The Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials: Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP) offers a distinctive approach to increasing diversity in clinical trials by providing medical students with a six-week intensive and immersive experience in underserved communities where underrepresented patients receive care.

La Creis Kidd, assistant dean of research diversity in the , leads Winn CIPP at UofL, one of nine sites nationwide hosting rising second-year students from U.S. medical schools in 2023. The students, who are committed to increasing inclusion, equity and diversity in clinical and translational research, gained exposure to clinical research, acquired community engagement and leadership skills and were mentored by early-stage investigators at UofL.

“Being awarded the Winn CIPP fellowship at the Louisville site has been so positive for my professional development at this stage of my medical career,” said Iyabo Erinkitola, a student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. “The University of Louisville School of Medicine has provided an abundance of support and encouragement as I learn to screen patients for more equitable clinical trials, perform biostatistics for relevant biologic investigations and sharpen my goals in medical science.” 

Winn CIPP scholars training at UofL from June 5 – July 14 included:

• Yosef Ansarizadeh, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Iyabo Erinkitola, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
• Brianna Guillen, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
• Brian Wadugu, Carle Illinois College of Medicine

In addition to Kidd, the Winn CIPP at UofL is supported by faculty and staff members V. Faye Jones, Christopher Seals, Barbara Clark, Susan Sawning, Sharon Gordon and Dwayne Compton.

Read more about the Winn CIPP at .

The ceremony marked the official start of the students’ medical education. Each of the 159 students was welcomed individually by faculty, staff and other respected school leaders and a white coat was placed on their shoulders. As part of the ceremony, the students recited the Declaration of Geneva, a commitment to the humanitarian standards of medicine.

Joseph Holland, a second-year medical student, offered seven points of advice to the incoming class.

“Do not listen to everyone all at once; find a dedicated study space; practice questions make perfect; do not panic, channel your anxiety; always ask for help; failure sets you up for success; and, to build endurance, you must endure. Remember, you’re in this for the long haul. This was never a sprint; it’s a marathon,” Holland said.

For the School of Medicine, the event represents another opportunity to cultivate the next generation of health care professionals.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new class of medical students,” said Toni Ganzel, dean of the School of Medicine. “The White Coat Ceremony is a momentous occasion that signifies the hard work these students have put into their studies already and the opportunities they have to look forward to with a life in medicine.”

Christopher M. Jones, endowed professor in transplant surgery and the event’s keynote speaker, advised the students, “to innovate, collaborate and deliver care with the highest integrity.” He implored them to, “strive for mastery, humbly learn from our shortcomings, seek self-improvement and build mutual trust with all of our patients, especially those in marginalized communities.”

The White Coat Ceremony was the culmination of a week-long orientation for the students, which included basic life-support training, student wellness sessions, the introduction of the curriculum and course directors, lunch with the Advisory Colleges and a session led by Ganzel on the joy of medicine.

The class of 2026 represents 21 states, 62 colleges and universities and 30 undergraduate majors. It is one of the most diverse cohorts in the school’s history, with 61% of the class identifying as female, 22% from groups underrepresented in medicine, 16% from rural counties in Kentucky and 14% age 27 and older.

“The variety of backgrounds shared in the classroom will offer an unparalleled educational experience for all of our medical students, better preparing them for a lifelong career in medicine,” said Ann Shaw, vice dean for undergraduate medical education.

See more photos from the 2022 White Coat Ceremony on .

Written by Elizabeth Wolfe.��

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) has presented Chandan the Distinguished Public Service Award at the organization’s annual assembly in San Antonio, Texas. Chandan, assistant professor in the University of Louisville’s Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, was selected thanks to her efforts at ensuring inclusive health through innovations in medical education and her work with Special Olympics.

In a ceremony last month, Chandan received the award, established to honor individuals who, in the course of public service activities, have significantly contributed to the growth and development of services that directly impact the specialty of PM&R. Previous winners of the award include Michelle Obama, Judith E. Heumann, an international disability rights activist, and numerous members of Congress.

