16
Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research 2011 Report
Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research
2011 Report
2
CONTENT
Partnering with the Office of
Cultural Enhancement and
Diversity (OCED)
4
Summer Science Residential
Academy
5
Science Education Partnership
Awards (SEPA)
5
Meet the Internship
Coordinators
6
Latino Internship in Health
Disparities Research
7
Latino Internship in Health
Disparities Research
Community Advisory Board
8
2011 Summer & Fall Interns
9-10
Partnering with AIHREA/CAICH
11-12
Wyandotte County Field Trip
13
Summer 2011 Internship
Closing Ceremony
14
Medical Students Making a
Difference in Health Disparities
15
Latino Internship in Health
Disparities Research
Application Process
16
The University of Kansas
16
3
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Juntos Center for Advancing Latino Health
thanks the staff who contributed to the
2011 Latino Internship in Health Dispari-
ties Research report and gives special
thanks to:
Patricia Thomas, Marcia Pomeroy,
Douglas Walker, Greg Valdovino, and
Elwood Pipestem-Ott.
In addition, Juntos offers its thanks to
2011 interns Claudia Rivera and Diosselyn
Tot-Velasquez for their contributions to
this report.
March 2012. This report was created by Natalia
Suarez.
4
The Pathological Life Sciences Training Program for Students and Families is a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) project funded by the National Center for Research
Resources (NCRR) a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The contents provided here are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.
Partnering with the Office of Cultural Enhancement and
Diversity (OCED)
To learn more about other health career opportunities at KUMC, please contact:
Maria Alonso Luaces at [email protected] 913-588-1547
Pamela Scott at [email protected] 913-945-6402.
The Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED) and Center of Excellence (COE) have the unique oppor-
tunity to offer support to Minority Faculty, underrepresented minority (URM) medical students and KUMC depart-
ments providing a major emphasis on health disparities in minority populations.
The KUMC Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health’s Juntos Center for Advancing Latino Health contin-
ues to lead the way in developing positive internships for high school and college students through mentoring, project
development, community awareness and education. The partnership that has grown between OCED/SEPA GRCR
and Juntos continues to bring the best of both organizations to URM students and the community we serve.
Sharing a similar philosophy that the student/mentor relationship is a long term commitment to the academic and ca-
reer success of the students, OCED and Juntos reinforce each other as we provide human and financial resources,
health career experiences and a lasting commitment to the students. It is with great expectations that we look toward
the future together.
By Marcia Pomeroy, Director, K-12, Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED)
5
The Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED), Summer Science Residen-
tial Academy (SSA) has a proud history of student achievement. SSA is our college
prep program implemented on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Students participate in interactive science labs, ACT Review during the day, prepare for
presentations of Multicultural Night, Original Poetry at the Blue Room, Multicultural
Art workshops, and study groups in the evening. We have over 170 students who have
graduated from the Summer Science Academy with a 100 % high school graduation and
95% college entrance since 2002.
Our students are in universities across the nation, from Brigham Young to University of Chicago, Iowa U, Duke U,
Boston U, Washington U, undergrad and grad school, K-State, Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC),
and of course, KU undergrad and grad school. Students and their families are given a chance to experience college life with a safety net. Faculty and Counselors from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, KCKCC, KU School of Medi-
cine and former Academy graduates provide a safe and tolerant living and learning climate for the students. After
completing the residential stay, students are engaged in a two week internship with physicians and researchers from
KUMC, Wyandotte Public Health, EPA, Swope Park and St.Lukes.
Two of our SSA students Natalie Villanueva (top left corner) and Jovanna Gomez
(bottom right corner) were provided internships with the Department of Preventive
Medicine with Dr. Paula Cupertino and Juntos staff. The students were given research and
community health skills that will increase their success in high school as they prepare for
college.
By Marcia Pomeroy, Director, K-12, Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED)
Summer Science Residential Academy
The Science Education Partnership Awards (SEPA) program is provided by
the Office of Cultural Enhancement and Diversity (OCED) at the University
of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) and supported by the National Center for Research Re-
sources, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
SEPA is designed to improve life science literacy throughout the nation through innovative educational programs.
SEPA-supported projects create partnerships among biomedical and clinical researchers and K-12 teachers and
schools, museums and science centers, media ex-
perts, and other educational organizations.
