Jared Baxter, second-year medical student, was elected finance chair for the National Operating Committee during the annual national conference of the Society of Student-Run Free Clinics held Feb. 24-25.
More than 600 students representing nearly every health profession attended the conference on the UNMC campus, a decade after the first national conference was held here.
The conference provided students from across the U.S. the opportunity to exchange methods and projects used in their own student-run clinics. There were 200 poster presentations, 80 oral presentations, 16 workshops and two panel discussions. Dele Davies, M.D., senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, was the keynote speaker.
Baxter, who attended the conference for the first time, said he wants to pursue grant funding that will be used to help subsidize conference fees so more students can attend in the future.
“This organization has grown and we want to keep growing,” Baxter said. “We need to increase the reach and attendance so more students can share ideas and ways to improve their own student-run clinics.”
Baxter said he was impressed by the depth and breadth of what services different clinics are offering, such as surgical procedures, outreach to sex workers, dermatological services and psychological counseling.
Laura Leon, second-year medical student and SHARING Clinics board co-chair, worked with the national committee to organize the Omaha conference. “This is the first time the conference has been entirely planned and run by students.”
Leon said that it was nice to have the conference on the UNMC campus. “With the packed schedule and so many people, the conference flowed nicely between the Center and the new College of Pharmacy building. And, it was nice to bring the conference back here to celebrate our SHARING Clinics’ 20th anniversary.”
Since opening Sept. 9, 1997, the SHARING Clinics have provided high quality, low cost care to medically underserved communities in Omaha. The clinics are one of the few in the nation that are run and staffed by students from every health-profession college. At these clinics, students work with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical laboratory technicians and others to provide care to patients in need. Since 2010, there have been more than 5,000 patient visits to the clinics.
Congratulations on a job well done! Thanks to all who participated in the two year process of bidding, planning, and implementation. Thank you to all the UNMC students who spent the weekend hosting all of our guests. You represented UNMC well.
Also, thank you to UNMC Business and Finance, who are always alongside of the SHARING students and faculty. I would like to say a special thank you to Julia Bouchard for helping through the entire process.