Howell wins for poster presentation on MOWA Medical Hub Partnership

Caroline Howell presents her poster at the

ACU conference.

Third-year medical student Caroline Howell, one of the program coordinators for the USA Student-Run Free Clinic, recently attended the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) conference in Washington, D.C. 

Howell was selected as the winner of the poster award for her presentation detailing the collaboration between the USA Student-Run Free Clinic, the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities, and the MOWA Choctaw Nation tribe in Mt. Vernon, Alabama.

The ongoing initiative, called the MOWA Medical Hub Partnership, aims to identify and address community needs of the Choctaw tribe. Efforts have included STEM educational activities for the tribal youth, free health screenings, and healthcare education sessions. 

Howell said she was elated when she received the news of the award. “Our poster detailed the work and efforts of so many people committed to making a positive impact within the Choctaw community,” she said. “I believe that our presentation aligned with the values of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, and to feel their support in the form of this poster award is incredibly validating and encouraging to us.” 

Presenting at the ACU conference was an impactful experience for Howell, she said, as it allowed her to network with healthcare professionals who are striving to meet needs within underserved communities. “I was able to discuss our presentation involving the efforts of our Student-Run Free Clinic in conjunction with the USA Health Center for Healthy Communities and hear from other professionals about their ongoing work with free clinics across the country,” she said. 

As the poster winner, Howell will have the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff from the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved to discuss recommendations for developing the poster into a manuscript to submit for review. 

Howell acknowledged the hard work each of the authors who contributed to the presentation: medical students Thomas Robinson, M.S.; Emily Cleveland and Chandler Hinson, MBA; Antonette Francis-Shearer, Ph.D., health education manager at the Center for Healthy Communities; and Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., assistant professor of surgery and director of the Center for Healthy Communities.

“It's amazing what can happen when people are united with the common goal of serving others,” Howell said.