One student organization and two faculty members from the FSU College of Medicine were honored recently at the Student Organizations and Involvement Awards Ceremony.
The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) received the Artes Award, which is given to “an organization that demonstrates commitment toward civic education at FSU or the surrounding community and works to promote discourse” within the Florida State University community. Assistant Professor Yolany Martinez Hyde, Ph.D., of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine (BSSM), was named Advisor of the Year for her work as LMSA faculty advisor.
"I am very proud of the hard work that every member does. They go beyond their schedules to show up and turn their commitment into action,” Hyde said. “It is a privilege to be able to work with these amazing students.”
LMSA’s mission is to unite and empower medical students through service, mentorship and education to advocate for the health of the Latino community. Although the COVID-19 pandemic limited the ways LMSA could serve under-represented populations in 2020 and much of 2021, it was able to take part in several events in Quincy over the past year. One was the Migrant Fair in Quincy, where members provided health screenings to migrant workers and their families. Another was a National Hispanic Heritage Month event that celebrated Latin culture through food, games and entertainment. Members also sponsored several drives to send clothing and other resources to patients in various areas of the state.
“We hope that our efforts show others the importance of service and how even things that we may deem as small can have lasting impacts on the people that we work with,” said Jackie Lutz, LMSA president.
Professor George Rust, M.D., also of BSSM, received a Faculty Seminole Award, which is given to faculty “who have made special contributions to the University in the areas of leadership and service.” His research focuses on primary health care and community health for those in greatest need and the elimination of health disparities, and on charting a path to health equity for all. He serves as director of the Center for Medicine and Public Health.