Empowering tomorrow’s physicians through the Medical Alumni Annual Fund

Students at the Wayne State University School of Medicine lead with care and take action early in their medical education to address health disparities in Detroit and its metropolitan region. Their community-based experiences, made possible by donor support of the Medical Alumni Annual Fund, set Wayne-Trained physicians apart and empower them to become leaders in their fields.

The Medical Alumni Annual Fund provides vital support to a wide range of programs and resources designed to enrich medical student education. One of the most powerful ways the fund makes a difference is through support for student organizations.

With more than 110 student organizations operating in the School of Medicine, medical students find countless ways to serve the metropolitan Detroit community. Each organization provides students the opportunity for hands-on service-learning experience while positively impacting community health and wellbeing, in alignment with Wayne State’s mission.

We recently connected with three School of Medicine student organizations that demonstrate the powerful impact of this support.

The Postpartum Packages organization seeks to bridge the gaps in care for underserved communities, mitigating disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. This vital work builds on Wayne State’s commitment to addressing the alarming maternal and infant health disparities in Detroit, where preterm birth and infant mortality rates remain among the highest in the nation, particularly for Black mothers and babies, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. Postpartum Packages shifts attention and resources back to new mothers navigating the physical, emotional and social changes inherent in the first three months following birth.

Alexis Berry, a fourth-year medical student, became a board member for Postpartum Packages with a desire to support mothers in the transition from pregnancy to postpartum, particularly in low-resource communities where access to essential items and educational materials are limited.

Moving forward, Berry envisions expanding the number of packages distributed and the variety of items included, such as newborn onesies, postpartum hygiene supplies and educational materials designed to meet the needs of Detroit families. Her goal is to host more community baby showers and educational events, creating opportunities for mothers to connect, learn and access resources that might otherwise be out of reach. These efforts contribute to healthier beginnings for new mothers and their children throughout the city.

“It helps us to identify a need, advocate for that need, and then provide a service to better patient [outcomes] in the community,” she said. “As we continue as physicians, we aim to always search for ways to improve patients’ lives and find the means to bridge the gaps.”

While organizations like Postpartum Package demonstrate how student-led initiatives address the urgent needs of community members, they also teach students how to think critically to create long-term health solutions. The same forward-thinking, compassionate approach is reflected in the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group, which focuses on exposing students to this growing field and connecting them with physicians who use evidence-based lifestyle interventions to prevent and treat chronic disease.

Through faculty-led and guest interactive sessions, students gain practical tools to incorporate wellness into their careers, whether in cardiology, surgery or primary care. This fall, the group is hosting Svetlana Chamoun, M.D., a cardiologist and board member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, to highlight how these principles can be applied in diverse practices.

“[Participating in student organizations] helps us grow as leaders, gain unique experiences, and ultimately provide better care for patients,” said Kathyrn Benninghoff, a second-year medical student and Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group board member. “As lifestyle medicine is still a growing field, getting exposure while we are in medical school is crucial to setting Wayne doctors apart.”

With a background in nutritional sciences and a passion for running, Benninghoff has always looked for ways to integrate lifestyle medicine into her future practice. She emphasized her gratitude for opportunities like national conferences, workshops on nutrition and exercise, and expert guest lectures, all made possible by the Medical Alumni Annual Fund. She hopes to expand community projects such as nutrition workshops and cooking classes in Detroit.

Advocating for positive change is at the heart of many School of Medicine student organizations. The desire to remove barriers to care for those who need it most is a continued passion for medical students.

The Returning Citizens Clinic supports individuals reentering society after incarceration, one of the many School of Medicine student organizations that empower students to serve as change makers and advocate for at-risk populations.

Former Returning Citizens Clinic board member and co-founder, Petar Martinovski, a fourth-year medical student, shared his inspiration for the founding of this organization, explaining that he saw an unmet need in working with the formerly incarcerated population. A report from Wayne State University’s School of Social Work Center for Behavioral Health and Justice, the Michigan Reentry Project, highlights this reality, citing high levels of need across mental health, substance use and general health domains in the formerly incarcerated population—underscoring the urgent gaps the clinic seeks to address.

With the help of Petar’s faculty advisor, Jennifer Mendez, Ph.D., associate professor, emeritus, Internal Medicine – Geriatrics, the newly-formed group established partnerships and shadowed Michigan Department of Corrections officials. This helped them to learn what individuals released from corrections facilities receive in terms of medical care, follow-up appointments and medications. The clinic now provides education, outreach and basic medical care to support returning citizens while engaging medical students and professionals in compassionately addressing health care disparities experienced during and after incarceration.

“This organization directly serves the at-risk and vulnerable members of our community,” Martinovski said. “It seeks to uplift them and alleviate disparities they have long faced but that have received little attention, and I think it is in keeping with the highest traditions of the Wayne State School of Medicine.”

Petar shared his gratitude for the experience supported by the Medical Alumni Annual Fund.

“It’s very different from what we learn in the classroom,” he said. “Just being in the room and hearing their experiences allows us to identify gaps in the system. This helps us to understand how we can alleviate some of the issues they might run into and set up a system that can catch patients before they fall into those cracks. You can learn so much in a classroom, but being in that community setting, and learning the unique circumstances on the ground, hands-on, there’s no replacement for that.”

Such work in the community by medical students would not be possible with the donor support that comes through the Medical Alumni Annual Fund, Martinovski said.

“It’s the backbone for everything that we do as students to serve the community and uphold the School of Medicine’s mission. That unique partnership between the MAAF and students is something that I really value, because it shows the importance of us as students advocating for our community,” he said. “Eventually, when we graduate and we become alumni, we can also become donors to support future students’ initiatives, which I find really inspiring.”

As the heartbeat of student organizations, the Medical Alumni Annual Fund continues to help students thrive. From removing barriers to care for new mothers and returning citizens, to advocating for interventions to help prevent chronic disease, WSU School of Medicine students continue to make an impact in their community and in the future of health care.

For more information on the Medical Alumni Annual Fund and how to support student organizations, visit: https://alumni.med.wayne.edu/maaf