New Internship Advances Academy’s Health Equity Work
Medical Students Bring Passion for Change
June 7, 2023, News Staff — Some people use the summer to catch up on home projects, spend time outside or just relax.
The students who comprise the AAFP’s new Underrepresented in Medicine Health Equity Internship Program have other plans.
Beginning this month, the inaugural cohort will spend 12 weeks working remotely to advance the work of the AAFP Center for Diversity and Health Equity. They will provide research and analysis on diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism initiatives of particular importance to family medicine.
Interns will support a project connected with CDHE’s The EveryONE ProjectTM and co-develop and present a poster at the AAFP’s National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. They will also have the opportunity to play a role in other AAFP events.
In the process, they will gain a better understanding of the Academy’s efforts to promote DEI and develop professional skills to help lead the charge in advancing health equity and advocating for DEI as they continue on the path toward careers in health care.
Meet the Interns
Brittany Hugue, M.Sc.
Brittany Hugue, M.Sc., is a third-year medical student at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Fairborn, Ohio. Hugue is a certified lactation counselor and United Health/National Medical Fellowships Diverse Medical Scholar who previously served as a community doula advocate and is committed to improving breastfeeding rates for Black women.
Mustapha Jaber
Mustapha Jaber is a first-year medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. Jaber, who was raised in an impoverished and medically underserved community, is pursuing a career as a community-focused physician, which will allow him to address health disparities while empowering younger generations to foster change.
Darian Thompson
Darian Thompson is a first-year medical student at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Thompson’s experiences growing up as a gay, nonbinary, biracial child in an economically disadvantaged, single-parent household in Iowa shaped his understanding of the importance of the social determinants of health and equity and led him to seek a career in medicine.
Madison Whitekiller
Madison Whitekiller is a second-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa School of Community Medicine. An advocate for the 39 federally recognized tribal nations of Oklahoma and president of her school’s family and community medicine interest group, Whitekiller plans to serve Indigenous communities; encourage young Native Americans to follow careers in the STEM fields; and use her skills as a physician to combat the health disparities Native Americans face.
About the Internship
The Health Equity Internship gives participants the opportunity to build their knowledge, experience and mentorship opportunities. And throughout the program (which includes compensation and reimbursement for travel and lodging) interns will participate in small-group sessions with family medicine leaders to connect with and learn from their peers.
For questions about the internship program, please email healthequity@aafp.org. Make sure to watch aafp.org for details on the application period for the next cohort.