A patient is an individual—and a member of a community.
So, in PURCH, you will collaborate with our Baystate Community Faculty, who live, learn, work, pray, play, and age in the communities served by Baystate Health. They bring the experience of community residents to all corners of undergraduate medical education.
Making an Impression on Medical Students
By facilitating small group discussions, providing immersive community experiences, and collaborating on their advocacy efforts, the Baystate Community Faculty illuminate problems of health inequity for PURCH students and help them develop skills to address them.
PURCH students unanimously say they appreciate the value the Baystate Community Faculty bring to their education.
Community Faculty Members
This diverse group of non-clinical community members have undergone professional development training to prepare them to participate in medical education.
Co-chairs
Lisa Clinton, UMass Chan Medical School - Baystate
Jenise Katalina, LICSW, Women of Color Health Equity Collective
Abdullah Abdul-Rahim, Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA)
Bettye Anderson Frederic, RN, MSN, Gardening the Community
Mary Ayala, Labor & Delivery, Baystate Medical Center
Areliz Barbosa, BS, CCHW, Bay Path University
Beth Cardillo, MEd, LSW, CDP, Baystate Health Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program
Gilbert Dillard, Hilltop Veterans
Brenda Evans, MPH, University of Massachusetts Amherst, School of Public Health & Health Sciences
David Gaby, McKnight Community Development Corporation
Ysabel Garcia, Estoy Aqui LLC
Katherine Gerstle, MD, Family Medicine Specialty Advisor
Zaida Govan, LICSW, Listening With Love Indian Orchard Citizens Council
Charlie Holmes, Born Free Outreach Services
Kelly Lamas, MPH, Baystate Health, Ambulatory & Quality
Khali Maddox-Abdegeo, Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA) & CORI Community Action Task Force
Cindy Miller, Tapestry Health
Grace Ramsay, MPH, Tapestry Health
Mable Lene Sharif, MS, HS-BCP, Community Liaison, Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center
Ariana Williams, BSPH, CHW, Baystate Health
Making An Impact on Medical Education
Baystate Community Faculty come together regularly with the PURCH team to collaborate on educational initiatives and opportunities for our students.
Applicant Interviews
Baystate Community Faculty members are involved in evaluating PURCH Pathway applicants by participating as raters in the Mini Multiple Interview (MMI) process.
Poverty Simulations
In this interactive educational experience, medical students role-play being a member of a family living at or below the poverty line. They decide how to pay for housing and food, get to work, keep their kids in school, and deal with unexpected challenges with limited resources. Baystate Community Faculty portray community resource workers, and facilitate discussion about needs of the community and the social determinants that effect healthcare.
Standardized Patients
Some Baystate Community Faculty members are trained to act as patients with specific medical conditions, and allow students to interview or examine them in a simulated office visit. They provide constructive feedback to medical students and evaluate their medical interviewing skills and physical examination techniques.