Urban Health and Health Equities Pathway

Human health and wellness are tightly linked with the communities in which we reside – our neighborhoods, our cultural communities, our built environment, and our socioeconomic realms.  The Urban Health and Health Equities Pathway is designed for residents interested in delving more deeply into the Boston-based urban communities in which so many of our BMC patients live.

Residents in this pathway will receive advanced training in health disparities and medical management of clinical issues frequently seen in underserved patient populations.  Residents will also gain exposure to a variety of urban health issues – including substance use, immigrant/refugee health, urban violence, hunger and food access, housing/homelessness and more.

Each year we accept two rising junior residents into the pathway after an application process.  Each resident will have a variety of elective clinical experiences, including exposure to addiction medicine clinics, refugee clinic, work at healthcare for the homeless, needle exchange, and more.  Residents also have one week of dedicated elective time to urban health.  Educational activities include didactics on health disparities, training in health advocacy methods, and site visits to relevant social services organizations including urban farms, local advocacy organizations, community health centers, respite hospitals, and more.

IMG_2516

Current resident projects include:

  • Improvement in cervical cancer screening in refugee populations
  • Development of intern educational conference on local community resources

Sample Urban Health Elective Week Schedule:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM Geriatric Home Visits CSAC Methadone Clinic Primary care of the Refugee patient FAST-PATH HIV Clinic Neighborhood Tour – North Dorchester
PM  Reading time Suboxone Clinic Urban Health didactics ER Violence Intervention Advocacy Program Shattuck Hospital Visit

Sample Clinic Week Schedule

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Continuity Clinic Academic Half-Day
PM Healthcare for the Homeless – Pine Street Inn Subspecialty Clinic Subspecialty Clinic Refugee Clinic Administrative Half-Day

Please contact the Urban Health and Health Equities Pathway director, Jenny Siegel, MD, with any questions at jennifer.siegel@bmc.org.