THE GROWTH Y3AR

Year In Review

The #DellMedFirstClass spent their third year working and learning in every setting imaginable: community medicine clinics, research labs, grocery stores, YMCAs, classrooms, neighbors' homes and more.

With 30 dual degrees pursued and 30+ independent projects completed — many of them highly collaborative across disciplines — students walked into their fourth year with newfound skills and direction in their chosen paths as physicians.

Projects
Dual Degrees

Project Examples:

  • For her Population Health distinction project, Hannah McFarren took on a qualitative study of Latinx mothers to better understand their feeding practices for their infant- and toddler-aged children. Through her work, McFarren identified several common factors that contribute to overfeeding, a risk factor for childhood obesity. Her work could help determine a baseline standard of pediatric care to ensure mothers and children are supported in pursuit of healthy feeding practices.
  • Amber Dunbar conducted a Research distinction project to determine the scope of providers who use prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, to incentivize health-related behaviors in patients. Dunbar found that a majority of providers across medical specialties are aware of or have used the practice of prescription incentives.
  • For their Interprofessional Education project, six students across distinctions and dual degree programs collaborated with each other and with professionals from UT Health Austin and implemented an electronic health record system at the CD Doyle Clinic. The free clinic, which primarily serves those experiencing homelessness, previously relied solely on a pen-and-paper system for patient records.

Community Partners

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  • American Heart Association Austin Affiliate
  • Austin Catalyst Fund — LBJ School
  • Austin/Travis County EMS
  • Austin Oaks
  • Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH)
  • Capital Area Trauma Regional Advisory Council
  • Camp Gladiator
  • CD Doyle Clinic
  • Central Texas Food Bank
  • CommUnityCare
  • Communities in Schools
  • Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas
  • The GO Center
  • Hope Clinic
  • Housing Authority of the City of Austin
  • Integral Care
  • It’s Time Texas
  • Leadership Austin
  • Meals on Wheels of Central Texas
  • Our House
  • People’s Community Clinic
  • Planned Parenthood
  • Travis High School
  • The Void
  • YMCA of Austin
I've already been able to apply what I learned this year to other passion projects at Dell Med, which include serving those experiencing homelessness and addiction recovery. The ability to follow my research interests for a year was invaluable to my medical education.
-Amber Dunbar (Dell Med student)