For application support, please contact:
Ms. Marcia Pomeroy at [email protected]
816-522-8702
Ms. Ursula Carrillo at [email protected] 913-627-4351
Science Education Partnership Awards
Dr. Paula Cupertino and Ms. Marcia Pomeroy Ms. Carrillo, Ms. Suárez and Mr. Lopez
6
Meet the Internship Coordinators
Dr. Cupertino is the Director of Juntos Center for Advancing Latino
Health, as well as Assistant Professor at the KUMC Department of Pre-
ventive Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Cupertino is a social behavioral
scientist whose cancer related research has focused on smoking cessa-
tion and access to cessation treatments among underserved and under-
studied populations with a primary focus on Latinos. Dr. Cupertino also
has experience in the development and implementation of research pro-
jects incorporating cultural factors and principles of community-based
participatory research.
In the past 10 years she has had the opportunity to mentor several mas-
ter, doctorate and post-doctorate students in Brazil and in the United
States. Dr. Cupertino is actively involved in mentoring Latino medical
students and resident fellows in different clinical research projects.
You can contact Dr. Cupertino at 913-588-2783 or [email protected]
A. P
au
la C
up
ertino, P
hD
Natalia Suárez is a Research Associate at Juntos Center for Advancing La-
tino Health. Ms Suárez serves as the Internship Coordinator of the Latino
Internship in Health Disparities Research, which aims to expose minority
and disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students from the
greater Kansas City area to the health care field, and thus, create a cohort
of investigators that can address health disparities in the future.
Furthermore, Ms. Suárez assists Kelly Kreisler, MD at the University of
Kansas Pediatrics Department with the ongoing preparation and submis-
sion of Pediatric grant opportunities aiming to boost immunization rates
among minority, Refugee and underserved populations in the Kansas City
area.
You can contact Natalia Suárez at 913-945-7065 or [email protected]
Nata
lia S
uárez, M
A
Aldo Alvidrez is a paraprofessional in the ESL department for the Unified School
District (USD) 500 and has also experience collaboratively teaching new meth-
ods to culturally diverse groups. Mr. Alvidrez had the opportunity to act as In-
ternship Assistant Coordinator in the Latino Internship in Health Disparities Re-
search. He immensely enjoyed his experience, working with both high school
and undergraduate students.
He plans to further his education in the field of Biochemistry, but plans to keep
investing time and energy in such an exciting and underrepresented field.
You can contact Aldo Alvidrez at [email protected]
Ald
o A
lvid
rez
Every summer, having Latino high school and undergraduate students around us gives us
new perspectives to our health disparities work carried out all year long. In the summer of
2011, we engaged Aldo Alvidrez as an internship coordinator.
7
Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research
The objective of the Latino Internship in Health Disparities re-
search is to support educational and mentoring programs of under
-represented populations in science, in order to create a cohort of
investigators that can address health disparities in the future.
The Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research program is a
6-week training program that brings Latino high school and under-
graduate students for hands-on interactive skill building activities
that address critical stages in health disparities research.
Students are exposed to a wide variety of career opportunities in
science, health, and technology. By engaging them in health dispari-
ties research projects within their own communities, students develop insight into the underlying causes of
health disparities and gain a sense of purpose and empowerment related to their potential role in addressing
these health disparities.
In the summer of 2011, the program served seven students from the greater Kansas City area.
Each student:
- was paired with a research faculty mentor as part of
their training in health disparities research.
- scheduled a brief interview with a KUMC Preventive
Medicine and Public Health faculty member (other
than their faculty mentor) in order to further develop
their professional skills.
- developed a research poster as part of their health
disparities research project and presented it at the Sci-
ence Education Partnership Awards (SEPA) Closing
Ceremony.
Missio
n
In the summer of 2011, we implemented a curriculum -emerged from SEPA and the Center of Excellence for
Diversity and Elimination of Health Disparities (COE)- focused on health disparities research that incorporated:
mentorship from research faculty, lectures focused on key dimensions of health disparities, meetings with Latino
medical and graduate students, field trips, and networking opportunities. Aside from exposing students to a
professional work setting, students had the opportunity to interact with KUMC Preventive Medicine and Public
Health faculty, staff, and fellow interns in an informal setting, such as coffee meetings and luncheons.
