SHARING board members attend national conference

UNMC students attending the conference included: Front row, left to right, Stephanie Nitz, Michael Visenio, Erika Fennen, Michael Blaha, Terrence Brown; back row, left to right, Derek Vogel, Austin Dudzinski. Not pictured: Molly Finn, Jacqueline Clark, Jennifer Shehan, Laura Miotke, Brian Coburn.

UNMC students and SHARING Student Board members attended annual conference of the Society of Student Run Free Clinics (SSRFC) in Phoenix in January.

The conference brought together health science students who play an active role in their free clinics.

Posters, oral presentations, and discussion panels allowed for the dissemination of new and effective ideas, models, or programs between exiting clinics or institutions looking to start their own clinic.

Seven UNMC students presented posters at the conference.

  • Jacqueline Clark and Molly Finn, both clinical laboratory science students with the College of Allied Health Professions, presented a poster titled, “Maximizing the Role of the Laboratory in an interdisciplinary Student-Run Clinic.”
  • Laura Miotke and Jenny Shehan, both second-year medical students, presented a poster titled, “Cancer screening in low-income patients: The correlation between family cancer history, screening awareness, and screening practices.”
  • Erika Fennen and Derek Vogel, also second-year medical students, presented a poster titled, “STI Reinfection: Patient Susceptibility and Health Care Shortcomings.”
  • Michael Visenio, a second-year medical student, presented a poster titled, “Identifying Health Care Needs Through Geographic Distribution of SHARING Clinics Patients,” for which he also was awarded a Certificate of Scholarly Achievement by the Journal of Student-Run Clinics.

Two students, Austin Dudzinski and Stephanie Nitz, both fourth-year pharmacy students, gave an oral presentation titled, “Online Depression Training Module for Health Professional Students Participating in a Student-Run Free Clinic.”

In addition to oral and poster presentations, Brian Coburn, an M.D./Ph.D. student and former co-president of the SHARING Student Board served as the national coordinator-elect.

Terry Brown, a second-year pharmacy student, and Michael Blaha, a first-year medical student, are both presidents-elect to next year’s SHARING Student Board. They attended the meeting to gather intriguing ideas and served as voting members to elect new SSRFC leadership.

SHARING Student Board members attend the national SSRFC conference every year to present new or ongoing research and have also served in national leadership roles.