PEDS-Related Service Learning Groups

There’s a number of service learning groups that are concerned with the pediatric population in our community. Many of these groups have application periods at the beginning of each semester, so contact the individual group for more information. We will also have our own mini Activities Fair with the different pediatrics-related service learning groups for you to learn more about each one at the beginning of the year.

BUDS: Boston University Down Syndrome (BUDS) is a service learning elective that pairs medical students with teens or adults with Down Syndrome. The pairs meet each month to participate in various social activities, such as attending sporting events, visiting museums, going to the movies, or sharing a meal together. This program allows medical students to learn about a developmental disability directly from individuals with Down Syndrome as well as their families. The program is designed to create a better understanding of Down Syndrome and prepare future clinicians to provide compassionate care to individuals with developmental disabilities. Email: budsprogram@gmail.com

CALM: Cuddling Assists in Lowering Maternal and Infant Stress (CALM) strives to lower maternal and infant stress through non-pharmacologic care for newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) secondary to in-utero opioid exposure. The program provides future clinicians with formative experiences in providing compassionate postpartum and neonatal support for vulnerable populations in both inpatient and nursery settings that will influence student understanding of non-pharmacological interventions and sensitive issues. Medical students commit to at least one 2-hour shift per month, from 8-10pm or 10pm to midnight, during which they hold and soothe the newborns. Email: busm.calm@gmail.com

DREAM: Delivery Resources, Education, and Advocacy for Moms (DREAM) is a service-learning group that trains medical students to provide continuous labor support for women with limited social support and resources at Boston Medical Center. We collaborate with the OB/GYN Department, the Birth Sisters Program, and the Teen and Tot Program in Pediatrics to have students provide prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum support to individually assigned women. Email: hannahtn@bu.edu, mzimmer2@bu.edu, hpnguyen@bu.edu

Fit4You: Fit4You is a student-led service learning program that aims to educate and encourage adolescents in the pediatric subspecialty clinic about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. We work in pediatrics with patients who are seeing one of the subspecialists here at BMC for a health issue that is related to nutrition. Patients who are seeing cardiology, endocrinology, or another specialty and are above the recommended BMI are eligible to meet with Fit4You members. The goals of Fit4You are focused on providing adolescent patients with the resources and knowledge to be active and engaged in their own health. We provide community resources for our families and a set of recommendations known as the 5210 curriculum that provides a daily outline of how to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Essentially, the curriculum describes the importance of fruits and vegetables, aerobic activity, and simple ways to reduce sugar intake. We are focused on giving families and adolescents here at BMC the resources and motivation to create a healthy lifestyle! Email: busm.fit4you@gmail.com

Patch Adams: Our goal as the Patch Adams club is to improve the wellbeing for pediatric inpatients through creative engagement on an ever-broadening scale, while also enhancing the academic experience of our members and peers through research and education. We are integrating as part of the Child Life Team at BMC to visit the Pediatric wards once a week, and to provide entertainment and joy to the patients and their families. We are a dedicated group of medical students who are committed to supporting the Child Life Team through the use of magic tricks, juggling, balloon animals, etc. Email: bupadams@bu.edu

PEERS: Pediatric ED Evaluation for Risk of Substances (PEERS) is a BUSM student service learning organization founded in 2020 to enhance adolescent screening of risky substance use, risky sexual practices, and additional social determinants of health in the BMC Pediatric ED, with the goal to improve access to and utilization of resources. PEERS uses an established near-peer model, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) training and clinical framework, and a comprehensive social needs assessment. As a service-learning experience at the BUSM, PEERS provides first and second year medical students with the opportunity to learn and practice brief screening of substance use disorder and motivational interviewing in the pediatric ED (PED), and become familiar with social resources that can be provided to patients. Email: peers.busm@gmail.com

Sidekicks: Sidekicks pairs medical students with pediatric patients who receive care for chronic conditions at BMC. By becoming a sidekick you will serve as a mentor and a friend to your buddy by spending time with them while they wait for their doctor, during infusions, and beyond. Email: busmsidekicks@gmail.com

STEP: BUSM Science Teaching Enrichment Program (STEP) promotes a partnership between the BUSM community and high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Greater Boston area. Medical students meet with a group of high school students, once a week on campus, in order to provide them with an early exposure to the medical profession. Meetings involve one-on-one mentoring, as well as programming focused on knowledge of health careers, health disparities, and disease processes. Email: busm.STEP@gmail.com