In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 15,  first and second year students at UConn School of Medicine and UConn School of Dental Medicine participated in a project poster presentation.

As part of their Certificate in Social Determinants of Health, the second year students presented their projects. Their posters highlighted their efforts around the state to improve health outcomes for Connecticut residents.  Teams of students presented their projects in the Academic lobby to faculty and first year students, the latter of whom judged their presentations.

The first place winning team’s project was on Risk Reduction Strategies for Alcohol Use Disorder in Charter Oak Health Center, Hartford, CT  presented by Mohsin Mirza, Jessica Munck, Emily Robertson, and Ryan Szykowny.

The second place winning team’s project was Awareness & Action: Integrating Genetic Testing for Sickle Cell Trait in Community Health Center, Inc., Meriden, CT presented by Laura Hohenstein, Julia Levin, Seema Patel, and Anthony Zhang.

The third place winning team’s project was Air Quality Improvement and Decreased COPD Prevalence, East Hartford, CT by Joseph Duero, Julia Quinn, Amar Kalaria, Keelin Hurtt, Maura Radigan, and Christian Tallo.

Following the poster session, Ayesha Clarke, Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions,  delivered the keynote address to the students and faculty highlighting how future physicians and dentists can incorporate advocacy into their current training as well as their future careers.

Clarke encouraged them to use the patients and their stories, particularly those with barriers to care, combined with data, to help move health policy forward.