The Student Doctors for Health Equity (SDHE) club was started in 2020 by a group of students from the UNE COM Class of 2023. This group was founded with the goal of promoting medical student involvement in local and national politics as well as advocacy and education surrounding current health disparities. This club was established and a solid foundation was created for growth by the subsequent E-board.
The Class of 2024 E-board consists of Andrew Hoy and Kaye Dandrea as president and vice president, respectively. Additional E-board members include Jia Liu, Lee Esposito, Peter Wilson-Braun and Amy Wysong. Together, this group has worked to host several events. The COM Out to Vote event was the first major event held in the 2020-2021 school year. The intention of this event was to spread awareness about the importance of voting as well as educating medical students on how to register to vote. Additionally, the SDHE members attended Biddeford town meetings via Zoom in order to better understand local politics and any issues currently affecting the town.
Some members of SDHE also participated in DO Day on the Hill back in March. DO Day on the Hill is an event with the purpose of encouraging open communication between lawmakers and osteopathic physicians and students. The event also provided professional development and advocacy training. As medical students, it is important to learn how our voices may be heard.
Presently, SDHE is working with UNE COM American Medical Association Club as well as several other UNE COM clubs to organize an advocacy training event with State House speaker Ryan Fecteau. In a three part series, students will learn what occurs during legislative sessions, how to get involved in politics, and more! A solid understanding of policy and legislature will immensely help students as future physicians, especially when it comes to advocating for themselves and their patients.
Student Doctors for Health Equity is a growing club with many enthusiastic members joining in from the Class of 2025. We are excited to see where the club goes next!