JAYLA CURTIS

Arizona State University

Jlcurtis@arizona.edu

JAYLA CURTIS was born and raised in Missouri but has lived in Arizona for nine years as of July 2023. Further, she is a rising senior at Arizona State University, soon to be earning her Bachelor of Science in Medical Studies. After graduation, she plans on earning a master’s degree in the Science of Healthcare Delivery, reinforcing her research skills, and studying abroad. Additional career aspirations that she has in life is to matriculate into medical school to become the first physician in her family. Likewise, to specialize in an area that is currently experiencing physician shortages such as becoming an OB/GYN, to contribute to significantly declining the mortality rates in African American women and babies. Likewise, the presentations that she attended within this program that have covered the mental health, physician shortages, burnout and overall health disparities within minority communities, has further ignited her interest in serving underserved individuals within an urban and rural community. While reflecting on the office of equity, diversity, and inclusion internship this summer, she is filled with an immense amount of gratitude for being able to receive support and unique preparation for her future and graduate school applications through an MCAT prep course, multiple miniinterviews, research experience, and an oral poster presentation. Outside of working towards being a part of the next generation of well - rounded healthcare professionals through rigorous classwork, internships, clubs, and service work, she enjoys painting canvases, self - care activities (going to the car wash, nail salon, target, online shopping etc.), watching movies, and overall spending time with her mom.

⊲ PROJECT CANCER NAVIGATION AND SCREENING INTERVENTION WITH INDIGENOUS WOMEN WHO HAVE IDD

The My Health My Choice team was created to serve women from the underrepresented indigenous community who have Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (IDD). IDD’s are defined as lifelong physical and cognitive impairments that first appear during childhood and are prolonged throughout one’s lifespan. Through the partnership with the Tucson Indian Center amongst other entities, the objectives are to deliver this six – session program to indigenous women with IDD within this facility, to encourage early detection cancer screenings and to enhance their health literacy and self – advocacy skills in healthcare through cancer navigation. Cancer screening navigation is an intervention that focuses on the inequities that minority cancer patients experience. The MHMC team works toward decreasing these disadvantages in healthcare that inhibits these women from proactively receiving breast and cervical cancer screenings such as Mammograms and Pap tests, by addressing the historical ableism in healthcare toward this group and the limited access that they have toward receiving scarce resources. Within the ten weeks of this program, I had the opportunity to contribute to piloting cancer screening navigation by assembling a social determinants of health resources sheet for the health educator within this team to share with Native women with IDD at the Tucson Indian Center. This component to MHMC is significant because it contributes to positively impacting women within this community during their individual healthcare journeys. Further, feasibility and acceptability are evaluated through cancer screening navigation and through the assessment of the program’s engagement, patient satisfaction, and improvements.

JULIE ARMIN PhD Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine

Jarmin@arizona.edu

As a medical anthropologist, my goal is to improve healthcare and reduce health disparities for historically underserved populations using qualitative, multi-method and community-based methodologies. My research program is broadly focused on addressing gaps in cancer prevention and treatment for populations that have been historically marginalized due to hierarchies of race and social class. I have examined how cancer care is affected by immigration status, social class, and gender. My current work centers on the practices of advance care planning among English and Spanish-speaking people living with cancer and their providers, and access to cancer care for people with disabilities.

Hanna Ali Deller

Virginia Commonwealth University

Dellerha@arizona.edu

Hanna A. Deller is a rising senior attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She is double-majoring in Biology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies with a minor in Chemistry. Her professional goals include becoming a General Physician in underserved and marginalized communities working to improve health equity and access.

She has a strong passion for improving community health which is demonstrated through her past research fellowships at Harbor-UCLA Summer Urban Health Fellowship and the CDC John Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program. She was inspired to conduct research related to health outcomes after shadowing in a clinic and witnessing health disparities firsthand. At Virginia Commonwealth University, she is currently the Co-president of VCU PRIME, a mentorship organization dedicated to helping underrepresented students on their pre-professional health journey, as well as being a Supplemental Instruction Leader for Intro to Biology. In her spare time, she loves to paint and cook street food from around the world.

⊲ PROJECT

“SAFE” Student Awareness of Fentanyl Education

This study is dedicated to understanding the differences in knowledge concerning Fentanyl between Arizona parents and children through surveys. The project is specifically aimed to identify factors that stop a potential addiction, general understanding of the dangers of Fentanyl, interest in learning more about Fentanyl, and the best learning platforms for children. From there, we are planning to use our findings to establish an educational curriculum for children about the dangers of Fentanyl.

Vanderah screening

Todd navigation and through the assessment of the program’s engagement, patient satisfaction, and improvements.