PISACANO LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION NAMES 2014 PISACANO SCHOLARS

doi:10.1370/afm.1730

The Pisacano Leadership Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), recently selected its 2013 Pisacano Scholars. These 7 4th-year medical students follow in the footsteps of 95 scholar alumni who are practicing physicians and 16 current scholars who are enrolled in medical schools or family medicine residency programs across the country. The Pisacano Leadership Foundation was created in 1990 by the ABFM in tribute to its founder and first executive director, Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD (1924–1990). Each Pisacano Scholar has demonstrated the highest level of leadership, academic achievement, communication skills, community service, and character and integrity.

Darcy Benedict, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine enrolled in the joint MD/ MPH program. She graduated from Colgate University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Upon entering medical school, Darcy was selected for the Urban Medicine (UMed) Program, a special track for developing physician-leaders to provide care for underserved urban communities, and the Patient-Centered Medicine (PCM) Scholars Program for students committed to social responsibility, community service, and patient welfare. As a member of UMed, Darcy has focused on providing health and wellness education to Chicago’s Native American community; in 2012 she was invited to give a talk on nutrition and obesity at the annual American Indian Heritage Celebration at UIC. As a PCM Scholar, Darcy has worked with Chicago’s homeless population providing care for individuals awaiting shelter placement.

As a family physician, Darcy’s vision is to unite patient-centered, compassionate care with community outreach and advocacy to empower patients and their communities, and advance health equity for everyone, especially for the most marginalized populations.

Max Goldstein, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Max graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Romance Languages from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

In medical school, Max was awarded a stipend to develop a youth-based emergency first response program in collaboration with non-governmental organizations in Lima, Peru. He served as UCLA class President and as the co-president of the Family Medicine Interest Group, building of a community garden at Esteban Torres High School in East LA. Max was alsoa recipient of the California Community Fund Fraser Scholarship

Max hopes that his career in family medicine will involve a lifetime of service, where he can help to improve a community’s well-being through direct service as a physician, but also through leadership and activism.

Seneca Harberger, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at Temple University School of Medicine. He graduated with honors from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. After college, Seneca pursued a career in education, becoming an Oakland Teaching Fellow, training new teachers and drawing them into math, science and special education classrooms in struggling schools. Seneca also completed a Master in Education at Alliant International University in San Francisco, California.

At Temple, Seneca is pursuing a concurrent Master in Urban Bioethics. As a research coordinator for a study of MRSA skin infections, he worked with many patients seeking their primary care in the Temple Emergency Department. As coordinator of the Temple Emergency Action Corps, Homelessness Initiative (TEACH), he helped organize health literacy sessions and small screening clinics in local shelters and initiated plans for a large-scale, comprehensive clinic. Seneca also serves as a leader of the Family Medicine Interest Group.

Seneca is passionate about primary care, devoted to family medicine, and thrilled at the prospect of a career in collaboration with the many deft and ardent colleagues that community offers.

Jonathan Jimenez, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Jonathan graduated from Yale University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He is currently earning his Master in Public Health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

While in medical school, Jonathan served as a co-coordinator for the Union Settlement Mount Sinai Partnership. He received the Irwin Gelernt scholarship, which is given for commitment to community service. Most recently, he co-founded a chapter of Primary Care Progress (PCP) at Mount Sinai and became a Clinical Innovation Network Fellow for PCP.

Jonathan’s commitment against the plight of vulnerable populations coupled with deep understanding of the issues affecting patients in underserved communities makes him qualified to be an outstanding family physician.

Stephanie Sandhu, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Stephanie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology and Women’s Studies English Literature.

During medical school, Stephanie went abroad to Xela, Guatemala to participate in the Somos Hermanos Spanish Immersion program. Stephanie served as a student leader for the Stout Street Clinic, a weekly student-run clinic for the homeless. She also served as the co-president of the Colorado Medical Society CU School of Medicine and was on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Medical Society. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Medical Political Action Committee as the medical student representative.

Stephanie hopes that her experience in policy work along with her vision of addressing the social determinants of health inside and outside the office will allow her to justly serve the underserved as she moves forward in her career as a family physician.

Alyssa Shell, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) earning her MD/PhD in Population Health Sciences. Alyssa graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies from Harvard University. She also received a Certificate in Health Policy.

While in medical school, Alyssa received the John P. McGovern Student Award in Oslerian Medicine and is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. In 2012, she received the United States Public Health Services Excellence in Public Health Award. Alyssa volunteered for 3 years and then served as the Director of St. Vincent’s Student Clinic at UTMB.

Alyssa has a patient-centered attitude that started in high school during a summer volunteer program in Kenya where she taught classes on HIV education. Her career goals include practicing full-spectrum family medicine, working to alleviate health care disparities, especially in rural areas, and to eventually become a leader in health care policy.

Nicholas Kenji Taylor, a 2014 Pisacano Scholar, is at the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University earning degrees in East Asian Studies and Neuroscience. He also completed a Master in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship Engineering at Brown.

In medical school, Kenji managed The Cut Hypertension Program in which medical students visit African American barbershops to perform blood pressure screenings and educate customers. He continued throughout medical school to build this program via an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and United Health Foundation award. Kenji had the opportunity to work with a program in South Africa to build a system that followed mothers infected with HIV through the process of preventing HIV transmission to their infants. Kenji recently completed an epidemiology fellowship in Namibia and Malawi.

Kenji envisions his future in family medicine as the privilege to provide one-on-one primary care to individuals in his local community as well as strengthen systems of health and preventative services to the most vulnerable populations around the world.