Program Research Activities

Urban Service Track Research

Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars have the opportunity to participate in community research projects and professional meetings that enhance their knowledge and skills in working with underserved communities. Scholars participate on interprofessional research teams focusing on health care issues with the ultimate goal of creating better health outcomes for patients and communities. Student teams are placed at community partner agencies for six weeks, working collaboratively with staff from the cooperating agency and supported by discipline-specific faculty within the UST/AHEC Scholars Program. At the end of the six weeks, scholars are required to submit a manuscript about the research project's goals and outcomes, as well as a poster for submission and presentation to professional meetings and conferences.

Community partner agencies supporting research projects include:

UST/AHEC Scholars are encouraged to present scholarly work at state, regional and national meetings as means of professional growth and development. UST/AHEC Scholars have presented posters and seminars at meetings and conferences across disciplines.

They include:

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2023-2024:

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2022-2023:

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2021-2022:

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2020-2021:

National AHEC Organization (NAO) 2021 bi-annual conference

  • “Home and Community Care Program 2.0: Experiential Learning Opportunities for Urban Health/AHEC Scholars”. Donice “Nicey” Brooks, Nursing-Sr., Sara Schulwolf, Medicine-MS2, and Dariene DuBois-Plante.
  • "Engaging Partners in Leadership Development for AHEC Scholars and Experiential Learning Opportunities". Victoria Massey, DMD, Adam Bartholomeo, MD, Moe Uddin, MD and Petra Clark-Dufner, MA

  • "Building the Primary Care Workforce:  Addressing Career Choice Bullying in Health Professions Schools". Bruce Gould, MD, and Dariene DuBois-Plante

  • "Enhancing AHEC Scholar Understanding of Social Determinants of Health". Hugh Blumenfeld, MD, PhD, Rubby Koomson, RN, Barbara O'Neill, PhD, RN, Dariene DuBois-Plante

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2019-2020:

  • NECOME (New England Consortium of Medical Education)  Focus:  AHEC training and relationships to support medical education. Gould, B., Clark-Dufner, P., Scott, M., Urban Health/AHEC Scholars, October 10, 2019, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 
  • Griffiths, L.M.W., (2019) “UCONN Urban Service Track: A collaboration through Interprofessional Education and its Impact on Health Care”, CT APRN Society 2019 Annual Conference, April 26th 2019, Rocky Hill, CT. 
  • ”Educating the Next Generation RN in the Community in care for the Underserved Populations in Connecticut”, CT Assoc of Public Health Nurses BSN Conference, April 11th 2019, with co-presenters Kaylin Amado and L.M.W.Griffiths.  

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2018-2019:

  • Clark-Dufner, P. Gould, B., Frederickson, L., Patel, R. “Teaching 1styear health professions students how to assess social determinants and identify community-based resources through an interprofessional clinical skills boot camp," National AHEC Organization Semi-Annual Conference, July 10, 2018, Arlington, VA
  • Mansilla-Rivera, K., Perrin A., Patel, R., Frederickson, L. “Teaching How to Assess Social Determinants and the Link with Health in an Interprofessional Clinical Boot Camp”, Family Medicine Education Consortium (FMEC), November 11, 2018, Rye, NY

  • CT Association of Health Science Librarians Focus:  CT AHEC Programming including MFW Clinics and UST Gould, B., February 22, 2019, UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT

  • Griffiths, L.M.W., (2019) “UCONN Urban Service Track: A collaboration through Interprofessional Education and its Impact on Health Care”, CT APRN Society 2019 Annual Conference, April 26 2019, Rocky Hill, CT.

  • ”Educating the Next Generation RN in the Community in care for the Underserved Populations in Connecticut”, CT Assoc of Public Health Nurses BSN Conference, April 11th 2019, with co-presenters Kaylin Amado and L.M.W.Griffiths

Presentations by UST/AHEC Scholars/Faculty in 2016-2017:

  • National AHEC Organization, Building a Clinical Skills Boot Camp in an Interprofessional Team-Based Environment, Presenters: P. Clark-Dufner, MA, Bruce Gould, MD, H. Tucker, DO
  • Connecticut Center for Primary Care 9th annual Summit, Health Professions Student/Resident Leadership Training, Presenters: L. Frederickson, M. Obeng, R. Patel
  • UConn Graduate Research Day, Poster Presentation, Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: Strengthening Clinical and Community Partnerships; Authors: L. Frederickson, M. Obeng, R. Patel; Faculty Advisors: A. Perrin, MD, G. Garber, DMD, K. Anastasiou, APRN
  • Eastern Nursing Research Society Conference, Poster Presentation, Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: Strengthening Clinical and Community Partnerships; Authors: L. Frederickson, M. Obeng, R. Patel; Faculty Advisors: A. Perrin, MD, G. Garber, DMD, K. Anastasiou, APRN
  • UConn Service Learning Ex-po-sition! Poster Presentation, The Urban Service Track:  Interprofessional Education for Health Care Students Committed to Connecticut’s Underserved Populations – A Service Learning Focus; Authors:  M. Ayers, C. Bisaillon, J. Choate, K. DeMeo, O. LaFontan, B. Leaf, V.Pita, R. Ziter; Faculty Advisors: L. Griffiths, MA, MSN, APRN, C. Yi, MSN, RN