MISSION
The USC Student-Run Clinic is an inter-professional student project dedicated to enhancing medical education and patient care through team-based medicine. We are one of the largest student organizations at the University of Southern California, with over 300 registered student volunteers from our four core health professional programs: Medicine, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, and Physician Assistant. The StudentRun Clinic has established itself by serving the Los Angeles and USC communities since April 2011.
The USC Student-Run Clinic, Keck SOM is at the forefront of an educational and healthcare movement, aiming to address five areas of need in medical education and patient care:
1. Need for better continuity of care and primary care linkage in the Los Angeles healthcare system.
2. Need for greater awareness of the importance of follow-up and primary care linkage among Los Angeles patient populations.
3. Need for team-based education in graduate health professional programs in California.
4. Need for active involvement in patient care and case-based learning in the pre-clinical curriculum at the USC Keck School of Medicine.
5. Need for greater opportunities for community-based research at the USC Keck School of Medicine to help students achieve Keck’s research objectives.
The USC Student-Run Clinic, Keck SOM is at the forefront of an educational and healthcare movement, aiming to address five areas of need in medical education and patient care:
1. Need for better continuity of care and primary care linkage in the Los Angeles healthcare system.
2. Need for greater awareness of the importance of follow-up and primary care linkage among Los Angeles patient populations.
3. Need for team-based education in graduate health professional programs in California.
4. Need for active involvement in patient care and case-based learning in the pre-clinical curriculum at the USC Keck School of Medicine.
5. Need for greater opportunities for community-based research at the USC Keck School of Medicine to help students achieve Keck’s research objectives.
Michael Toboni, Co-president |
Brian Chou, Co-presidentI am from Diamond Bar, CA and went to University of California, San Diego. In my free time I love to snowboard! I believe the SRC is a model of how health care should be provided. It makes a significant impact on both the students and the patients we see in Downtown LA. Patients receive the quality of care that they need, and the students gain first hand experience working on an interdisciplinary team. I am involved with SRC because it is a passion and a cause worth striving for.
[email protected] |
MEDICINEJoseph Li, MS2 Chair
Hello! As I like to say, my parents are from Taiwan, but I was made in America, born and raised in the Los Angeles area. I completed my bachelors at the University of Southern California with a major in Biological Sciences and minors in Health Communication and Cultural Competence in Medicine. During my first year at the Keck School of Medicine, I served as Volunteer Coordinator of the USC-Eisner Family Medicine Center for the Student-Run Clinic, and now, have risen to the position of Medicine Co-Chair. Why? Because interprofessional collaboration is the future of primary care, and something that is hardly addressed in our curricula. It is disheartening to me that while USC boasts strong programs to train various types of health providers, these programs are siloed and share very little interaction. There is so much to be gained, so much to be learned from teamwork. More selfishly, I firmly believe that if I am to most effectively serve my future patients and if I am to grow as a leader and counselor, I must challenge myself to understand the perspectives of differing health professions. On a completely different note, my favorite quotation: "Remember that happiness is a way of travel -- not a destination."
[email protected] Emily Levy, MS2 Chair
I grew up in Berkeley, California before attending UCLA where I majored in Biochemistry and Public Health. I subsequently worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the fields of Allergy/Asthma and Pediatric Gastroenterology before deciding to apply to medical school. I became involved with the USC Student-Run Clinic for many reasons, including my passion for treating the underserved, and a desire to gain exposure to students in other health professions, learning what they contribute to the healthcare team. Most importantly, I chose to become a leader of the Student-Run Clinic because I wanted to contribute to this unique organization that harnesses the skills of many professional students to provide comprehensive care to patients with the utmost quality, while at the same time providing a comfortable and safe learning environment for diverse students to come together and learn from one another. Regarding something fun about myself, as a child I dreamed of being a clown when I got older and I'm hoping to put some of my circus skills (e.g. juggling) to use to put a smile on my patients' faces.
[email protected] |
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTSadia Quidwai, PA Chair
Natane Runningfox, PA Chair
I grew up in Pasadena and attended Loyola Marymount University. I majored in Health and Human Science. I love hiking, reading, and spending time with family. I have a strong passion in providing healthcare to individuals in underserved areas and limited access to health care. The SRC's focus is on providing care in underserved communities. The interdisciplinary approach not only treats medical complaints of patients, but identifies risk factors and lifestyle changes that can improve the patients health.
[email protected] |
PHARMACYMena Al-Rais, Pharmacy Chair
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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPYMegan Chen, OT Co-Chair
I was born and raised in Southern California. Chino Hills, California is where I call home. I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. (Go Bears!) I became involved with SRC because I wanted to learn more about interdisciplinary care. This is such an important concept that we do not experience or learn about in our classes. SRC is a great opportunity to work with other students from different professions and learn more about their scope of practice as well. Another reason why I am involved with SRC is because I wanted to learn more about the role of occupational therapy in primary care. Currently, occupational therapy is not very common in this setting even though it is very much needed. To me, SRC is also a stepping stone to further advocate for occupational therapy in primary care.
[email protected] Yvonne Hoang, OT Co-chair
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VOLUNTEER COORDINATORSKimberly SilkaI am from the LA area and I went to USC for college. I got involved with the Student-Run Clinic for the unique leadership experience of organizing so many people from different professional schools and for the experience of working within a care team to formulate a diagnosis and plan for patients.
[email protected] , Vanessa Reyes
PUBLICITYErin O'Donnel, OTS, Publicity Co-chair
I am from the South Bay in Los Angeles. I went to USC and played water polo as an undergraduate. When I'm not in school, I am a Los Angeles County Ocean Lifeguard. I got involved with the SRC because I feel that an interdisciplinary approach increases the quality of patient care, with each profession bringing unique skills and insight to the table. I love working on a team, and I have met so many awesome future colleagues through working on and volunteering in the SRC.
[email protected] Teresa Tseng, PS3, Publicity Co-chair |
RESEARCH CHAIRAshley Comfort
I'm from New York and graduated from NYU. This is my first time on the West Coast, and I love the weather, especially during the winter! I became involved with the Student-Run Clinic because I love the interdiscplinary aspect of the clinic and can't wait until we get more data on it!
[email protected] Zack Haberman
OPERATIONS CHAIRLynn Ngai
Growing up in Palo Alto, CA, Lynn went to college around the corner at Stanford University, happily habitating within a 10-mile radius for the first two decades of her life. Coming to Los Angeles for medical school has opened up her palate to new food and dessert discoveries, and a love for city life. As Operations Chair of the USC Student-Run Clinic, Lynn finds the organizational nature of the job rewarding and enjoys coordinating interdisciplinary tasks amongst the different schools.
[email protected] |
Emergency Medicine Faculty Advisor - Dr. Jonathan Wagner
Jonathan Wagner grew up in Nevada City, California, a small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He then attended the University of California-Berkeley, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Biology. Following undergrad, Dr. Wagner studied at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He spent his first post-graduate year on the island of Oahu completing a transitional internship at the University of Hawaii. He then trained in emergency medicine at the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. After serving as chief resident during his final year of residency in 2010-2011, he joined the faculty at LAC+USC Medical Center as full-time member of the residency office. His interests include medical education, international emergency medicine, and tropical medicine. Outside of the ED, he is an avid surfer, world traveler, and big time foodie.