Chandan is committed to inclusive health, the intentional inclusion of all people, including people with intellectual disabilities, in mainstream health services, training programs, research, funding streams, policies and laws.

“Intentional inclusion of people with disabilities in the spaces physicians occupy — clinical, research and teaching environments — is critical for repairing trust with marginalized communities, including the one-in-four American adults with a disability,” Chandan said. “Historically, medicine has been part of the problem, which means we have a responsibility to be part of the solution moving forward by engaging in advocacy efforts together with the patients we serve.”

Chandan’s personal experience with her brother has given her a personal understanding of the need for physicians who can provide equitable care for people with ID. She led AAPM&R’s Inclusive Health Innovation grant from the Special Olympics, which involved policy, education and advocacy activities, including the creation of an AAPM&R Intellectual Disability Member Community.

“Dr. Chandan is taking her personal experience and has turned it into a passion that she uses every day in her career,” said Darryl Kaelin, MD, chief of the UofL Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. “She is making better care for individuals with intellectual disability a local and national goal. She represents the University of Louisville well.”

Chandan directs the , a partnership between Special Olympics International and the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry to ensure future physicians receive training to care for individuals with ID across their lifespan. For this program, she oversees inclusive medical education efforts at 18 medical schools nationwide and led UofL’s participation in the program, partnering with Special Olympics Kentucky and Lee Specialty Clinic.

Chandan also received funding from to further develop medical education in the form of a standardized patient experience for PM&R residents using actors from .

Chandan is involved in Special Olympics International’s Inclusive Health movement, where she serves as a content expert for the Center for Inclusive Health, an online resource for health care providers and other audiences for ways to intentionally include people with intellectual disability in mainstream health care services, training programs and research. She also is a global clinical advisor for MedFest, the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program that provides free pre-participation sports physical exams to athletes with ID. She has engaged residents and faculty in MedFest efforts in Virginia, North Carolina, and .

Chandan was a member of the 2018-19 cohort of the faculty leadership program at UofL, Leadership and Innovation in Academic Medicine (LIAM). As part of the year-long leadership curriculum, she and her group colleagues piloted interactive, online topic tournaments to increase active, self-directed learning opportunities in the medical school curriculum.

Beginning at age 19, Cotie was pimped out or walked the streets, offering sex for money for her next high. She was repeatedly physically and emotionally abused and sexually assaulted.

Cotie didn’t have help to avoid what she and others like her call “the life,” but the University of Louisville is working to give victims like Cotie assistance to leave that life behind or elude it altogether.

Sex and labor trafficking combined are, as defined by the National Human Trafficking Hotline, “a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against their will.” Nationally, more than 8,500 cases of human trafficking were reported in 2017. Almost 6,100 involved sex trafficking, but researchers warn that as many as two-thirds of cases are never reported.

Several departments on UofL’s Belknap and Health Sciences Center campuses began working a few years ago to address human trafficking through the university’s quadruple enterprises of education, research, clinical care and community engagement. Today, the university is leading the way nationally in educating health care providers to recognize signs of trafficking.

UofL’s approach to studying the problem is truly transdisciplinary. Faculty members in social work, criminal justice, engineering, law and medicine are investigating various aspects, from the mental and physical health of victims to the routes and logistics of the actual trafficking.

Cotie didn’t have access to most of UofL’s services until she was leaving the life. But if she had, it could have made a world of difference.

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Priya Chandan, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the UofL School of Medicine and in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences, is leading nationwide efforts to help future physicians become more knowledgeable about caring for patients with IDD throughout their lives. Chandan, who has an older brother with Down syndrome, has a personal understanding of the need for physicians who can provide equitable care for people with IDD.

“This patient population is not just a pediatric population. All physicians need to be comfortable serving patients with IDD,” Chandan said.

To achieve that goal, Chandan is leading the National Curriculum Initiative in Developmental Medicine, a partnership between  and the , to ensure future physicians receive training to care for individuals with IDD across their lifespan. Throughout four years, 12 medical school partners will design and implement their own curriculum enhancements. UofL is part of the first cohort for this training, along with Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Colorado. The second cohort includes Ohio State, Case Western Reserve and Georgetown Universities.

