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President's Blog: From the Heart

Megan Nguyen, health equity fellow

A Healthier Community

By Eric F. Spina

In an ambitious undertaking, University of Dayton students are devoting thousands of hours to addressing health inequities and working with community partners to bring better care to all, particularly underserved populations.

Moses B. Mbeseha ’20 and two Health Equity Fellows stopped by my office during fall break to talk about how the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community is training future health leaders to address health care inequities caused by such factors as food insecurity, lack of access to quality care in early education for our most vulnerable children, and homelessness.

“Inequity means too many gaps. Our students can be catalysts for plugging those gaps,” said Moses, the program’s director. He will travel to Rome next month to receive an award recognizing the Health Equity Fellows as “one of the best solidarity service-learning experiences in Catholic higher education” and participate in a global symposium.

I appreciate the honorable mention the program received from Uniservitate, but I’m more proud of how our students are developing into agents of social change.

For instance Megan Nguyen ’26 and Addie Seifried ’26, both students in the first cohort, spent the summer conducting a literature review and developing recommendations for how health care professionals can improve the follow up with patients after a social needs screening.

“My classes are teaching me how to take care of people,” said Megan, a pre-med major from Cleveland who’s working for Dayton Children’s Hospital Center for Health Equity. “Through this program, I’m learning how people can get the care they need.”

Dayton Children’s Hospital operates its own food pantry and connects its patients and families to a variety of community resources for unmet needs, such as mental health services, food, housing, and transportation.

For Francesca Neilson ‘27, a biology major from Tipp City and a member of the second cohort, the issue is personal. “I have a form of disability, and I see how doctors prejudge me solely because I walk into the room with a cane,” she said. “I know I’m privileged, but I know how much I’ve struggled and I want to make it easier for others.”

Thanks to a generous grant from the Scarlet Feather Fund and health care professionals Mary Ann ‘79 and Mike Abrams, the Health Equity Fellows engage in mini-courses, capstone projects, research opportunities and two years of paid hands-on experiences with places like Dayton Children’s Hospital Center for Health Equity, Daybreak Dayton, Homefull, and Miami Valley Child Development Centers. In all, each cohort of the Health Equity Fellows will perform about 14,500 hours of service before they graduate.

The students’ work extends well beyond traditional doctor’s offices and medical clinics. Francesca is examining the implications of public health data that show higher rates of cancer and asthma among people affected by redlining and discriminatory housing practices. Megan packages food at Dayton Children’s food pantry. At Daybreak Dayton, the Health Equity Fellows are focused on youth education, mental health resources, and access to care for unhoused teens. At Homefull, they’re working with children and families through the Family Living Center on food insecurity, nutrition, literacy, and exercise.

Closer to home, Francesca is taking steps to start a support group on campus for students with disabilities.

“Our students are there to be difference makers,” Moses said. “We’re always challenging them, and they’re leveling up.”

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