Madison (Maddie) and Erin will be implementing ONE HEALTHy Community project and will partner with multiple secondary schools in Westmoreland County. Maddie and Erin will teach students about the connection between environmental health, human health, and animal health with support from One Health lesson plans. With Westmoreland County residents’ relatively high risk of exposure to Read More >>
2024-2025
Katherine Du 2024-2025
Katherine will work with the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children to implement Mindful Exchanges. Her project will bring mental wellness education to vision-impaired youth. The goal of the project is to design and deliver mental health sessions for youth with unique needs, especially those who may be able to access mainstream resources or learn Read More >>
Puja Dutta 2024-2025
Puja Dutta will be working with South Hills Interfaith Ministry on her project Working with Wellness. The goal of Puja’s project is to educate children of refugee and immigrant families on nutrition and mindful movement while empowering them to integrate what they learn into their daily lives. Through interactive workshops, children will learn more about Read More >>
Joesph Engelmeier 2024-2025
Joseph (Joey) will work to develop a sustainable project for distributing DIY air purifier kits while improving environmental health literacy in historically underserved communities. Based on designs suggested by the EPA, these DIY kits will be roughly 1/3 the cost of most indoor air purifiers, and they will be far less expensive to maintain. If Read More >>
Sierra Johnson & Tierney Lyons 2024-2025
Sierra and Tierney will continue to implement HEAR-UP (Hearing Education and Resources for Underserved Populations). This project, in its 7th year, will continue to provide free audiological services to patients who cannot afford it or access it elsewhere. Sierra and Tierney will continue to provide hearing services, including hearing tests and hearing aid fittings, to Read More >>
Sydney Lewis 2024-2025
Sydney will be implementing Dance It Out at the Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania. Her project will address health disparities among underserved children in Pittsburgh by providing them with access to a wellness program centered around various styles of dance. Through dance, Sydney will foster community inclusion through self-expression, goal-setting strategies, and developing Read More >>
Madhumita Manesh 2024-2025
Madhumita (Madhu) will be working with Pittsburgh Public Elementary Schools to positively impact the social-emotional learning (SEL) capacities of youth with marginalized identities including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. The project will include small group sessions with students, and the sessions will focus on topics including increasing emotional regulation capabilities, coping development strategies, social problem-solving, and increasing Read More >>
Carla Medina Gil 2024-2025
Carla will be implementing Empowerment of Health Literacy at the Birmingham Free Clinic. The goal of her project is to increase health literacy for Spanish- and English-speaking children on the management and pathophysiology of childhood asthma and diabetes. Carla will reach the children’s pharmacy books as well as record and publish the readings for free Read More >>
Saania Mehrin 2024-2025
Saania will be continuing the project Managing Oral Health in Special Needs Populations at Achieva, which empowers and supports people with disabilities and their families throughout their lives. People with disabilities are at higher risk for developing oral diseases. With that in mind, Saania will continue to educate families and caregivers on the importance of Read More >>
Brittany Nelson 2024-2025
Brittany will be continuing Breaking Down Breast Cancer, now in its 4th year, at Primary Care Health Services. She will educate women on breast cancer screening guidelines, what to do if you find a lump, hereditary breast cancer resources, and survey screening tools. Brittany will also continue to provide cervical cancer education, including how to Read More >>
Mira Patel & Kristen Shen 2024-2025
Mira and Kristen will continue Operation Healthy Smiles, now in its 2nd year at HEARTH. The project will continue to serve underserved children across the Pittsburgh region by focusing on enhancing oral health care and understanding the impact of nutrition and diet on dental health. Their project will continue to tailor resources and personalized plans Read More >>
Gabriel Quinteros 2024-2025
Gabriel will work with the Latino population in Pittsburgh to provide mental health support through outdoor activities and physical activity. He plans to work in conjunction with Casa San Jose. His project will weave in a realistic framework of mental health practices that encourage participants to identify how their participation is helping their mental health. Read More >>
Anya Singh-Varma 2024-2025
Anya will work with the Jewish Family Community Services to continue WomEmpowerment, now in its 2nd year. The project will continue to serve Afghani refugee women. Anya will continue to hold classes that discuss various health topics ranging from nutrition to women’s health to exercise. She will also empower them to obtain access to healthcare Read More >>
Pooja Tallapaneni 2024-2025
Pooja is continuing Good Mood Foods. The project will focus on empowering underserved communities through increasing health literacy surrounding nutrition, providing access to healthy foods, and iterative feasibility testing of personalized behavioral health solutions to improve mental and physical health. Through interactive food demonstrations, nutrition information sessions, and one one-on-one SMART goal setting at a Read More >>