Chandan also is working with Amy Holthouser, MD, senior associate dean of medical education, to develop the educational programs at UofL. One program is an elective rotation for fourth-year students at , an interdisciplinary clinic that focuses on caring for people with IDD that is funded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Through working with the patients and staff at Lee Specialty Clinic, the students will become more comfortable treating these patients.

‘Communication is a big part of it’

In addition, second-year medical students at UofL are participating in small group discussions led by  athletes in the Athlete Leadership Program. The goal of these discussions is to help the students better understand the needs of IDD patients by hearing their story and having the athletes express their needs.

Morgan Turner, a SOKY Athlete Ambassador who has met with the second-year students, said the most important message he wants to convey to the students is to include him in communication.

“When working with someone with a disability, be patient and ask questions to the patient and the parent. Don’t just talk to the parent,” Turner said.

“Communication is a big part of it,” Chandan said. “While this is a medical education project, we also see this as a way for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be self-advocates. Having them speak directly to medical providers about what it is like to be a patient and what they need from us is powerful.”

Chandan recently received two additional grants to expand her work. The first, an SOI Inclusive Health Innovation Grant, aims to improve education for resident and attending physicians regarding care for people with IDD. Chandan will work with the , leading efforts to educate resident and attending physicians regarding physiatrists’ role in the care of patients with IDD. Darryl Kaelin, MD, chief, professor and residency director of the UofL Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and president of AAPM&R, also is working on the project.

The second grant is from the to collaborate with the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute to develop a tool to aid with informed consent discussions. The tool will have the look of a graphic novel and will help facilitate conversations between health care providers, patients with IDD and supporters.

“I went to medical school with the intention of being a physician who serves patients with IDD,” Chandan said. “Along the way, I realized that we have work to do in terms of health education and health care delivery. My goal with these efforts is to improve care for these patients.”

A new medical school curriculum to fill this training gap has been proposed and tested by researchers from the University of Louisville, Harvard University and the University of South Florida. Their research is published this month in .

The paper, “Medical education and human trafficking: using simulation,” explores the use of a patient simulation training module incorporated into the third year of medical school.

Human trafficking is a public health crisis in the U.S., and victims are consistently under recognized by health care providers (HCPs), the authors write. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline documented 8,042 cases of reported trafficking in 2016. U.S. studies of trafficking survivors show that anywhere from 25 to 88 percent of these victims interact with an HCP during the time they are being exploited by traffickers.

“One survey shows that 63 percent of HCPs – including physicians, nurses, social workers and physician assistants – did not have training on how to identify and intervene in human trafficking situations,” said Olivia F. Mittel, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at UofL and Norton Children’s Hospital who is a co-author of the paper. “Providers must be educated about the issue of trafficking, including how to recognize it in the clinical setting.”

To meet this need, the UofL School of Medicine created a simulation-based medical education curriculum to prepare students to recognize victims and intervene on their behalf. Known as the Medical Student Instruction in Global Human Trafficking, or M-SIGHT, the program utilizes online learning, medical documentation and standardized patient-based simulation to prepare students to see the signs of human trafficking.

“We want to ensure that all students receive the training,” said Carrie A. Bohnert, director of the standardized patient program at UofL. “Every medical student, regardless of their chosen specialty, must be able see human trafficking when it presents and intervene for the victim.”

M-SIGHT begins with a forensic medicine lecture to impart basic facts about human trafficking, among other topics, Mittel said. Later, students have a standardized patient simulation case in which an adolescent female patient presents with classic symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease as well as common characteristics of victims of human trafficking: poor eye contact, reluctance to communicate with the physician, inconsistencies in what she communicates, tattoos that could suggest branding and evidence of physical abuse.

The goal of the simulation is not to force intervention on the patient but rather to build trust. “We want the students to exercise the principles of adolescent communication that are taught as part of the medical school curriculum,” Bohnert said.

