung, Apurva Vaddamani and Ibrahim Khan.
People with acute and chronic foot issues need supplies they can take with them for self-treatment, properly fitting seasonal footwear and assistance seeking higher levels of care. A collaborative effort between UMass Chan Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) student scholars, the Grafton Hill learning community and UMass Memorial Health’s mobile health service, Road to Care, will work with the UMass Diabetes Center of Excellence Foot Screening & Health Clinic to standardize care and offer screening on-site and at-home foot care.
Community-Informed Training to Improve Trauma-Informed Care for Patients Impacted by Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)
Proposed by medical students Kaman Hau and Safia Bashir; and Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD, MSc, FACOG, professor of obstetrics & gynecology and population & quantitative health sciences, and executive director of the Collaborative in Health Equity.
In February 2026, the HOPE MA Coalition (Holistic Organized Partnerships to End FGM/C in MA) launched a statewide effort to strengthen coordinated, survivor-centered systems of care with UMass Chan Medical School, through faculty leadership, and Sahiyo, a global nonprofit working to end female genital cutting and create positive social change. This project builds on that momentum by co-creating a community-informed clinical education program that prepares UMass Chan learners and faculty to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed care for patients impacted by female genital mutilation/cutting while strengthening partnerships with Worcester-area communities.
Community Outreach to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening in Underserved Populations of Worcester
Proposed by medical students Julia Cerrutti and James Chacharone; and general surgery residents Benjamin Gallant, MD, MSCI, and Andrew Hu, MD.
This project will provide colorectal cancer educational sessions at various community centers in Worcester and Central Massachusetts. The educational sessions will focus on the prevalence of colorectal cancer risk factors, lifestyle modifications that can lower one’s risk, the importance of screening and available screening options. Presentations will include instructions on finding a local, in-network primary care physician and how the referral system works.
UMass Human Rights and Asylum Program Longitudinal Case Navigation Program– combatting asylum seeker trauma and implications of untreated mental health disorders
Proposed by medical students Garrett Kearney, Haruna B Choijilsuren and Mitra Asdigha; and Kamlyn Haynes, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences.
The UMass Chan Human Rights & Asylum Program (UHRAP) was established in 2020 to support asylum seekers in Central Massachusetts through medical and psychological evaluations for immigration proceedings. Since its inception, UHRAP has completed more than 137 cases with 36 completed cases in 2025 and 42 ongoing cases as of January 2026. The goal of this project is to strengthen UHRAP’s Care Navigation Program by expanding access to professional interpreter services and mental health resources, such as one-on-one sessions with psychologists through online platforms and by providing online and hybrid/hyflex English language courses at discounted rates.
Improving Diagnostic Access for Unhoused Patients with Substance Use Disorder
Proposed by Maxwell Messinger, MD, family medicine & community health resident; Jillian Joseph, MPAS, PA-C, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; and Laurel Banach MD, AAHIVS, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; with support from Erin Cathart, MD, MPH, CPH, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; Rebecca Gwaltney, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; and Henry Del Rosario, MD, FAAFP, associate professor of family medicine & community health.
UMass Memorial Health’s mobile health service, Road to Care (RTC), provides street- and shelter-based primary, addiction and harm reduction care to Worcester's unhoused population. Averaging 300 patient encounters per month, a substantial share of RTC patients have substance use disorder, severe mental illness, unstable housing and longstanding mistrust of, or logistical barriers to, the formal healthcare system. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a portable imaging technology that allows clinicians to obtain real-time images of the body, rather than sending patients to a hospital. This project will equip RTC with a POCUS device suited to street and mobile use; provide formal, competency-based POCUS training to RTC clinical staff; and establish a workflow connecting POCUS findings to confirmatory formal imaging (X-ray, duplex ultrasound) at UMass Memorial when needed.
Beyond the Residence: Promoting Maternal Well-Being and Successful Transitions to Independent Living for Young Mothers Experiencing Housing Insecurity
Proposed by medical students Madeleine Leake and Madison Lerner, and Anne Powell, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics.
Mentors for Young Mothers (MFYM), a student-run organization at UMass Chan, has partnered with You Inc.'s Teen Parent Supported Living Program for several years to support young mothers experiencing housing instability. Through prior support from the Remillard Family Community Service Fund, MFYM has developed trauma-informed curricula on attachment, nutrition and healthy parenting while providing individualized mentoring and practical resources to young mothers. These efforts have strengthened parenting skills, promoted healthy mother-child relationships and built a supportive community. However, many mothers leave the residence with limited preparation for independent living. This project will expand the MFYM program through trauma-informed workshops on independent living skills and individualized transition support.
Bleeding Control and First Aid Training: Sustaining and Expanding the Legendary Legacies Partnership
Proposed by Jonathan Green, MD, MSCI assistant professor of surgery; Katherine Palmer Loveluck, MD, general surgery resident; Asia Simpson, injury prevention program manager for UMass Memorial Health; and Dominick Dunbar, injury prevention specialist for UMass Memorial Health.
