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, Job Corps
Jenise Katalina, Children's Trust/Healthy Families Massachusetts
Abdullah Abdul-Rahim, MOCHA (Men of Color Health Awareness)
Bettye Anderson Frederic, Gardening the Community
Mary Ayala, Labor & Delivery, Baystate Medical Center
Areliz Barbosa, CCHW, Women's Health Network, Baystate Health
Beth Cardillo, MEd, LSW, CDP, Armbrook Village
Gilbert Dillard, Retired - Veteran
Kevin Dumpson III, Suit Up Springfield
Brenda Evans, UMass School of Public Health
David Gaby, McKnight Community Development Corp
Ysabel Garcia, Estoy Aqui
Zaida Govan, City Councilor, City of Springfield
Charlie Holmes, Service Employees International Union
Khali Maddox-Abdegeo, Maddox Enterprises
Frank Martinez, MassHire Holyoke
Cindy Miller, Tapestry Health
Lizzy Ortiz, City of Springfield – Office of Housing
Lara Quiles, Commonwealth Care Alliance
Grace Ramsay, Tapestry Health
Ricky Rivera, Mental Health Association GRIT Program (LGBTQ+ Recovery)
Mable Sharif, Community Liaison, Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center
Ariana Williams, BS, CHW, Martin Luther King Jr Family Services
Rebecca Willoughby, Retired - Community Volunteer
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 track 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.