Dear interested medical students and current residents,

Thanks for your interest in the GRowLocal (Global, Rural, Local) Health Equity Track at the UICOMP – OSF Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency in Peoria, IL. This track started almost 10 years ago, and has gone through growth, change, and innovation since then.

In that time, I’ve had the privilege to walk alongside over 50 residents who have taught me as much as I have taught them (or more!). Those completing this track have pursued many exciting next steps, such as: global health fellowship, formation of NGOs and non-profits, work overseas, work with migrant populations, work in inner cities, work in refugee populations, teaching Helping Babies Breathe in Central America, work in rural austere settings such as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, academic work, and advocacy/policy work.

In recent years, our track has developed a focus on local health equity work. By partnering with an area school, Promise Academy, we have collaborated to provide values-based education that also promotes well-being and health for their students and community. Additionally, we support efforts to pipeline and prepare students for careers in healthcare, innovation, and technology by offering mini-medical schools and STEAM curriculum. We partner with OSF’s Community Care teams to provide shelter medicine, street medicine, refugee and immigrant care, and to work alongside faith community partners, such as churches and feeding ministries. Our team of residents and faculty offer medical care in the community via the OSF Care-A-Van (a mobile medical unit) to promote connections to medical homes for those without easy access to care, and also to bridge gaps and build trust. We are also hopeful and enthusiastic about more opportunities in the works: the Gardens of Hope, community kiosks, grants around pediatric mobile vaccination, and ongoing work around sustainability and healthy eating / living.

I echo this quote from Mother Teresa who said “if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other”. We do belong to each other. And I firmly believe and have witnessed that when many share this belief, things change. Communities we have the privilege to serve are able to drive change while we accompany them and share the journey. Gradually, we tear down margins and see so many more similarities than differences. And we all change each other for the better. To me, that is the beauty, the privilege, and the unique charge as physicians in community and population health. We tirelessly tear down barriers – whether global, rural, or local — and inch closer to the goal and possibility of health equity.

If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,
Mary Stapel, MD, FAAP, FACP
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP)
Assistant Program Director, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency
Director of GRowLocal (Global, Rural, Local) Health Equity Track, Med-Peds Residency
[email protected]