Mittel outlined these principles: “They are trauma-informed care – which is health care delivered with an understanding of what patients experiencing trauma need – and ensuring confidentiality, asking non-judgmental and open-ended questions, and gradually progressing from the less invasive questions to more direct questions.”

The simulation concludes with feedback from the standardized patient participant and documentation by the learner. The students then complete an online module developed by the authors that assesses knowledge gained and re-introduces definitions of human trafficking and trauma-informed communication techniques.

The initial project was implemented throughout a 16-month period and the authors are now evaluating the data collected from the students. They intend to share an analysis of the curriculum’s efficacy in the future. For now, they want to encourage other medical schools to implement anti-trafficking education and training.

“There is a wide array of methods for creating human trafficking simulations, and it is our hope that the description of our process will inspire others to create similar interactive educational programs,” Mittel said. “The ultimate goal, of course, is to help human trafficking victims receive both the health care they need and interventions that stop their exploitation.”

Along with Mittel and Bohnert, the other authors on the paper were Hanni Stoklosa, MD, of Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Michelle Lyman, a student at the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine.

Kentucky AHEC has been awarded $4.12 million in continued funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to continue that mission through August 2022.

Administered by the University of Louisville School of Medicine in collaboration with the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Kentucky AHEC has worked to improve Kentuckians’ access to health care since 1985. Kentucky AHEC is composed of eight centers that promote healthy communities and health care delivery in the state’s regional service areas by increasing the number of health care workers of all disciplines, particularly in underserved areas.

“The AHEC centers contribute to the education of health professionals at UofL and at other institutions throughout Kentucky. Having an adequate number of well-trained, dedicated health professionals is a vital component to reducing health disparities, increasing access to health care and improving the health of all Kentuckians,” said Gregory Postel, MD, interim president of the University of Louisville. “This renewed funding is assurance that these programs will continue to support health education in the Commonwealth.”

Since its inception, Kentucky AHECs have facilitated the training of medical students in primary care, in many cases, introducing the students to issues faced by patients in underserved communities. All third-year students in the UofL School of Medicine complete a four-week clinical rotation in family medicine in rural or urban underserved communities throughout the state. The Kentucky AHEC program also provides education and rotations for nursing and dental students.

“Students gain a deeper understanding of the needs of the patients by working in these communities. It encourages them to consider practicing primary care in rural or urban underserved communities,” said Kelli Bullard Dunn, MD, vice dean for community engagement and diversity at UofL, Kentucky AHEC program director and the principal investigator of this HRSA award.

To facilitate training, AHEC staff work with the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing to identify physicians and other professionals to coordinate students’ rotations in their communities. This provides a framework for the students to complete rotations in clinics, medical offices and community hospitals across the Commonwealth.

“This is a way for health professions students to come out and serve in rural and underserved communities where they are exposed to different cultures and the practice of medicine without the innovative technologies available at the health sciences campuses. They get to see real medicine, real people,” said Brenda Fitzpatrick, director of the Northwest AHEC, based at the Family Health Center in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood.

In addition to educating health professional students, AHECs in each region develop programs that further their mission in ways best suited to their communities.

For Fitzpatrick, that is developing a true pipeline of health care professionals, from physicians and dentists to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, nurse’s aides, bioengineers and computer technology professionals.

“While HRSA encourages AHECs to promote careers in the health professions to high school students, we take that a step further and work with middle school students,” she said. “By the time they reach eighth grade, it may be too late.”

Fitzpatrick adds that the Northwest AHEC collaborates with several medical magnet schools in Jefferson County to help students obtain certifications during high school.

“This will get them in the workforce sooner and allow them to then continue their education and move on up the chain.”

In the latest round of program funding, HRSA has instructed AHEC programs to encourage patient-centered medical homes, which coordinate patients’ care in a single office, improving overall health care delivery and reducing costs.

AHEC Scholars program

Another new directive from HRSA is the development of the AHEC Scholars program. Each center will instruct 15 to 25 health profession students from a variety of disciplines in interprofessional education, behavioral health integration, social determinants of health, cultural competency, practice transformation and current and emerging health issues. Interprofessional education fosters collaboration among physicians, nurses, social workers, allied health and other providers.

