From the president
Cordelia R. Elaiho, MPH, a second-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MCW), has a passion for expanding her journey to be a community-engaged practitioner. Her leadership and community engagement activities demonstrate an unwavering commitment to partnership-building, innovation, and the dissemination of knowledge to address health disparities. Ms. Eliaho’s commitment is further reflected in her participation in various community-based participatory research efforts, including her time as a student in MCW’s Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP), during which she focused on implementing and evaluating a trauma-informed curriculum and video game for students in the Milwaukee school system. Ms. Elaiho is one of two student members of the MCW Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP) planning team. HESP is a physician training track aimed at increasing the number of expertly trained medical school graduates who choose to practice in Milwaukee and care for residents directly impacted by the city’s health and healthcare disparities. Ms. Elaiho has been instrumental in creating the HESP curriculum at MCW and also in demonstrating her commitment to community engagement through her research within several Milwaukee communities.
Personal Statement
Growing up in New York City, I observed stark healthcare disparities, notably in underserved areas where free clinics run by dedicated medical students and physicians in their spare time served as vital primary care and emergency resources. My observations fueled my passion to obtain a master’s in public health, gaining a profound understanding of the individual and systemic factors contributing to inequities in underserved communities. My practical experience extends to working with the medically uninsured and the unhoused. Before medical school, I led a community-based participatory research project for adolescents with pre-diabetes in East Harlem, New York City. As a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, I actively contribute to implementing and evaluating a trauma-informed curriculum for students in Milwaukee schools. I also serve on the Board of Directors of our student-run free clinic – the Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured. I not only manage the physical clinic but also spearhead initiatives to expand access to primary and continuous care through innovative telehealth solutions. I am driven to implement a multipronged strategy aimed at eradicating the root causes of social issues on a global scale.