Community Impact University News

May 29, 2026 | Lauren Woods

Internal Medicine Residency at UConn Champions Care for the Homeless

UConn residents were honored with the David R. Kennedy Community Champion Award for its collaborative “Street Medicine” community healthcare efforts.

UConn IM residency program honored on stage

UConn's internal medicine residency program's participation in the successful Greater Hartford Street Medicine Collaborative was honored along with Charter Oak Health Center and its other collaborating community partners on May 20.

The Community Health Alliance track of UConn School of Medicine’s Internal Medicine Residency program has received a statewide Community Champions Award.

The residency program at UConn is part of a partnership called Greater Hartford Street Medicine Collaborative with Charter Oak Health Center and other collaborating community organizations.

Members of the Greater Hartford Street Medicine Collaborative in action.
Internal med first-year resident Dr. Muaz Rashid with other members of the Greater Hartford Street Medicine Collaborative in action.

On May 20, the Collaborative was recognized for its strong collaboration and impact helping to coordinate medical outreach and service to individuals experiencing homelessness at the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness Annual Training Institute.

Fourth-year internal med chief resident Dr. Lara Melo Soares Pinho de Carvalho with Corinne Plaisir of Charter Oak.
UConn fourth-year internal med chief resident Dr. Lara Melo Soares Pinho de Carvalho with Corinne Plaisir of Charter Oak.

Onstage the UConn Internal Medicine residency track trainees accepting the award with collaborators were fourth-year chief resident Dr. Lara Melo Soares Pinho de Carvalho and second-year resident Anusha Parisapogu with Corinne Plaisir, director of Healthcare for the Homeless at Charter Oak Health Center, who is the UConn’s internal medicine residency program’s chief liaison at Charter Oak.

“On behalf of the Charter Oak Health Center Street Medicine team, with some vital members joining me on stage today, thank you for this recognition alongside the other organizations of the GH Street Medicine Collaborative. It truly means a lot to us all,” shared Corinne Plaisir, director of Healthcare for the Homeless at Charter Oak Health Center, in her acceptance speech.

UConn second-year internal med resident Dr. Anusha Parisapogu Charter Oak's Corinne Plaisir.
UConn second-year internal med resident Dr. Anusha Parisapogu Charter Oak’s Corinne Plaisir.

“When we started this program in partnership with UConn’s Community Health Alliance Track Residents, we were just trying to meet people where they are, quite literally, and do what we could to serve our community with what we had. This work is not done by one person; it’s done by a group of incredibly dedicated, compassionate, and innovative people who show up day after day with open minds and full hearts. To our collaborative: thank you for your flexibility, your humor, and your commitment to caring for patients who are too often overlooked. And most importantly, thank you to our patients, who allow us into their lives and continually remind us why this work matters.”

Plaisir concluded, “Thank you all for being part of this work and for continuing to show up for our patients and community. This recognition belongs to everyone who has contributed to the mission of meeting people where they are.”