Compassionate Community Grant Awardees

D.O. Good Hour: Cultivating Compassionate Connections for Student and Community Wellness

Research Question: How can accessible, service-integrated wellness initiatives foster interprofessional collaboration among osteopathic medical students, while cultivating empathy, advancing professional identity formation, and building enduring community partnerships?

• Primary Investigator:
  Asia Hudson, MA
  Marian University Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-WCOM)
  

A Family Wellness & Belonging Series: A Partnership Between Local Community Schools and Osteopathic Medical Students

Research Question: Does a medical school and school district collaboration facilitate a synergistic partnership where osteopathic students facilitate meaningful service-learning workshops and families benefit from attending, where healthy living is taught through an interactive session and shared meal?

• Primary Investigator:
  Grace Marie Jones, PhD
  Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine – California (TUCOM-CA)
   
• Co-Investigators:
  Traci Stevenson, DO, TUCOM-CA
  Cherita Dilley, BS, Vallejo Unified School District

Bringing GIFTS to the Community: Strengthening Geriatric Care through Interprofessional Student Service and Community Partnerships in a Rural Community

Research Question: What is the impact of the GIFTS (Geriatric Interprofessional Foundations Training and Service) Program on osteopathic medical students’ empathy, interprofessional collaboration skills, and perceived professional growth after participation in a structured service-learning experience with underserved older adults across the continuum of geriatric and end-of-life care?

• Primary Investigator:
  Christine Khandelwal, DO
  Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM)

• Co-Investigators:
  Pamela Edwards, EdD, RN, CUSOM
  Carmellia Web, MSW, MA, BSW, CUSOM
  Laura Gerstner, DHSc, PA-C, CUSOM

Whole-Person Care: Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Clerkship as a Model for Compassionate Care Training in UME

Research Question: Following participation in a chaplaincy and spiritual care elective clerkship, does the deployment of verbatims exercises function as effective assessment measures for evaluating osteopathic medical students’ achievement of two spiritual care competencies: presence and spiritual assessment, as well as an increase in overall compassion and empathy for patients?

• Primary Investigator:
  Mark Lambert, PhD
  Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM)

• Co-Investigators:
  Lisa Streyffeler, PhD, DMU-COM
  Julia Van Liew, PhD, DMU-COM
  Leslie Wimsatt, PhD, DMU-COM

Integrating Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) into First-Year Medical Education to Foster Compassionate and Empathetic Patient Care

Research Question: Does having a Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) trained faculty and incorporating principles of TBRI into first-year medical education enhance empathy, relational skills, and trauma-informed care in medical students?

• Primary Investigator:
  Amanda Mendez, APRN, MSN, FNP-C
  UNT Health Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNT Health Fort Worth – TCOM)

Expanding Community Access Through a Student-Run Clinic in Southern Utah

Research Question: How does implementing a student-run clinic on alternating Thursday evenings impact medical student development and access to care for underserved populations in Southern Utah?

• Primary Investigators:
  Jeremy Sporrong, DO
  Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine – Southern Utah (RVUCOM-Southern Utah)

• Co-Investigators:
  Aarthi Muthukumar, BA, RVUCOM-Southern Utah
  Krish Parikh, BS, RVUCOM-Southern Utah

Cultivating Compassion Through Movement: A Community Based Qigong Research and Service Learning Initiative

Research Question: Does participation in a 12-week Qigong class improve balance and enhance emotional well-being and outlook on life in senior residents of St. John’s United in Billings, Montana?

• Primary Investigator:
  Carol Penn, DO
  Rocky Vista University Montana College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM MCOM)
  

Compassion-Focused Storytelling to Strengthen Connections with Peers and Patients

Research Question: How can participation in compassion-focused storytelling increase osteopathic medical students’ ability to reflect on their own practice and their overall level of compassion?

• Primary Investigator:
  Lisa Streyffeler, PhD
  Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM)
   
• Co-Investigators:
  Leslie Wimsatt, PhD, DMU-COM
  Julia Van Liew, PhD, DMU-COM
  Mark Lambert, PhD, DMU-COM
  Autumn Brunia, DO, DMU-COM

Community as Classroom: Empowering Compassionate Future Physicians through Engagement in Service Learning

Research Question: How can an osteopathic medical school implement a partnership with its local public health department to provide meaningful, curriculum-integrated service-learning experiences that enhance preclinical students’ understanding of health disparities and social determinants of health, while advancing local public health goals?

• Primary Investigator:
  Julia Van Liew, PhD
  Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM)
   
• Co-Investigators:
  Lisa Streyffeler, PhD. DMU-COM
  Mark Lambert, PhD, DMU-COM
  Autumn Brunia, DO, DMU-COM

The W.H.O.L.E. Student Doctor Advising Model: Cultivating Compassion, Connection, and Belonging in Osteopathic Medical Training

Research Question: How does a structured, compassion-centered advising program support the development of empathy, compassion, professional identity, and sense of belonging among osteopathic medical students across their four years of training?

• Primary Investigator:
  Yuan Zhao, PhD
  Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU-COM)
   
• Co-Investigator:
  Gergana Deevska, PhD, SHSU-COM