“In a time of significant federal cutbacks, we were pleased to receive funding under HRSA’s extensively revised criteria,” Bullard Dunn said.

In addition to the federal funding, Kentucky AHEC is supported by Kentucky General Assembly appropriations, UofL and UK. AHEC is part of UofL’s Signature Partnership, a university effort to enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity for residents of West Louisville.

Among UofL’s contributions to in Boston, Nov. 3-7, were two invited presentations, oral research presentations, panel discussions and poster presentations. In all, UofL School of Medicine faculty and staff participated in nine oral presentation events and three poster presentations during the conference, which brings deans, faculty, researchers, administrators, residents and students from medical schools across the United States and Canada together to network and share insights on academic medicine.

School of Medicine Dean Toni Ganzel, MD, MBA, delivered a presentation on the initiative to the Council of Deans on Friday, Nov. 3, and participated in a panel discussion, “Resilience and Well-Being: Are We Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk?” on Saturday. Being Well is a series of resources and programs to promote health, resiliency and compassion among the students, residents, faculty and staff of the UofL School of Medicine.

Dave McIntosh, PhD, associate dean for urban health innovation and chief diversity officer for the School of Medicine, discussed “Promoting Retention and Empowerment of Underrepresented Minorities in Medical ����ֱ��” in an invited presentation on Sunday, Nov. 5. Susan Sawning, MSSW, director of undergraduate medical education research, delivered a second invitation presentation on “LGBT Curriculum Integration: Demonstration Projects.”

As chair of the Southern Group on ����ֱ�� Affairs (SGEA), Karen “Sam” Miller, PhD, director of graduate medical education and research, presided over the SGEA Members Open Business Meeting.

At that meeting, Sawning, Laura Weingartner, PhD, research manager, and the other members of steering committee were recognized as winners of the 2017 SGEA Innovation in Medical ����ֱ�� Award for “eQuality: Leading Medical ����ֱ�� to Deliver Equitable Quality Care for all People, Inclusive of Identity, Development, or Expression of Gender/Sex/Sexuality.”

A complete list of the presentations by UofL at the conference is below.

• A Comprehensive Being Well Initiative: University of Louisville School of Medicine. Council of Deans Ignite Presentation – Toni Ganzel.
• Resilience and Well-Being: Are We Walking the Walk or Just Talking the Talk?  Panel Discussion – Toni Ganzel.
• Highlights in Medical ����ֱ�� Innovation: Professionalism Session. Moderated by Susan Sawning.
• Promoting Retention and Empowerment of Underrepresented Minorities in Medical ����ֱ��. AAMC Invited Presentation – Dave McIntosh.
• Outcomes of eQuality: an Integrated, Comprehensive Undergraduate ����ֱ�� Program for LGBT-Health Training. Research Oral Presentation. Authors: Susan Sawning, Amy Holthouser, Stacie Steinbock, Laura Weingartner, Leslee Martin, Katie Leslie, V. Faye Jones, Emily Noonan, Elizabeth Cash, M. Ann Shaw. Presenter: Susan Sawning. Moderated by Stacie Steinbock.
• Announcement of the winner of the 2017 SGEA Innovations in Medical ����ֱ�� Award:�� As the winner of the 2017 SGEA Innovation in Medical ����ֱ�� Award, Susan Sawning, Laura Weingartner, the eQuality Steering Committee and the UofL School of Medicine will be recognized at the SGEA Business Meeting for their project “eQuality: Leading Medical ����ֱ�� to Deliver Equitable Quality Care for all People, Inclusive of Identity, Development, or Expression of Gender/Sex/Sexuality.”
• SGEA Members Open Business Meeting – Karen Miller, SGEA chair, will preside over the meeting.
• LGBT Curriculum Integration: Demonstration Projects. AAMC Invited Presentation – Susan Sawning.
• RIME Keynote Address: Damon Tweedy, MD, author of “Black Man in a White Coat.” Presided by Karen Miller, Chair of the Research in Medical ����ֱ�� (RIME) Selection Committee.
• RIME Discussion “Self-Directed Learning.” Moderated by Leslee Martin, UofL’s director of medical education.
• Highlights in Medical ����ֱ�� Research Session. Moderated by Karen Miller.
• Being Well: A Comprehensive Wellness and Burnout Prevention Initiative at the University of Louisville. Authors: Susan Sawning, Jon Klein, Toni Ganzel, Karan Chavis, Laura Weingartner, M. Ann Shaw. Presenter: Leslee Martin and Susan Sawning.
• Comparing Apples to Apples: Do Distinction Track Medical Students Enjoy Superior Residency Match Outcomes than non-Track Students? Authors: M. Ann Shaw, Susan Sawning, Shelley Gibson, Emily Carr, Mary Carter. Presenters: M. Ann Shaw and Susan Sawning.
• Intergroup Contact Theory Increases Student Understanding of LGBT Health Disparities and Comfort with LGBT Patients. Authors: Emily Noonan, Laura Weingartner, Susan Sawning, Stacie Steinbock, Jennifer Stephens, Charles Kodner, Chaz Briscoe, Amy Holthouser, V. Faye Jones, Katie Leslie, Leslee Martin, M. Ann Shaw. Presenters: Susan Sawning and Stacie Steinbock.