Our curriculum included five central themes:
1) Understanding medical careers
2) Comprehensive understanding of health disparities in Kansas
3) Health disparities research among Latinos
4) Development of professional skills
5) Cultural competency training.
Cu
rriculu
m
8
Robert Barrientos*
Senior Advisor
LOT
Heather Collins*
Biomedical Librarian
KUMC Dykes Library Outreach
Jeanne Crane-Smith
Director of Emerging Workers
KCKCC
Sabina Gonzales*
ESL Director
KCKPSD
Lori Hewitt
College and Career Specialist KCKPSD
Andrew Julo
Service Learning Coordinator
Donnelly College
* 2010 members
Zulma Perez
KUMC Medical Student/ LMMSA
Board Member KUMC LMMSA
Marcia Pomeroy
Director, K-12
KUMC OCED
Pamela Scott
Director of Diversity and
Multicultural Affairs
KUMC OCED
Greg Valdovino
Assistant Director of Admissions
KU Lawrence Admissions
Eric Wilkinson
College Coach Kauffman Scholars, Inc.
Theresa Kolbeck*
Allied Health Recruiter &
Academic Advisor
Donnelly College
Randy Lopez
Migrant and Community Liaison
SMSD
Maria Alonso Luaces
Director of Academic Profes-
sional & Workforce
Development
KUMC OCED
Karla Moreira
Coordinator for KCKCC Inter-
cultural Center/ Advisor KCKCC
Latino Student Organization
KCKCC
In 2010, we established a Community Advisory Board (CAB) with members representing KUMC, Latino Midwest
Medical Student Association (LMMSA), KU Lawrence, Kauffman Scholars, Inc. Kansas City Kansas Public School Dis-
trict (KCKPSD), Latinos of Tomorrow (LOT) and Donnelly College. Representatives from the Shawnee Mission
School District (SMSD) and Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) joined our CAB in 2011. We actively
seek to expand our CAB in order to fully address the goal of recruiting Latino youth into health disparities education
and research.
Our CAB meets every Spring, Summer and Fall semester at KUMC to review and provide input on shared issues per-
tinent to the Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research. Our CAB is highly engaged in the planning, implementa-
tion, and dissemination efforts of the internship program. CAB members proactively assist with community outreach,
candidate recruitment and selection processes, as well as provide feedback on the program’s curriculum.
Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research
Community Advisory Board
Meet Our 2010 – 2011 CAB Members:
9
Research Project: “Comparing Knowledge and Attitudes about Breast Cancer
and Mammograms among Dominicans in the U.S. and in Dominican Republic”
Research Mentor: Dr. Paula Cupertino
Chavely graduated from F.L . Schlagle High School as an honors student, and is
attending Kansas City, Kansas Community College (KCKCC) to pursue a career
as a neurologist in the future In addition, she is also currently a fall intern at the
KUMC, Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, specifically working
with Dr. Kim Engelman and her team on projects related to breast cancer.
Artu
ro M
ora
Research Project: “Surveys… What They Say Depends on Who’s Talking.
Evaluation of Responders to a Tobacco Treatment Survey”
Research Mentor: Dr. Kim Richter
Iveth graduated from Wyandotte High School and would like to pursue a
degree in nursing. Specifically, Iveth would like to work in the psychiatric and
mental health nursing field.
Iveth
Oro
zco
Research Project: “Case and Study in Disease Management for Rural Hospi-
talized Smokers”
Research Mentor: Dr. Edward Ellerbeck
Susely graduated from Wyandotte High School. She would like to pursue a
career in education or within the medical field. Susely is very passionate
about animals and as such, has also an interest in becoming a veterinarian.
Susely is a KC BizFest Scholarship awardee.
Su
sely S
ala
zar
Research Project: “Availability of Diabetes-Support Programs for the La-
tino Population”
Research Mentor: Dr. Paula Cupertino
Alike most of the students, this was Arturo’s first year being part of the
Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research. Arturo graduated from
Sumner Academy of Arts & Science and is currently a Junior at Kansas
State University and is interested in pursuing a medical or nursing degree.
