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.

TALLAHASSEE – Bethel Missionary Baptist Church hosted its first Healthcare Symposium for the Big Bend Community on April 13, with contributions from the Florida State University College of Medicine.

The goal of the symposium was to bring together local partners in an effort to provide more accessible healthcare services to rural and other surrounding areas, allowing more people to receive quality care on a consistent basis.

“This year’s overall goal is to promote health for all, but to actually promote health equity,” said College of Medicine associate professor Niharika Suchak, the keynote speaker. “We need to also focus on marginalized populations that already have healthcare disparities due to health equity issues.”

Dr. Joedrecka S. Brown Speights, professor and chair of the College of Medicine’s department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, served as facilitator in an hour-long discussion centered on being proactive in preventing the next pandemic.

The Minority Health and Wellness-themed event was sponsored by Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Big Bend Hospice and Transitions Supportive Care and also included presenters from Capital Health Plan, Apalachee Center and Florida A&M University.

Among those in attendance from the College of Medicine were dean John P. Fogarty, M.D., senior associate dean Alma B. Littles, M.D., and Daniel Van Durme, M.D., who were recognized for their contributions toward Bethel’s community efforts.

Additional coverage of the event:

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church held healthcare symposium
(WTXL)

Bethel Missionary Baptist to host symposium aimed at closing healthcare disparities
(Tallahassee Democrat)