Maternal Care Deserts with Dr. Angela Hawkins, MD
Oklahoma’s Alliance for Rural Medicine and OUCOM Office of Access and Community Engagement (ACE) hosted Dr. Angela Hawkins, MD, Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology – SSM Health on May 6, 2024 to discuss the challenges faced by pregnant women in rural areas where there is no maternity care access.
Meet and Greet - March 27
Oklahoma’s Alliance for Rural Medicine hosted a Meet and Greet on March 27 for OUCOM Medical Students at the Andrews Tower in Oklahoma City.
It was a fun evening in which we discussed the challenges rural patients encounter and how medical students can get involved to develop and lead solutions to address these problems.
How Oklahoma's Alliance for Rural Medicine got started
As a group, we all believe that medicine can be more effective when rural and metropolitan locations communicate and put patients first. We want to lead the movement and find the champions and hope that our group will drive real change. It is through the values of Teamwork, Interconnected Communication, Advocating for Efficiency, Collaboration, Rural, Student-Driven, and Interdisciplinary relationships that we seek to bring about greater change.
Dee, Olivia, Zeeshawn, Christina, Natalie and Trey
Dr. Dee Wu, PhD
The idea for this Rural Health project was initially spurred by Dr. Wu as he was listening to several healthcare providers, including cancer physicians and nurse navigators, research nurses, and medical assistants. Dr. Wu has a strong interest in translational medicine, which includes innovations that are aimed to improve tumor board, clinical trials, and cancer survivorship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Information that was ‘lost in the middle,’ especially when it comes to the communication between the metropolitan and rural hospitals is and continues to be a daunting problem. How can we bring this information together and create a means of improvement? Dr. Wu also has really enjoyed working with students and learners and is a member of the executive committee for the Academy of Teaching Scholars at OU Health. He has spent the last 20 years of his career at OU as a teacher and mentor for students. Additionally, Dr. Wu also knew that this problem was too much for a single person to lead. Solving this problem would take a lot of talented, enthusiastic, and energized people! Luckily, he asked one of the medical students with whom he was working to ask around and introduce him to students who might be interested in this project. Olivia and Zeeshawn stepped up. Dr. Wu had already worked with Christina and Natalie, and knew that a special task force/ team could evolve. He feels so fortunate to be able to work with young, energized, and purposeful individuals. It is through their energy that he wishes to amplify their ideas and help their leadership to flourish.
Olivia Webb
Olivia was introduced by another medical student whom Dr. Wu was mentoring on another project. After completing her first year of medical school, Olivia knew that she was interested in advocating for people in need. With this in mind, she started looking for a project that would fuel this newfound passion. Her enthusiasm was infectious and within the first week and along with the other members, we had drafted our core set of beliefs, values, a tagline, and an objective for the group. Olivia as a co-leader of this group has already felt the challenges faced by rural environments, as she worked previously as a single medical assistant in a small practice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Zeeshawn Beg
Zeeshawn also met Dr. Wu through a friend of his in medical school. After meeting with Dr. Wu, Zeeshawn was immediately on board. He feels that rural communities face unique challenges when receiving healthcare, especially when they have to switch from local care to a big system like OU. He hopes to be able to bring real change and advocacy to OU and seeks to help foster a relationship between the rural healthcare community and OU. He also looks forward to finding like-minded people to help bring more access to care and hopefully funding to these communities. Zeeshawn, who grew up in Edmond, Oklahoma, continues to be an agent of change and is a co-leader of our group
Christina Wang
Christina was raised in Norman, Oklahoma and now studies Neuroscience as a junior in 2022 at the Ohio State University. She said she rarely thought about rural hospital infrastructure until she had discussions with this group. Christina has realized how complicated and inefficient the entire medical system could be for patients and staff, especially when medicine is becoming more and more complex. The thought of contributing to such an impactful project drew her in, particularly with the prospect of implementing real, legislative change to benefit all Oklahomans. Christina has a strong creative talent, including communications, web design, and branding.
Natalie Norton
Natalie Norton has been working with Dr. Wu since 2020 on various translational projects in medicine. When she learned about this project involving rural communities, she was very interested because she grew up in a rural town in Oklahoma and has seen the difficulties with communication with hospitals from around the state. All Oklahomans should have access to the same level of health care, no matter where they live. She hopes that we as a team can bridge the communication gap between hospitals in Oklahoma. Natalie has been a constant force in Dr. Wu’s lab over the last two years and someone on whom he relies to get things done.
Trey Gradnigo
Trey was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma and has been working with Dr. Wu since June 2022. After learning more about Dr. Wu’s projects; he invited his classmates, Olivia and Zeeshawn, to join in. Having worked with the Special Olympics and YMCA throughout his life, Trey’s focus is on the Pediatrics side of rural health. He has seen some of the challenges children with rural backgrounds have faced when they’ve required treatment from bigger hospitals following these events. He hopes with this group of collaborators that we’ll be able to bring about a more equal healthcare system across the state and ultimately the nation.