Family Medicine & Community Health Elective Course Description

Laura Sturgill, MD

UMass Student Contact: Karen Rayla, Coordinator
Karen.Rayla@umassmed.edu  or 774-442-4117

Visiting Student Contact:
Michael P. Smith, Associate Director of Admissions
Michael.Smith@umassmemorial.org or 508-334-8023

Elective Description: This rotation is most appropriate for students who are considering a career in Family Medicine working with underserved populations.  Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) is an urban Federally Qualified Health Center, which serves the surrounding Main South neighborhood and hosts multiple health professional training programs including the UMass Chan Family Medicine Residency.  Medical students at FHCW must be ready to jump right into this busy practice, seeing a diverse patient population who speak over 60 languages and providing patient-centered medical home services with an eye for the social determinants of health.  It is a great place to learn the broad spectrum of family medicine with interesting and often advanced pathology that you only read about in textbooks, a large population of prenatal and pediatric patients as well as a multitude of office-based procedures.  FHCW integrates students into interdisciplinary learning including formalized educational chart rounds and work one-on-one with both attendings and residents.  Each student rounds at the hospital on FHCW moms and babies, and is given the opportunity for time on labor and delivery if interested.  Students who speak a second language are given priority for this rotation. 

Location specific contact: Kathy Alexander, Education Administrator (508-860-7898)