Ch
avely
Hern
an
dez
Research Project: “A Descriptive Study of Health Disparities Between Wyan-
dotte County and Neighboring Counties: A peep into why and possible
remedies”
Research Mentor: Dr. Babalola Faseru
For the second consecutive year, Andros has been part of the Latino Intern-
ship in Health Disparities Research. Andros graduated from Sumner Academy
of Arts & Science as an International Baccalaureate Diploma recipient and is
currently attending Boston University.
An
dro
s Garcia
2011 Summer Interns
10
CELEBRATING HEALTHY
FAMILIES 2011
Empowering youth in health disparities re-
search is a critical public health priority. In
addition to research internships, volunteer
opportunities can be an excellent way to
develop the necessary knowledge and skills
to further understand health disparities, and
engage youth to address said health dispari-
ties in their communities.
The Celebrating Healthy Families (CHF) is
a partnership aimed at increasing awareness
and access to healthcare for the uninsured/
underserved Hispanic/Latino community in
the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The CHF partnership is comprised of di-
verse organizations and institutions that
work together to plan and implement the
annual CHF event in areas with a high con-
centration of Latinos.
For the past five years, the CHF partnership
has brought together community organiza-
tions across the region to run annual screen-
ing and education events serving more than
4,000 almost exclusively Latino, Spanish-
speaking community with limited access to
preventive services, making CHF the largest
health event in Wyandotte County serving
this population.
At the 2011 CHF event, Diosselyn Tot-
Velasquez and Johana Bravo de los Rios
volunteered alongside Juntos staff.
Research project: “Assessing Breast Cancer Knowledge,
Beliefs, and Screening Access Among African-Born Black
Women and Men”
Research Mentor: Dr. Kim Engelman
This was Karina’s first year as a part of the Latino Intern-
ship in Health Disparities
Research program. She is
also a fall intern for Juntos.
Karina is currently assisting
J.C. Harmon High School as
an honors student. She
plans on attending medical
school next year. C
lau
dia
Riv
era
Research Project: “Study of Multi-Generational Teen
Pregnancy among Latina Women”
Research Mentor: Dr. Megha Ramaswamy
This is Diosselyn’s first year a part of the Latino Internship
in Health Disparities Research program and continues
working with Juntos as a fall intern. She is also assisting her
summer mentor, Dr.
Ramaswamy, for a Masters
level class at KUMC.
She currently is a Senior at
Sumner Academy of Arts &
Science and an International
Baccalaureate Diploma stu-
dent.
Dio
sselyn
Tot-V
elasq
uez
Research Project: “Community Out-
reach in Southwest Kansas”
Research Mentors: Dr. Cupertino &
Mercedes Saint-Elin, LL.M.
Johana Bravo de los Rios is a Research
Intern at Juntos Center for Advancing
Latino Health, and a 2012 KUMC Mas-
ters in Public Health (MPH) applicant.
Ms. Bravo moved to Kansas from Peru
five years ago to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Microbi-
ology at the University of Kansas. Ms. Bravo has been col-
laborating in the design and implementation of Cancer
101 and Clinical Trial trainings for Latino community
health workers in Southwest Kansas. Ms. Bravo also vol-
unteers at the Jaydoc Free Clinic as a Spanish Interpreter.
Joh
an
a B
ravo d
e los R
ios
2011 Summer & Fall Interns
Volunteers and the Kansas Health Department Beewise Immu-
nize Mascot at the CHF Children’s Corner.
11
Partnering with AIHREA/CAICH For the past two summers the Center for American Indian Community
Health (CAICH) at the University of Kansas Medical Center and the Center
for American Indian Studies (CAIS) at Johnson County Community College,
have enriched the lives of several high school, undergraduate, and graduate
students through our summer internship program. The purpose of our intern-
ship program is to give students an opportunity to work in a research environment with the guidance of mentors with
the specific focus of working with the Native American community. AIHREA (American Indian Health Research &
Education Alliance) considers it an honor to provide this opportunity every summer to a new group of interns. This
summer we were pleased to welcome 24 new interns to the team. Of the 24 interns, 5 were high school students, 16
were undergraduates, and 3 were graduate students.