This project will sustain the ongoing partnership between UMass Memorial Medical Center Department of Pediatric Surgery, UMass Injury Prevention Department and Legendary Legacies, a Worcester-based nonprofit serving system-impacted individuals. The partnership has been delivering quarterly Stop the Bleed training sessions to Legendary Legacies participants and equipping them with evidence-based hemorrhage control skills. This project will expand sessions to include basic first aid and life safety skills instruction; fund a social worker and therapy dog presence; and distribute hemorrhage control kits to participants, providing the tools to act if a life-threatening injury occurs in their home, workplace or community.
Bridging the Gap: Expanding Access to Medical Education for Immigrant and First-Generation Students
Proposed by medical student Debora V. Yoon and Lynn Hernandez, PhD, assistant vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and medical students belonging to Beyond Borders in Medicine.
Beyond Borders in Medicine is a student-led initiative at UMass Chan. Their mission is to reduce the financial, informational and mentorship barriers that prevent immigrant and first-generation college students from pursuing careers in medicine. The goal of the project is to build a sustainable six-to eight-week mentorship program that provides individualized guidance, educational programming and financial assistance to help talented students navigate the path to medical school.
Cultivating Connections: Strengthening Food Security and Intergenerational Engagement in Rural Barre, MA
Proposed by medical students KeeSeok Lee and Madeleine Schwede; Nicholas Hajj, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; and Suzanne Cashman, DSc, professor emeritus of family medicine & community health.
This project will expand on the Cultivating Connections program with an increased focus on community engagement. Through a continued collaboration with the Barre/Hardwick Senior Center, the students will host monthly, hands-on sessions to combat food insecurity and social isolation simultaneously. Through a partnership with Elder Services of Worcester Area, which supports senior nutritional needs and Meals on Wheels in Worcester County, including Barre, Area Health Education Centers student scholars at UMass Chan will connect seniors to food assistance programs and build strong community bonds within the senior center. Additionally, in collaboration with Quabbin and Wachusett Regional high schools, the students will facilitate nutrition education and social engagement between high school students and Barre seniors, in an effort to combat social isolation.
Walden Care Collaborative: Student-Led Community Health Navigation and Outreach Pilot
Proposed by medical students Nadia Bokhari, Yeji Lee, Angela Ma, Amalia Pena Perez, Sophia Rose, Czenilriene Santander, Vaishali Shah and Katelyn Wing; Maria DeOliveira, EdD, executive director of UMass Chan-Lahey and director of student affairs; Anne Mosenthal, MD, professor of surgery at UMass Chan-Lahey; Lauren Knowles, DNP, assistant professor of medicine at UMass Chan-Lahey; and Richard Kalish, MD, primary care physician at Lahey Clinic.
The Walden Care Collaborative (WCC) is a student-led program designed to address healthcare disparities by providing multi-pronged, community-informed services to underserved populations in the areas surrounding the UMass Chan-Lahey campus. Through partnerships with local healthcare providers, community organizations, Burlington Public Schools and Lahey Clinic staff, WCC seeks to address barriers to care by hosting community health events that provide health education resources, preventative screening (e.g., blood pressure screening and glucose checks) and patient navigation services that connect community members to long-term healthcare resources.
Improving Perinatal Mental Health Outcomes
Proposed by medical students Rahi Patel, Erin Gladu, Ariya Jacob, Juan Peticco, Elisa Dylja, Claire Shiple, Hailey Catrambone, Elene Chamberlain, Madeleine Leake, Hannah Rice, Shanya Vakilian; and Stephany Eirle, MD, MPH, lead physician of perinatal psychiatry at Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc.; and Jen Moffitt, CNM, RN, MSN, instructor in family medicine & community health.
This project is a partnership between UMass Chan and the Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. (FHCW) to provide care to underserved pregnant patients with the goal of improving perinatal mental health outcomes. The team of medical students and staff will develop standardized birth preferences discussion guides, create and translate “The Pregnancy Notebook” into languages commonly spoken by FHCW patients and more.
Nea Onnim Collaborative: Expanding Health Literacy and Healthcare Access for the Ghanaian Community in Worcester, Massachusetts
Proposed by Rose Kronziah-Seme, PhD, MSN, RN, CHSE, assistant professor of nursing; Rita K. Amoah, PhD, RN, assistant professor of nursing; Akwasi Duah, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor of nursing, Martha Agbeli, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor of nursing; and DNP student Elizabeth M. Lartey, RN.
The Nea Onnim Collaborative is a culturally responsive community-academic partnership designed to improve health literacy, healthcare access and preventive care utilization among Ghanaian immigrants in Worcester and Central Massachusetts. This project aims to expand culturally and linguistically tailored health education, preventive health screenings and healthcare navigation resources for an underserved immigrant population.
