SFSM Partners with UC to Train a New Generation of Community-Responsive Physicians

The practice of medicine is about more than diagnosing illnesses and writing prescriptions. Truly caring for patients means understanding their lives, their challenges, and the underlying causes of the conditions they’re facing.

That’s the spirit behind the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s Physician & Society service-learning course, which matches first-year medical students with community partners like St. Francis Seraph Ministries (SFSM) to learn firsthand about the various social and economic factors that affect health in our community.

Since August, a cohort of 12 students has been working with SFSM to better understand the stories of the neighbors we serve. The course culminates in a presentation at the end of the school year when students share what they’ve learned with their colleagues and the participating community partners.

“So much of what affects health is really beyond the exam and hospital walls,” says Dr. Joe Kiesler, who directs the program for UC. “We wanted students when they first start med school to have that perspective of what are the driving forces impacting the health of their patients. We also want them to understand who are the community partners who are working with our neighbors and trying to improve the health of individual community members.”

Dr. Kiesler chose SFSM as a community partner because of its broad range of services for some of the community’s most vulnerable neighbors.

For many students, meeting someone experiencing homelessness or food insecurity, or trying to overcome addiction and mental health issues, is eye-opening.

“This is an exceptional course in that it gives first-year medical students the opportunity to learn firsthand about the factors shaping the health of individuals who are experiencing homelessness,” SFSM Executive Director Mary Pat Raupach says. “We are grateful to be a partner of UC’s College of Medicine.”

Dr. Kiesler hopes the experience inspires and empowers future physicians to become advocates not only for their patients but also for programs and policies that ensure our marginalized neighbors can meet their basic needs.

“This is hopefully giving them that foundation of becoming community-responsive physicians,” Dr. Kiesler says. “Hopefully they see the importance of what a physician’s role can be and should be.”