Pritzker News
Pritzker Students Help Community Prepare for Flu Season
By A. Ning Zhou, MS2 and Helio Zapata, MS2
December 15, 2011 — With the arrival of the flu season, first and second year students at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine left their classrooms to give flu shots to several Chicago neighborhoods. These flu shot drives offered medical students valuable clinical experience to deliver vaccines to community members under physician supervision.
Dr. Karen Kim (far left) leads a group of Pritzker students during a health fair at the Chinese American Service League
With drives in Chinatown, Little Village, and the South Side, the students gained an appreciation for Chicago’s diverse communities and immigrant populations. The medical language lunches sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association and the Students for the Advancement of Medical Spanish helped students communicate with community members in their natural language.
Community events such as these flu drives reflect the nature of the Pritzker family. University of Chicago physicians, nurses, and medical students volunteered their time to work together to deliver quality health care to help reduce care disparities.
For more information about the flu drives, please ontact A. Ning Zhou, MS2 or Helio Zapata, MS2. The individual flu shot drives are listed below.
¡Gol…A Tú Salud! Health Fair
David Bluhm, MS2, immunizing a soccer player at the ¡Gol…A Tú Salud! Health Fair
On September 25th, students under the direction of Dr. Karen Kim administered over 150 flu vaccinations at Luther South High School. The University of Chicago Comprehensive Care Center’s Office of Community Engagement and Cancer Disparities, the American Cancer Society, and the Chicago Latin American Soccer Association sponsored the health fair. The Chicago Department of Public Health provided the vaccinations.
Chinatown Health Fair
Christine Anterasian, Rebecca Kaiser, Shane Regnier, Ndang Azang-Njaah, and Wenjing Zong, all MS2s, check blood glucose levels at the Chinatown Health Fair
On September 30th, students under the direction of Dr. Karen Kim administered over 225 flu vaccinations, glucose screening tests, and blood pressure screenings at the Chinese American Service League. The Asian Health Coalition and the Office of Community Engagement and Cancer Disparities sponsored the health fair. This year was the second consecutive year for this event.
Little Village Pediatric Flu Shot Drive
On October 8th, students under the direction of Dr. Rita Rossi-Foulkes administered approximately 20 flu vaccinations at Our Lady of Tepeyac Church. The University of Chicago Comer Pediatric Mobile Unit sponsored the flu shot drive.
Students against Cancer: Community Prostate Awareness Day
On October 14th, students under the direction of Dr. Karen Kim administered approximately 20 flu vaccinations at the Gately Stadium. Free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing was done in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Health Van. The University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Community Engagement and Cancer Disparities, the Illinois Department of Public Health, MetroSouth Medical Center, Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church, the Chicago Public Schools, and Percy Julian High School sponsored the event.
Little Village Adult Flu Shot Drive
On October 30th, students under the direction of Dr. Arshiya Baig administered over 115 flu shots at Our Lady of Tepeyac Church. Dr. Dorianne Miller sponsored the flu shot drive.
