Photo: Bryan Goodchild
The Remillard Family Community Service Fund has announced the recipients of funding for its 2025 cycle, awarding 11 grants to support innovative projects led by UMass Chan Medical School faculty, residents, staff and students that address social determinants of health and equitable and affordable access to care, and support developing and expanding community outreach programs.
Established at the Medical School in 2015 with a $3 million donation by the Remillard Family Foundation, the fund is dedicated to providing ongoing support for community outreach programs.
A total of $164,410 in grants of up to $20,000 each was awarded for this year’s projects:
Free Eye Care in Worcester
Proposed by medical students Uma Agrawal, Kenny Huang and Joe Matte
In collaboration with Epworth Free Eye Clinic, Wesley Eye and Ear, the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, and the UMass Chan Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, this program will provide free eye exams to patients. More than 70 percent of patients seen by Worcester Free Care Collaborative clinics are from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and more than 60 percent lack insurance coverage. The grant will provide the necessary funds to obtain eye equipment that residents and attending physicians can utilize to provide free clinical care.
Accelerating Community CPR Education in Central Massachusetts
Proposed by Chad Darling, MD, professor of emergency medicine
This initiative promotes health equity by targeting underserved populations, including those experiencing homelessness, addiction and language barriers, with culturally responsive CPR education. The grant will allow UMass Chan to continue to offer transformative educational experiences for medical students, and in turn, students will be able to provide lifesaving education to thousands more across our region.
Bridging the Gap: Free Orthopedic and Wound Care Access for Worcester’s Underserved
Proposed by medical students Harlene Kaur, Courtney Heitmiller, Aaron Lee and Daniel Flynn; and Donald Hangen, MD, assistant professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation
This program is a free orthopedic and wound care walk-in clinic at the Akwaaba Free Clinic on Vernon Street in Worcester. The clinic will operate twice monthly and will offer open-access services regardless of insurance, documentation or income status. While specifically designed to support marginalized populations, the clinic will be inclusive and welcoming to all. The initiative will provide comprehensive musculoskeletal assessment, fall and injury prevention strategies, sports medicine support, and physical therapy. It will be staffed by UMass Chan medical students under the supervision of orthopedic residents and attending physicians.
Improving Access, Equity and Education Through Home Blood Pressure Monitoring in Pregnancy
Proposed by medical students Cailey Denoncourt, Ananya Das and Sobana Balasubramanian; Lara Kovell, MD, associate professor of medicine; and Abigail Arthur, MD, MPH, cardiology research coordinator in the Division Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine.
This project’s goal is to improve the accuracy of home blood pressure readings through improved patient education focused on correct technique and building patient confidence. The team aims to increase access to home blood pressure monitoring by distributing BP monitors, addressing key social determinants such as income and transportation. Through home blood pressure monitoring with proper education delivered by brief virtual visits, this project aims to overcome some of the barriers faced by these patients, including economic insecurity, geographic isolation and limited health care access.
Bridging the Gap: A Guide for Health Care Navigation in Worcester
Proposed by medical students Rhea Kukkal and Jenna Patel; and Sara Casey, DO, assistant professor of family medicine & community health
The goals of this project are to produce an easy-to-follow physical guide on health care navigation for individuals who arrived in the United States within the last year; address systemic barriers that limit a patient’s ability to access the health care they seek; reframe nonadherence as a product of unfamiliarity over inability, and increase appreciation for other cultures’ systems; empower patients to actively participate in their care by enhancing health literacy.
Cultivating Connections: Advancing Food Access and Reducing Isolation Among Seniors in Rural Barre, Massachusetts
Proposed by medical students Logan Thornton, Sophie Lewis and Katherine Specht; Nicholas Hajj, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; and Suzanne Cashman, DSc, professor emeritus of family medicine & community health
This project is a focused academic-year initiative that shifts from awareness to resource navigation and enrollment support. Through monthly, hands-on sessions at the Barre Senior Center, Massachusetts Area Health Education Center Scholars will connect with seniors to reduce food insecurity stigma, lead themed discussions, cook nutritious meals, and offer step-by-step guidance on SNAP, HIP, and Meals on Wheels with expert leadership and collaboration with Culinary Medicine group resources and staff.
North Central Free Medical Program
Proposed by Beth Mazyck, MD, assistant professor of family medicine & community health; and Angie Ossa Gonzalez, MD, resident, family medicine & community health
This initiative proposes implementing point-of-care testing and on-site phlebotomy services at the North Central Free Medical Program in Fitchburg. This project represents a key next step in the program’s growth and its ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive, equitable and patient-centered care to the community. By providing lab services on-site and during the patient’s appointment, improved patient access to and adherence with recommended diagnostic testing, and reduced delays in the diagnosis and treatment of both acute and chronic health conditions, are expected.
ScienceLIVE (Science Learning with Interactive Virtual Education)
Proposed by Mary Pickering, PhD, director of public engagement with science, RNA Therapeutics Institute
Since launching in 2020, more than 11,500 students and families in Central Massachusetts have participated in ScienceLIVE experiences, including 350 virtual and in-person hands-on classroom experiences for 8,571 students in the greater Worcester area, with 105 ScienceLIVE scientist-volunteers. In pursuit of the program’s long-term goal, the short-term goals of this project are to enhance engagement of students who have limited proficiency in English with ScienceLIVE volunteers and program content, and to reach more students during a critical age for retention in STEM due to student interest and belief in attainability.
Prenatal Breastfeeding Education
Proposed by medical student Ahnyia Sanders
This initiative aims to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among low-income Black mothers in Worcester, Massachusetts, by addressing the number one barrier identified by local lactation providers: a lack of prenatal education. The goal is to create consistent, culturally responsive access to childbirth and breastfeeding education and support that is accessible, welcoming and embedded in the communities it serves.
Supporting Healing and Connection: Strengthening Emotional Wellness and Parenting Skills in Young Families Experiencing Housing Insecurity in Worcester
Proposed by medical students Lillian Voke, Abigail Howell and Katherine Specht; and Anne Powell, MD’05, assistant professor of pediatrics
Considering the compounded stress of housing instability and foster care transitions, there is an evidence-based need for trauma-responsive, developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive programming for these young families. This proposal builds on the longitudinal partnership between Mentors for Young Mothers, a student-led initiative at UMass Chan, and You Inc.’s Teen Parent Supported Living Program. The project expands access to trauma-responsive, developmentally appropriate programming that supports emotional wellness, parenting confidence and relational health. By investing in these capacities, we aim to promote lasting healing and secure parent-child relationships in a highly underserved population.
Clear Vision, Clear Future: Resident-led eye health initiative for Worcester County correctional facilities
Proposed by Antonio Yaghy, MD, resident, ophthalmology & visual sciences
This initiative aims to deliver critical eye care services—diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening and vision correction—through monthly clinics at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction. The program targets pretrial detainees and inmates with shorter sentences to support rehabilitation and community reintegration. The focus is on providing prescription glasses, low-cost reading glasses and DR screening supplies, leveraging resident expertise to maximize impact.
