Satcher praises medical students
eynote speaker David Satcher '72M (resident), the former U.S. Surgeon General, recognized the community outreach efforts of University medical students during the Marvin J. Hoffman Day award ceremonies April 29 at the Medical Center.
Among the projects honored was the UR Well Student Outreach at St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center, an organization that offers medical services and mental health counseling to uninsured individuals and families. Since September, the student outreach project has provided the center's patients with after-hours care thanks to the volunteer efforts of 70 medical student and a dozen family medicine physicians.
Deepa Camenga, one of 16 students honored with the Joan Hensler Community Outreach Award during the ceremony, says it was an eye-opening experience to try to help uninsured patients navigate their way through what can be a very complex medical system.
"This experience gave me a chance to see a part of the community I might not otherwise, and to think about the concerns and struggles of those who are uninsured," says Camenga, a second year medical student.
Others recognized at the ceremony include a student who studied the quality of life for patients with Alzheimer's disease, two students who researched AIDS control and prevention programs in Thailand, and a student who examined the link between hereditary conditions and heart disease in adolescents. Arthur Moss, professor of medicine, received the Faculty Mentor Award for guiding and assisting students.
In his keynote address, Satcher highlighted ways to address health care disparities in the United States and commended the students for their outreach efforts. "It means a lot that you cared, were motivated to make such contributions to this community-and that this institution values those contributions," said Satcher.
The seventh annual event is named in honor of Hoffman '45, clinical professor emeritus of medicine who also spoke at the ceremony. He joined the faculty at the School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1951 as an instructor in medicine and practiced privately in Rochester until 1988. He is currently the senior medical director for Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield of the Rochester area.
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