The College of Osteopathic Medicine received a five-year, $1.3 million dollar grant from the Health Resources Service Administration, a large federal grant agency for medical schools, in partnership with the Miami-Dade Larkin Community Hospital. The grant, which went into effect last month, will enhance the curriculum for family practice medicine.
The faculty at College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, which has 18 NSU residents, will use the grant to educate residents about the unique health care needs of patients in medically underserved communities by training them in communication and interpersonal skills. Residents will also be trained in modern medicine through curriculums in informatics tools, electronic medical records, medical ethics and emergency situations such as nuclear and biological threats.
Grants from the Health Resources Service Administration are difficult to acquire and often require multiple submissions of the application to receive funding.
Joseph S. De Gaetano, associate dean for clinical curriculum and professor in the NSU Department of Family Medicine, said the combined effort between the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Larkin Community Hospital largely expedited the receipt of grant funding.
“With only a second attempt, the review committee at HRSA approved their application and the grant. Furthermore, the help of Dr. Lenard Levy [associate dean of education, planning and research at The College of Osteopathic Medicine] was instrumental, for writing the application,” said De Gaetano.
The grant will also be used to fund the publication of a mandatory research project by residents. De Gaetano said the project will sharpen the residents’ skills in experimental procedures such as cleanliness, clarity, presentation and publication.
De Gaetano said the added benefits of a research project to the practice of medicine in underserved communities are essential for the residents’ holistic understanding of science.
Jessie Dubey, third-year medical student, said, “We have a strong conviction in treating the body as a whole.”
