Student Spotlight: Macie Gettings ’26
Over the past three years, Macie Gettings, class of 2026, has been involved in a multi-institutional project examining access to social services among traumatically injured patients and the relationship between social needs and long-term physical and mental health outcomes. Through the FORTE project, telephone survey data are collected from patients at BMC, Brigham, and MGH at 6- and 12-months post-injury, creating a large longitudinal dataset. The current focus is on patients screening positive for food insecurity, unemployment, or functional disability, with the aim of identifying barriers to accessing services and assessing the long-term impact of that access.
Macie’s mentor is Dr. Sabrina Sanchez, a trauma surgeon at BMC, who has been instrumental in advancing the project. Macie began working with Dr. Sanchez during her M1 year and has been guided through the development of the project plan, the intricacies of data analysis, and the process of finalizing a manuscript.
As research on social determinants of health continues to grow, Macie recognizes the importance of moving beyond identifying disparities toward implementing actionable solutions. The project seeks to determine which patients with social needs are successfully accessing services and to evaluate whether those services improve long-term outcomes. The ultimate goal is to inform targeted outreach and advocate for enhancements in post-trauma care, working to close gaps in service accessibility and effectiveness.
Macie has presented this work at several conferences, including the BU Medical Student Research Symposium, the Thriving Together Summit in Boston, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and the Academic Surgical Congress in Washington, D.C.