For the duration of the internship, the students worked closely with their mentors on a project related to Native
American health. This year, the interns also participated in a small project using photo voice. The purpose of this pro-
ject was to have the interns expand their ideas about what health is through the lens of a camera. The interns re-
turned with creative and symbolic representations of health that they shared in a group discussion. Several interns re-flected on how this project opened their eyes to the diversity of health issues and the dimensions of health. At the
end of those two weeks, they put together a poster to be presented at the end of the program. See our website
www.aihrea.com for all of our student posters.
We are proud to say that the interns produced educational, informed and professional poster presentations at the
close of the internship. All of the summer interns should feel pride in the work that they completed. It was an excel-
lent learning experience for not only the interns, but the entire CAICH and CAIS teams. AIHREA is fully invested in
the success of this internship program. We are looking forward to building on the successes of this year’s program
and will integrate suggestions from this summer’s interns for next year’s students. We are proud and humbled to pro-
vide a top notch summer enrichment experience to Native and non-Native students alike.
*Excerpt from “AIHREA Internships”, AIHREA- Native Health in the Heartland Fall 2011 Newsletter, pg 3.
AIHREA contact info:
Center for American Indian Community Health
University of Kansas Medical Center
Toll free 1-855-552-2424 or 913-588-0866
AIHREA/CAICH Summer 2011 Interns & Staff
12
In the summer of 2011, Juntos and CAICH partnered to expose students to the underlying causes of health dis-
parities in communities other than their own. This partnership aims to empower students to fully comprehend and
identify health disparities across diverse communities.
In addition, Juntos and CAICH interns volunteered at the 2011 Kansas City Kansas Bike Safety Rodeo & Health
& Financial Fair, Celebrating Healthy Families 2011, and Healthy Living Kansas mammogram outings.
Networking Event with Lester Earl
The networking event aimed to broaden students'
perspective on health disparities, and make students
understand that different racial/ethnic groups have
similar health disparity issues. In addition, by interact-
ing with their peers, students established new social
connections which could help them in their profes-
sional endeavors.
Lester Earl -the event’s guest speaker– gave students
a motivational speech on the significance of good life
choices, and maximizing productivity with opportuni-
ties. He is a former Kansas University basketball
player, and professional experience. He now serves as
an aid to non-profit organizations.
Nelson Atkins Museum of Art Guided Tour
At CAICH and Juntos, we believe that the exposure
to cultural sites is beneficial for students’ personal
and professional growth. The Nelson Atkins Museum
of Art exposed CAICH and Juntos interns to an in-
ternationally renowned cultural site located in Kan-
sas City.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is internationally
recognized for its outstanding collection of more
than 33,500 objects. Particular attention was paid to
the American Indian permanent art collection, which
encompasses important works from all North
American culture areas, dating from pre-contact to
the present, and includes pottery, basketry, quill and beadwork, textiles, painting and sculpture.
The guided tour of the American Indian exhibit al-
lowed CAICH and Juntos interns to further appreci-
ate and value American Indian heritage, history, and
culture, which particularly aligns with CAICH’s core
value: to promote community awareness and cultural
pride by means of improving the overall health of
American Indians.
Research Poster Presentation Rehearsal
As part of the Juntos and CAICH summer internship
programs, students were required to prepare and
present a research poster.
Juntos and CAICH interns got together for a formal
research poster
presentation re-
hearsal, in which
Faculty mentors
and peers offered
valuable feedback.
13
Wyandotte County Field Trip
Quotes from Students’ Reflective Essays
on WyCo’s Health Disparities
Mora: “I am happy to say that I belong to a
very loving and outgoing community, which
would help anyone in need… When we succeed
in educating our young Latinos, we will have a
healthier community. Having a healthier commu-
nity means endless opportunities… It is time to
stand up and save our community.”
Rivera: “There is a lot of unnecessary gang
graffiti all around Wyandotte but also many
beautiful murals like the Anthology of Argentine
that was led by Jose Ortiz.”
Tot-Velasquez (First Prize Essay Contest
Winner): “Having people educated about cer-
tain topics of health issues, teaching the popula-
tion how to take care of themselves… are some
of the issues we need to work on.”
Hernandez: “A healthy Wyandotte County to
me means a good environment for the commu-
nity. A health community is where the author-
ity… gives attention to the community’s needs,
and where the community can feel comfortable
in the environment.”
