Special Projects
1
Study Abroad in Cuba
In 2017, I led students on an immersive health care study abroad trip to Cuba. For the trip, I taught the class Health, Culture and Elder Care in Cuba. Students attended class in the morning and in the afternoon, had the opportunity to volunteer at various elder care facilities throughout Havana where they were exposed to socialized medicine in practice. Santovenia, the converted convent that is now home to an eldercare facility, was one location where students interacted with residents and formed deep connections. While students run simple activities, such as playing card games and coloring, they learn the importance of cultural competency and have the chance to interact with patients in ways that are not always possible for undergraduates in the US.
2
Study Abroad in San Juan
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3
Safe Space Radio
Safe Space Radio has a powerful library of mission-driven podcasts that can help reduce shame about difficult health issues and can offer valuable teachings to listeners. I was retained in mid-April 2021 to develop outreach and visibility opportunities for the Safe Space Radio education initiatives: Clinical Continuing Education; Waiting Room Project; Third Year Medical Student Empathy Education. I led three focus groups to gather information on targeted markets, specifically young adults, patient populations, and physicians. Research and outreach were conducted about various health-related organizations and conferences in order to develop a campaign strategy for future marketing. Two audiograms were piloted as a component of the marketing campaign, one of which can be viewed below.
3
Marketing & Promotion
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4
Strategic Use of Music
For the Strategic Use of Music (SUM) pilot study, I collaborated with NYU Winthrop Geriatric Medicine Associates to design and explore caregiver use of music with dementia patients as a tool to encourage patient cooperation with activities of daily living and during difficult times of the day. I helped create the guideline for family caregivers and have done a series of presentations on the study results. Participant caregivers in the SUM study found that using a personalized music playlist with loved ones was very beneficial in reducing stress levels. In many patients, the positive impact of music can also be used to reduce difficult behaviors and encourage desirable engagement. View the PDF to the left for more information.