Katherine is working with the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children to implement Mindful Exchanges. Her project is bringing 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 >>
University of Pittsburgh
Puja Dutta 2024-2025
Puja is 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 are learning more about making and Read More >>
Sierra Johnson & Tierney Lyons 2024-2025
Sierra and Tierney are continuing to implement HEAR-UP (Hearing Education and Resources for Underserved Populations). This project, in its 7th year, provides free audiological services to patients who cannot afford it or access it elsewhere. Sierra and Tierney are continuing to provide hearing services, including hearing tests and hearing aid fittings, to patients at the Read More >>
Carla Medina Gil 2024-2025
Carla is 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 is reading the children’s pharmacy books as well as recording and publishing the readings for free online Read More >>
Saania Mehrin 2024-2025
Saania is continuing the project Managing Oral Health in Special Needs Populations at Achieva. Her project 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 is educating families and caregivers on the importance of dental health. Read More >>
Mira Patel & Kristen Shen 2024-2025
Mira and Kristen are continuing Operation Healthy Smiles, now in its 2nd year at HEARTH. The project is continuing to educate 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 tailors resources and personalized plans to meet the unique Read More >>
Gabriel Quinteros 2024-2025
Gabriel is working with the Latino population in Pittsburgh to provide mental health support through outdoor activities and physical activity. Inc onjunction with Casa San Jose, Gabriel’s project is weaving in a realistic framework of mental health practices that encourage participants to identify how their participation is helping their mental health. Sessions incorporate team building, Read More >>
Pooja Tallapaneni 2024-2025
Pooja is continuing Good Mood Foods. The project focuses 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 variety Read More >>
Aishwarrya Arivudainambi 2023-2024
Aishawarrya’s project, Science Fair Initiative (SciFI) will provide early introduction to scientific research to students from communities that are underrepresented in STEM through science fair projects. She will use project-based learning techniques to make research more accessible to students at a young age. The goal of SciFI is to increase the likelihood that the participating students Read More >>
Nia Buckner 2023-2024
Nia will be continuing Breaking Down Breast Cancer now in its 3rd year. Previously at Birmingham Free Clinic, Nia will work to expand and transition care to other clinics throughout the Pittsburgh area while providing follow-up to patients at Birmingham Free Clinic. The goal of her project will remain the same, which is to educate Read More >>
Sindhu Gopalaswamy 2023-2024
Sindhu’s project will focus on the dental management of participants with special needs and their caregivers. She will hold sessions to discuss the practice of preventive oral health care and the different ways to maintain good oral health for her participants. Sindhu plans to review and have her participants and caregivers practice brushing and flossing Read More >>
Peyton Groves 2023-2024
Peyton will be implementing the Caregiver Connect Project along with UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and HopeGrows. She will address the mental health needs of caregivers of medically complex children through implementation of a peer-to-peer support group, educational and wellness workshops, and in-patient social activities. The goal of Peyton’s project is to increase the support Read More >>
Shobena Jeevan Jeevan Sethu 2023-2024
Shobena’s project, Operation Healthy Smiles, is designed to serve underserved children throughout the Pittsburgh region. Her project will address oral health care needs and the influence of nutrition and diet on dental health. Shobena will provide resources and individualize plans that address the needs of each child. She will work to improve dental hygiene and Read More >>
Alyssa Khieu 2023-2024
Alyssa’s project is Improving Health Literacy and Access in Incarcerated Populations, which will focus on providing information to currently or recently incarcerated individuals about common health conditions and how to access healthcare resources after they are out of incarceration. This will be done through communicating with currently or recently incarcerated individuals about what they want to know, Read More >>
Tonianne Larson and Monica Moscoso 2023-2024
Tonianne and Monica continue to implement HEAR-UP (Hearing Education and Resources for Underserved Populations) – now in its 6th year. This project provides hearing services to patients at the Birmingham Free Clinic, Squirrel Hill Health Center (SHHC), and Catholic Charities. The health issue being addressed through their project is hearing loss. At these locations Tonianne Read More >>
Ektha Parchuri and Sohan Rao 2023-2024
Ektha and Sohan plan to work with incarcerated or recently incarcerated individuals to address chronic health conditions and the barriers that they face. Their project will incorporate focus groups, interviews, and interactive activities to help overcome environmental disparities, critical health barriers, and access to care. Through these sessions, Ektha and Sohan hope to develop interventions Read More >>
Keerthana (Keerthi) Samanthapudi 2023-2024
Keerthi is working with the Allegheny County Health Department to address the county’s high burden of pediatric asthma and racial/geographic outcome disparities through the Asthma Control Project (ACP). The ACP partners with the American Lung Association (ALA) and Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE) to improve pediatric asthma outcomes through community education, advocacy, and home Read More >>
Christina White 2023-2024
Christina’s project, Good Mood Food, aims to address the interconnected chronic health issues of mental wellbeing and healthy eating. This will be accomplished through a series of workshops that combine various health-promoting skills: coping strategies, guided reflections, and nutritiously accessible meal preparation. The goal is to boost knowledge and familiarity with healthy foods and how to Read More >>
Dorothy Yam 2023-2024
Dorothy’s project focuses on the needs of caregivers for older adults with dementia and other debilitating neurological illnesses. The goal of her project is to address the psychosocial and health issues that burden caregivers. Dorothy will look and connect with current resources and infrastructures that support these caregivers and will also look at the differences Read More >>
Trudy Zou 2023-2024
Trudy’s project, WomEmpowerment, is an Afghan Women’s Empowerment Group. She is working with refugee mothers resettled in Pittsburgh with the Jewish Family Community Services (JFCS). Her project will address chronic disease and health risk behaviors. She will hold a series of classes that focus on topics such as nutrition, exercise, and mental health. Trudy will Read More >>