ELAM is a year-long fellowship for women faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry and public health in which they develop professional and personal skills required for leadership and management in health care. More than 900 ELAM alumnae hold leadership positions in institutions around the world.

Holthouser oversees the design and implementation of the MD program curriculum. She also leads the steering committee for the eQuality Project at UofL, a national pilot initiative to integrate competencies published by the Association of American Medical Colleges related to provision of care for LGBT and DSD individuals into the school of medicine curriculum. Holthouser was a primary investigator on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to develop a required palliative care educational experience for medical students, and co-investigator on iCOPE, a five-year NIH grant funding the development of an interdisciplinary palliative care curriculum to improve the care of cancer patients.

Among her 24 teaching awards at the university and school of medicine level, Holthouser has received the American College of Physicians Outstanding Faculty Award and twice won the American Medical Women’s Association Gender Equity Award. The Louisville native is an alumna of the UofL School of Medicine where she also completed her residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics. In addition to her academic duties, Holthouser practices as a pediatric hospitalist at Kosair Children’s Hospital.

In ELAM’s 21-year history, 17 faculty members from UofL have completed the fellowship. Toni Ganzel, MD, MBA, dean of the UofL School of Medicine, is among UofL’s ELAM alumnae, and Diane Harper, MD, MPH, MS, chair of the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine, was part of the 2015-2016 class. A complete list of UofL’s ELAM alumnae is included below.

The  (ELAM) Program
University of Louisville Alumnae*

Lourdes C. Corman, M.D. (1996-1997)
Professor and Vice Chair of Medicine
Chief, Division of Medical ����ֱ��
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Laura F. Schweitzer, PhD (1998-1999)
Professor, Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Linda F. Lucas, MD (1999-2000)
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Director, One Day Surgery
University of Louisville Hospital

Barbara J. McLaughlin, PhD (2000-2001)
Professor of Ophthalmology
Associate Dean for Research
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Connie L. Drisko, DDS (2001-2002)
Professor of Periodontics
Assistant Dean for Research
University of Louisville School of Dentistry

Susan Galandiuk, MD (2001-2002)
Associate Professor of Surgery
Program Director, Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Mary Thoesen Coleman, MD, PhD (2002-2003)
Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Toni M. Ganzel, MD, MBA (2003-2004)
Professor of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology,
Department of Surgery
Senior Associate Dean for Students and Academic Affairs
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Faye Jones, MD, PhD, MSPH (2007-2008)
Professor of Pediatrics
Associate Dean of Minority and Rural Affairs
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Kathy B. Baumgartner, PhD (2008-2009)
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health
University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences

Melanie R. Peterson, DMD, MBA (2008-2009)
Professor of Dentistry
Associate Dean for Clinics and Postdoctoral ����ֱ��
University of Louisville School of Dentistry

Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MPH (2009-2010)
Academic Advisory Dean, School of Medicine
Director, Multidisciplinary Breast Program
Associate Professor of Surgery
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Jill Suttles, PhD (2010-2011)
Graduate Program Director, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Kelli Bullard Dunn, MD (2012-2013)
Professor of Surgery
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Sharmila Makhija, MD, MBA (2012-2013)
Chair, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health
Donald E. Baxter Endowed Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor of Gynecologic Oncology
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Ann Shaw, MD (2013-2014)
Associate Dean for Medical ����ֱ��
Academic Advisory Dean
Professor of Medicine
University of Louisville School of Medicine

Diane Harper, MD, MPH, MS (2015-2016)
Chair, Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine
Rowntree Endowed Chair in Family and Geriatric Medicine
University of Louisville School of Medicine

*Titles reflect the alumna’s position at the time of their acceptance into the ELAM fellowship

Hodge earned the medal for completing a 13.1-mile test of courage and endurance. Carra, a patient with the UofL Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, is running a race of another kind. She was diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare type of brain tumor, in 2009 and has been battling the disease ever since. Hodge presented the medal in recognition of Carra’s courage and determination in battling her disease.

“While we may be giving these patients our race medals, their mettle gives us so much more in return,” Hodge said. “I know my future medical practice will be better because of the courage and resilience I have witnessed in Carra and her family.”

Hodge and 86 other University of Louisville medical students ran the Derby Festival races on April 30 and presented their medals to pediatric patients battling cancer or a blood disease in a ceremony at the Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building on UofL’s health sciences campus. It was the eighth year UofL students participated in (M4M), an international organization in which endurance athletes donate their awards to critically ill individuals in honor of their courage in the face of life-threatening illnesses.

The UofL chapter of M4M is unique in that the students spend time with the patients before the race, and often run for the same patient year after year. The relationships with their buddies give the students a more intimate understanding of how cancer and life-threatening diseases affect the children and their families, adding a personal dimension to their training to become physicians.

“Medals4Mettle bridges the art and science of medicine. We teach the students about B- and T-cell leukemia, but through this program, they learn the diseases also have names like Mark, Mary and Juliette, that they laugh and they cry and live in families that are affected by the challenges faced in fighting these illnesses,” said Salvatore J. Bertolone Jr., MD, retired professor and previous chief of pediatric oncology and hematology at UofL, who has supported UofL M4M since its inception.

“In a lot of our training, especially in the third year, we are learning what kind of questions to ask. What is the history I need from this patient right now to make the decision that I need to make and get on to the next one,” said Samantha Heidrich, a third-year student and M4M participant. “Through my experience with my buddy Damarys and her family, I have learned there are so many other questions I could and should be asking that will help me make those decisions. What is mom’s work schedule? Can they get care for her little brother when they are coming to the clinic? It’s made me think about the whole patient and the whole family and how we care for them as a unit.”

Heidrich, who has been a distance runner since she was a child, says training for the race also improves her personal wellbeing.

“I have built some really good relationships with my classmates through training. It was a way to build camaraderie, it was a way to release yourself from the study environment for a while, which is a wellness aspect that is sometimes overlooked in our medical education,” Heidrich said.

Fourth-year student McKenzie Vater, who has been involved in the program throughout her medical school training, wrote a scholarly article about UofL M4M that was published in the January issue of the . She surveyed previous participants about the program’s value in medical education and patient relationships. Her research showed that the students and the patients and their families benefited from the interaction.

 “Getting to know and understand the patient as a whole person allows for increased confidence in a physician,” Vater wrote in the article. “This relationship can provide the foundation for patients’ trust, allowing for improvement in patient satisfaction and health care outcomes overall.”

After graduating from UofL School of Medicine this month, Vater will begin her residency training in pediatrics at Vanderbilt University, where she hopes to help establish an M4M chapter similar to the one at UofL.