UMass Chan awards 10 grants totaling $136,760

Photo | Grant Welker UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

Write a Comment

By Timothy Doyle

The Remillard Family Community Service Fund at UMass Chan Medical School announced the 10 projects that would receive up to $20,000 in funding this year, for a total of $136,760.

The projects, proposed by UMass Chan Medical School staff and faculty, address issues including local food insecurity, public health, bicycle safety, health care for vulnerable populations and diversity in the health care workforce, according to a Tuesday press release.

The projects that received funding are as follows:

Nutrition Education for Young Mothers Experiencing Housing Insecurity in Worcester, proposed by medical students Lydia Brainard, Samantha Lee and Sophia Antonioli, and Erin Barlow, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology
Co-Active Therapeutic Theatre Drama Therapy as an Adjunctive Treatment for Patients with Serious Mental Illness, proposed by medical students Clara Cabot, Victor Agwu and Amy Cheung, PhD, and Xiaoduo Fan, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry
Helmet Safety Program, proposed by Fernando Catalina, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, and Beth Mazyck, MD, associate professor of family medicine & community health
The Community Education and Mentoring Program: A Workshop-Based Peer Support Model for College Students with Mental Illness, proposed by psychiatry resident Maite A. Cintron Pastrana, MD, medical student Cameron Fattahi and Xiaoduo Fan, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Surgery Initiative, proposed by vascular surgery resident Emily Fan, MD
Sun Protection, proposed by medical student Christopher Fay
Addressing Food Insecurity in and Around Barre: One Farm at a Time, proposed by Kristina Gracey, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health
Creating a longitudinal case management program within the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, proposed by MD/PhD student Hye In Sarah Lee, medical students Nikita Joshi and Madeline Schwartz, and James Ledwith, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health
Providing Thermometers for Newborn Families at the Family Health Center of Worcester, proposed by Sara Casey, DO, assistant professor of family medicine & community health, family medicine & community health resident Katherine Price, MD, and medical students Joyce Tien and Sonal Sharda
Food for Thought: A Nutrition Outreach Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness, proposed by MD/PhD students Lauren T. Shumate and Hye ln Sarah Lee, medical students Kai-Lou Yue, Pooja Dutta and Marko Stojcevski, psychiatry resident Yumi Kovic, MD, and Xiaoduo Fan, MD, MPH, professor of psychiatry

The Remillard Family Community Service Fund began in 2015 with a $3 million donation by the Remillard Family Foundation and is dedicated to providing ongoing support for community outreach programs, according to the press release.

For more information on each program, you can visit UMass Chan Medical School’s website.