decided to take the course to expand my knowledge regarding current treatment options and best practices in caring for gender non-conforming individuals,” she says. “[This topic] is highly relevant to primary care settings, but is not emphasized in the current UNE COM curriculum. While we are lucky here at UNE that we have any LGBTQ+ curriculum, I want to ensure that I can be as prepared as possible to treat gender non-conforming patients in the future.” Of the experience, she states, “there is not a ‘one size fits all’ treatment for any patient, particularly gender non-conforming individuals… An important fact that I hope my classmates become aware of is the increased risks for substance use disorders and mental health related challenges among transgender and gender non-conforming persons. It is my hope that courses like this will continue to increase awareness of risks that are unique to transgender individuals so that health professionals can collaborate to improve the quality of life for all individuals.”
Anna McLean, COM '22
Awesome Momentum
This coming year, Karissa hopes to continue the work that Steph and Jenna have accomplished thus far in EDAC. “I feel that there is this awesome momentum taking place,” Karissa expounds. “It really has just taken off.” She was surprised how students are starting to see EDAC, not just as a
committee, but also as an empowering force of student agency, with students from various backgrounds advocating for one another in various arenas within COM. “We didn’t realize how big the advocacy piece would be,” she says. “By empowering our peers, and creating space for dialogue, students are starting to feel comfortable advocating for themselves… Framed as a teaching moment, it can help shape open dialogue for both faculty and students.” For Karissa, it is all about making small, meaningful, incremental strides, not just in class, but in all aspects of COM. “I want to take diversity out of the lunchtime unit,” she says, referencing a quote by Jessica Halem, LGBT program director at Harvard Medical School.3 Devoting more curriculum hours to topics of diversity and inclusion, providing targeted education and programming, educating ourselves and discovering applicable resources and best practices will allow UNE COM to continue its awesome forward momentum in all facets of COM.
Recruitment is another area that is starting to gain traction. Efforts by Annie Connors, Assistant Director of Recruitment, and Alumni Services, and a team of COM students have been hard at work in building, selecting, and implementing programs that help meet the needs of underserved students. According to Annie, “UNE COM’s efforts to advance diversity in recruiting efforts focuses largely on early education to increase awareness and afford more opportunities early on for underrepresented minorities who may be interested in medicine. Past efforts have included presentations to high school aged students from the New Mainer population, targeted marketing for events and much more. The early education piece allows for students who may be socioeconomically disadvantaged to engage at the onset of their interest and allow for a broader timeline to navigate the financial implication of higher education.”
Student representatives from the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) are trying to bring the National Outreach for Diversity in Medicine program to Maine. Students Jenna Wozer, COM ‘21, Sam Culver, COM ’21, Kristofer Andren, COM ‘22, Grace Ewing, COM ‘22, Amaar Ahmad, COM ‘22, and Joanna Sajdlowska, COM ‘22 have met with Annie for help in driving the initiative forward. According to Kris Andren, OMS-I, “[We] are reaching out to local high schools in underserved