Commitment to service

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s commitment to service was on full display at the 13th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Health Fair, held Jan. 17.

Hosted in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., the event took place at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods.

Students at the K-12 academy, as well as local residents, attended the fair to receive free health screenings, including glucose tests, vision tests, cholesterol checks, blood pressure measurements, and BMI checks. Attendees were also offered flu shots and the chance to win raffle prizes.

Several OUWB faculty supervised medical students who delivered the patient care.

Brian Felice, M.D., emergency medicine physician and assistant dean, Community Integration & Outreach, emphasized how important the experience was for the first- and second-year medical students.

“It’s one of their first opportunities to be able to provide hands-on care,” said Felice. “Being able to do that is wonderful for them, but also just being able to develop relationships with the community and develop relationships with patients has been a great thing for them to be able to do early on.”

Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, praised the students’ dedication to the event.

“The turnout is wonderful, and it shows our commitment to service,” said Carpenter. “Talking with the students, it reinforces that they are not just checking a box. They are here because they want to be here. They want to commit and serve and participate and help lift people up.”

Tonya Bailey, Ph.D., associate dean, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Community Engagement, reflected on the significance of the event and the students’ contributions.

“It's a great display of what our vision and mission and values are. To see so many medical students volunteering their time to give back to a community that desperately needs their expertise – it's an amazing attribute to who we are as an institution,” said Bailey.

Peter Prescott, M2, talks with attendees of the health fair.

Cara Chou, M1, spent the day checking blood pressure and educating attendees on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“I've taken one student's blood pressure, and I walked them through what it means to have your blood pressure taken and also talked about risk factors like health, diet, and exercise,” said Chou.

Chou, originally from Virginia, saw the fair as an opportunity to engage with the local community.

“It's really nice to have these opportunities to connect,” said Chou. “There are so many things you can do on a community level, but it starts with one person at a time.”

Nicholas Belair, M2, a member of the student organization Harm Reduction Alliance at OUWB, emphasized the importance of educating high school students about alcohol and drug safety, including recognizing and responding to alcohol-related emergencies.

“I think it's important for youth – especially high schoolers, moving into adulthood – to really make sure that they understand how to respond to situations that they don't come across every day,” said Belair. “We really want to promote healthy communities for our patient populations and do things that bring the community together.”

Volunteers from the OUWB community pause for a group photo near the end of the event.

Kelvin Wise, district STEM coordinator and health fair coordinator, highlighted the overwhelming community turnout and vendor participation.

“We had a tremendous amount of community response, especially from our community partners that provide health services,” said Wise. “We're at capacity for our vendors this year again. We had a lot of people reaching out in terms of wanting to participate in the health fair.”

Among the vendors was Laonis Quinn, founder and director of the Breathe Anthony J Chapman Asthma Foundation. Quinn established the organization in memory of her son who passed away due to asthma and a lack of health insurance.

“No kid, no mother, no father, should ever witness what I went through that year,” Quinn said. “We provide resources. We also provide air purifiers, pillow and mattress covers, spacers, and peak flow meters. We do everything for free. Last year, I had over 300 families I was providing resources to.”

Detroit’s Eastern Market was also present, showcasing its efforts to connect local farmers with the community. Brittiany Peeler, food as medicine coordinator, encouraged attendees to use healthy recipes and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diet.

“We're a staple in the community. We are a bridge between produce from our local farmers and the local community,” said Peeler. “We just hope that people know that they have access to fresh produce, and it's not just at the grocery store that they can do that.”

Bailey shared a touching story of a mother who attended the fair because she could not afford health care, underscoring the event's importance.

“There is a mother here with about five of her children, and she brought them all in because she can't afford health care. She doesn't have all the resources. She caught the bus just to be here, and when I saw her come up to the registration table and tell me her story, I knew that this was worth it,” Bailey said.

If you are interested in being a part of next year's MLK Health Fair planning committee, please contact [email protected] or Brandon Harris at [email protected].