Salvidar: “A healthy Wyandotte County would
allow me to grow in a healthy environment and
become encouraged to live there with my fam-
ily… Together we can work towards progress…
with the overall goal of diminishing health dis-
parities in Wyandotte County.”
Salazar: “In order to have a healthy county all
residents need to put effort to make it possible.
Everything is possible when we really want to get
it done.”
The Wyandotte County (WyCo) field trip aims to expose students to
the history, culture, and public health issues existing in this geographi-
cal area. The guided tour emphasizes on key locations in the Wyan-
dotte County and encourages students to reflect upon what can be
done to improve the health and overall well-being of the community.
The Summer 2011 Wyandotte County field trip included visits to the
following sites:
Cultural and Historical Sites:
Sauer Castle
The Anthology of Argentine Mural
Historic point of flood level at
St. John the Divine Church
Lewis & Clark Historic Point
Community-Serving Organizations & Establish-
ments:
Quindaro Clinic
KUMC Children’s Campus
KCK Health Department
El Centro Inc.
Duchesne Clinic
City Hall
Schools:
Silver City Elementary School
Argentine Middle School
J.C. Harmon High School
Wyandotte High School
Sumner Academy of Arts &
Science
Latino-Owned Businesses
Bonito Michoacán Mexican Restaurant
Students wrote reflective essays about their experiences of the field
trip. They were encouraged to re-
flect on what they perceived are
the biggest issues in Wyandotte
County, and suggest possible solu-
tions to address said issues, with
the overall purpose of improving
the health of the community.
14
Summer 2011 Internship Closing Ceremony
Multicultural Night took place on July 6th at the
KUMC Battenfield Auditorium. It is a joint effort
between SEPA Camp Path0logical, GCRC Summer
Programs, and HCPP Summer Science Academy.
This year’s event slogan was: “A Night of Differ-
ences. A Night of Unity”. Throughout the summer
internship, students met weekly in order to create,
design, and rehearse diverse acts and performances,
all emphasizing cultural diversity.
The 2011 Multicultural Night featured performances
such as: Zumba Dance, Hmong Song, Dominican
Dance, Coming of Age Fashion Show, Original Gos-
pel Rap, Mexican Folkloric Dance, Arabic Poem recital, among many other diverse performances. The cere-
mony ended with a closing performance by all students in which together they sang “Stand By Me.”
GC
RC
Mu
lticultu
ral N
igh
t
On July 8, 2011, SEPA Camp Path0logical and GCRC Summer Programs hosted the
2011 Closing Ceremony at the KUMC Beller Conference Center. Among attendees
were staff from the Office of Cultural Enhancement & Diversity (OCED), research
mentors, guest lecturers and workshop providers from the GCRC program, Camp
Path0logical, the Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, Department of
Family Medicine, Department of Neurology, among
many more. Parents and families of the summer stu-
dents were also present.
The closing ceremony started with students present-
ing their research posters. Subsequently, speakers and
summer students –including our very own Dr. Cupertino and Andros Garcia-
gave final words and remarks, and finally, students received their certificates.
Clo
sing C
erem
on
y
On the final day of the internship program, Juntos held a potluck breakfast
for all summer interns as part of the internship closing ceremony. At this
breakfast, students were encouraged to reflect upon what they achieved
and learned during the summer program.
Students reviewed the knowledge and skills gained throughout the pro-
gram and assessed the internship activities and workshops. The breakfast
was then finalized with a gift exchange for all interns and internship coordi-
nators’ final speeches.
Ju
nto
s Brea
kfa
st
15
Medical Students Making a Difference in Health Disparities
The Latino Midwest Medical Student Association (LMMSA) at
the University of Kansas School of Medicine is dedicated to
serving the Kansas City community through its activities. Con-
sisting of a diverse array of medical students and other health
professionals at KUMC, LMMSA seeks to find better ways to
care for Kansas City's large Hispanic population as well as its
other medically and socially underserved populations.
Members are often highly involved in a variety of community
service activities, and many have an interest in learning the
Spanish language or experiencing the diversity of Latino Cul-
ture. Membership is open to all KUMC medical students. Meet-
ings occur every month while school is in session, and LMMSA
frequently has volunteer opportunities, notable speakers invited
to address relevant issues, and entertaining cultural activities
throughout the year.
