They screened preschoolers' vision, helped seniors access fresh food and supported early detection efforts for sickle cell disease.
Now, the first University of Dayton Health Engagement Fellows are graduating.
For three years, the inaugural group of fellows logged about 12,500 hours with community partners like Dayton Children's Hospital, Daybreak, Sunlight Village and Miami Valley Child Development Centers to address root causes of health disparities.
"It shaped how I see health care, not just as treatment, but as trust, advocacy and connection," said graduating senior Alexia Benton. "It has given me the tools to grow not only as a future professional, but as a person."
The program in the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community equips students to drive systemic change through coursework, capstone projects and two years of paid internships with community partners. It is supported by the Scarlet Feather Fund and health care professionals Mary Ann '79 and Mike Abrams.
Fellows focus on the inequities that shape health outcomes, including food access, transportation and gaps in care. Their yearlong projects have tackled issues like raising awareness about doulas and the infant mortality rate in Montgomery County, where Black infants die at 2.5 times the rate of white infants. Fellows also conducted health risks screenings that were so influential for residents they are now standard at Five Rivers Health Centers, worked on a countywide breast cancer campaign, and addressed youth mental health.
Graduates are heading to physical therapy, physician assistant, public health and doctoral programs, while others are working in clinics and preparing for medical school. Three additional groups of fellows are continuing the work begun by the inaugural class.
"They've spent years in the community doing real work with real partners, and that sticks with you," said program director Moses Mbeseha. "It changes how you treat people, how you think about the whole system. When they get to grad school or start a job, they're going to carry that with them."