For the past 34 years, medical students from across the country come to Harbor-UCLA Department of Family Medicine to work alongside family medicine residents, undergraduate and high school students in a community based project for 6 weeks during the summer. Working in teams they learn about health care disparities and issues facing our underserved and marginalized communities. They learn the fundamentals of community based research, health policy and advocacy, provide health education talks to the community, and plan and implement 2 community health fairs. The project culminates in a formal summit where a health status report is presented to the community along with suggestions for improvement.

Check out one of our student’s reflections on her experience: “Before I participated in Summer Urban Health Fellowship I knew that my main career goal was to become a physician and to care for patients that live in underserved communities. However, it wasn’t until I became a part of this particular program when I learned how the health disparities that exist in low-income, underserved communities can stem from specific socioeconomic factors, for example lack of insurance or access to healthcare. As a result, this has not only reinforced my desire to go into community medicine but has expanded my perspective of all the different aspects of medicine. I now understand that medicine encompasses much more than the natural sciences like physiology, biology, and chemistry it is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary field. A physician should not only be knowledgeable of the intricacy of anatomy but also be mindful of the patient’s lifestyle and community. In addition, I learned of the need for social justice in the medical field and the importance of taking a stand and advocating for issues you believe in. In this program not only did we advocate for health related issues, conduct surveys, and plan health fairs together but we all had the opportunity to help and teach one another regardless if a student was in high school, college, or medical school which I found to be highly empowering. I will always treasure the experiences I have gained in the program but, most importantly, I will always be thankful for the people I have met and the friendships I have built here in the Summer Urban Health Fellowship. ” – Alondra Salazar, sophomore at UCLA

For further information or questions about the Harbor-UCLA Summer Urban Health Fellowship project, please contact:

Dr. Gilberto Granados and Dr. Jyoti Puvvula

ggranados@dhs.lacounty.gov
jpuvvula@dhs.lacounty.gov