LMMSA is a regional chapter of the National Network of Latin
American Medical Students
(NNLAMS), a 501(c) non-profit organi-
zation.
Contact Person: Edsel Sandoval, M1
www2.kumc.edu/students/lmmsa/
Latino Midwest Medical Student
Association (LMMSA)
Samuel Ornelas is currently a 2nd
year medical student at KU School
of Medicine from the Garden City,
KS area. He has been married for 3
years and has served almost 13
years of military service. Samuel has
been Director of the JayDoc Free
Clinic since October 2010.
In the summer of 2011, Samuel worked with Drs’
Ellerbeck and Cupertino on a research project that
assessed the level of diabetes knowledge among peo-
ple with type 2 diabetes seen at JayDoc Free Clinic.
Samuel Ornelas, M2
Steve was born and raised in Chicago, Il. A graduate of
the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, he is
currently a second year medical student at Kansas
University School of Medicine. Steve also attended
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he
completed his post baccalaureate studies. * Picture Unavailable
Steve Daniel, M2
Christina Bourne, Post-Baccalaureate
Christina Bourne recently obtained a
Masters in Public Health at Washington
University in St. Louis. Before that, she
was a nutritionist for two years in Tuc-
son, AZ. Christina will be medical stu-
dent at KU School of Medicine in the
2016 class.
She is currently working with Drs. Eller-
beck and Cupertino in the development
of a technology-based intervention to reduce diabetes-
related health disparities in the local Latino community.
Jimmie Stewart attended Garden City
Community College for one year,
where he obtained an Associate’s de-
gree in Science in 2009, and then
transferred to Kansas State Univer-
sity, where he is majoring in Biology
with an emphasis in PreMed, with a
secondary Major in Gerontology. Jimmie will gradu-
ate from Kansas State University in May 2012.
Jimmie Stewart, M1 Fall 2012
Edward F. Ellerbeck, MD, MPH
Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health
It has been a privilege and an honor for the Department of Pre-
ventive Medicine and Public Health to host the Juntos interns
this past year. This internship is closely aligned with the core
mission of our department: “to bring the science of public
health to our communities”.
By hosting the Juntos interns, we get a chance to interact with
talented youth who will be our future leaders in health care,
preventive medicine, and public health. While they are with
us, these interns have the opportunity to work directly with
public health professionals engaged in community-based par-
ticipatory research, working to eliminate health disparities.
These students provide practical assistance on ongoing projects
while obtaining a much deeper appreciation of the causes of
health disparities and the forces that underlie community
health. In return, we as faculty in the department, get the op-
portunity to work closely with bright, young scholars and wit-
ness their unique perspectives on health disparities and the im-
pact on their communities.
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Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research
Application Process
To apply for the 2012 Latino Internship in Health Disparities Research (use the following checklist):
Please submit the following documents:
Signed application form Essay List of extracurricular activities and/or resume/CV Unofficial copy of report card/transcript Letter of recommendation Emails should indicate “2012 Internship Application” in subject line
Return completed application via email ([email protected]) or mail to:
Natalia Suárez
University of Kansas Medical Center
Juntos Center for Advancing Latino Health
Mail Stop 1056
4125 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
** We highly encourage applicants to send their documentation via email **
COMPLETE APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE FOR CONSIDERATION
Summer semester 2012: March 30th at 5:00 PM (CST)
Fall semester 2012: July 20th at 5:00 PM (CST)
Spring semester 2013: November 23rd at 5:00 PM (CST)
Learn from the best. At the University of Kansas, our academic programs are highly ranked and respected
around the world. You’ll get an outstanding education at an affordable price. You’ll like what we have to offer.
You’ll be in demand with a KU degree in the health professions – whether you’re working with patients or in
the lab. KU offers more than 20 academic programs in health sciences, including many graduate programs.
Our graduates become leaders of teams of health scientists, who diagnose and treat illness or injuries and
manage health information across our region, nation, and the world.
For more information about applying to the University of Kansas visit us on the
web at www.admissions.ku.edu or call us at 785-864-3911.
The University of Kansas
