UMass Chan students receive $10K in funding for community health, advocacy initiatives

Photo | Courtesy of UMass Chan Medical School Late UMass Chan faculty member, Mick Huppert

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By Katherine Hamilton

Six projects organized by students at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester have received about $10,000 in grants for 2022.

The projects are within the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, according to a Tuesday announcement from UMass Chan. The grants come from the Mick Huppert Community Health Scholar Awards, which are named in honor of the late UMass Chan faculty member, Mick Huppert. The announcement didn't include a dollar amount for the funding.

The awards are reserved for students interested in family medicine embracing community health practice and patient advocacy.

These are the winning projects:

Confronting telehealth equity on Outer Cape Cod, which will assess telehealth disparities and build an assessment tool to be used to evaluate telehealth access barriers. This project received $2,500.
A path to pediatric health care in Worcester, which will evaluate the effectiveness of referral services for children receiving health insurance coverage. This project received $2,500.
Digital care navigation for people with opioid use disorder, which will be known as the Road to Care program and offers a mobile service including substance use treatment and primary care for individuals experiencing homelessness. This project received $2,500.
Advocacy Allies, which will pair medical students of color with patients of color to serve as patient advocates at medical appointments. This project received $1,650.
Welcoming resettled Afghan families to Worcester through youth mentorship and resource connecting, which partners with the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project to offer tutoring, mentoring, English language skills, and social support. This project received $1,650.
Care Navigation Program at the Worcester Asylum Clinic, which will provide comprehensive support for asylum seekers. This project received $1,650.