Skip to main content
AUC Med Logo

Mobile Main Nav

  • About AUC
    • Why AUC
      • Residency Outcomes
      • Accreditations & Approvals
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Facts & Figures
    • Our Locations
      • St. Maarten Campus
      • UK Track
    • About
      • Request Information
      • Blog
      • Factsheets
      • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
      • Medical School Guides and Resources
  • MD Program
    • MD Program
      • Medical Sciences Curriculum
      • Clinical Sciences
      • Hospital Teaching Sites
      • USMLE Preparation
      • Academic Calendar
    • Student Support Services
      • OFFICE OF CAREER ADVISEMENT
      • Class Profiles
    • UK Track
    • Medical Education Readiness Program
  • Admissions
    • Admissions
      • Admissions Requirements
      • MCAT Information
      • Admissions Assessment
    • Information For...
      • Transfer Students
      • Career Changers
      • International Applicants
      • Canadian Student Applicants
      • Premed Advisors
    • Tuition & Aid
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
    • How to Apply
      • Start Your Application
      • Continue Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
  • Student Life
    • About St. Maarten
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Virtual Tour
      • Clubs and Organizations
      • Housing
      • Spouses Organization and Families
    • COVID-19 Response
  • News & Events
    • Alumni News
    • Events
    • On-demand Webinars
    • News & Publications
    • Blog
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Call
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Utility Navigation

  • REQUEST INFO
AUC Med Logo
  • About AUC
    • ABOUT AUC

      Our medical school offers a collaborative learning environment that features a multitude of student organizations, small class sizes, international training opportunities, and a team-based learning culture.

      VIEWBOOK & FACTSHEETS

      • Why AUC
      • Residency Outcomes
      • Accreditations & Approvals
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Facts & Figures
      • Our Locations
      • St. Maarten Campus
      • UK Track
      • About
      • Request Information
      • Blog
      • Factsheets
      • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
      • Medical School Guides and Resources
  • MD Program
    • MD PROGRAM

      A US-modeled curriculum designed to prepare you for practice in the US, Canada, and beyond.

      Learn More

      • MD Program
      • Medical Sciences Curriculum
      • Clinical Sciences
      • Hospital Teaching Sites
      • USMLE Preparation
      • Academic Calendar
      • Student Support Services
      • OFFICE OF CAREER ADVISEMENT
      • Class Profiles
      • UK Track
      • Medical Education Readiness Program
  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS

      Our medical school admissions team is eager to assist you as you embark on your journey to become a physician. Our goal is to provide you with all of the information and guidance you need to explore AUC as a medical school option.

      Take the Admissions Assessment

      • Admissions
      • Admissions Requirements
      • MCAT Information
      • Admissions Assessment
      • Information For...
      • Transfer Students
      • Career Changers
      • International Applicants
      • Canadian Student Applicants
      • Premed Advisors
      • Tuition & Aid
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • How to Apply
      • Start Your Application
      • Continue Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE

      Learn what it's like to be a student at AUC, including living in St. Maarten, opportunities for community involvement, and clubs and organizations.

      TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR

      • About St. Maarten
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Virtual Tour
      • Clubs and Organizations
      • Housing
      • Spouses Organization and Families
      • COVID-19 Response
  • News & Events
    • DISCOVER AUC

      From our alumni news, to informative blogs, and virtual tour, discover all that AUC offers.

      Learn More
      • Alumni News
      • Events
      • On-demand Webinars
      • News & Publications
      • Blog

Main Navigation Apply Now

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Application
    • Submit Your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit your TMDSAS Application
    • Continue Your Application
Pattern Two
Thursday, April 07, 2022
Campus News

Share

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

Breadcrumb

  1. About Us
  2. News & Publications
  3. AUC Partners with Community Organizations to Make a Difference

AUC Partners with Community Organizations to Make a Difference

The university’s first Community Action Day of the year took place on Saturday, March 26.
Two women smiling

Photo credit: Madi Thomas

A longstanding university tradition that embodies AUC’s values of social accountability and engagement, Community Action Day connects students and colleagues with nonprofit organizations for a day of service each semester to focus on community priorities. During the event on March 26, 345 students and colleagues participated in more than a dozen service projects in health, education, environmental awareness, and more.

"I am very proud of our AUC students and colleagues, who shined throughout Sint Maarten in their professionalism, teamwork, energy and heart,” said Dr. Natalie Humphrey, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement. “Our community partners have expressed appreciation for our willingness to serve, connect with others and learn more about public health challenges in Sint Maarten. AUC made an IMPACT."
 

People at a health screening

Photo credit: Madi Thomas

Health screening and educational activities have been a mainstay of Community Action Day since its inception. In Sint Maarten, students conducted health screenings for 120 people in collaboration with AUC faculty, Dr. Kalkidan Bekele and Dr. Shorma Houston, and the Ephesus Church in Belvedere. The event served as an opportunity for AUC to partner with the community organizations to increase access to healthcare and wellness services by assessing individuals’ cholesterol, blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), hypertension and vision, while assisting with consultations and referrals. Students also gained valuable experience in providing health education with support and oversight from faculty physicians.

“I believe this health screening was an incredible opportunity for us to integrate into the community and give back to it. As students we tend to spend most of our time studying for exams and worrying about deadlines, nevertheless, it always feels great to find ourselves doing what we love to do and using what we learned to benefit our community in Sint Maarten,” said student Abdulrahman Baghdadi. “Through the course of organizing and participating in this event, I found myself learning how to establish community partners, communicate effectively with patients, understand cultural considerations as they relate to health, improve my clinical skills, and work as a team. Personally, I consider these skills to be instrumental in my future career as a physician.”
 

People smiling

Photo credit: Madi Thomas 

Community Action Day also provided an opportunity to focus on the health of the environment—both on land and at sea. Dr. Ryan Downey led AUC participation in a “Dive Again Debris” underwater cleanup event, in which 18 students and faculty joined other divers, snorkelers, and supporters from the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten, The Scuba Shop, SXM Divers, Dive Adventures, and the SXM Coastal Cleanup Project. Four hundred pounds of debris including 138 pieces of plastic were removed from Simpson Bay, with metal sheeting and other debris from Hurricane Irma comprising the bulk of the recovered materials.

The data from the cleanup will be reported to the PADI AWARE Foundation Dive Against Debris database, a movement for divers to take a direct role in reducing marine waste and collecting data for use by marine researchers and policy makers; as well as InNoPlastic, an EU Horizon 2020 project for finding innovative approaches towards the prevention, removal and reuse of marine plastic litter. Many divers look forward to participating in similar cleanups going forward: Fifteen individuals earned their PADI Dive Against Debris Specialty rating, which allow them to continue participating in and coordinating future underwater cleanups. A donation of $300 was also made to the PADI AWARE Foundation to support ocean conservation and awareness through citizen science, public policy, and community grants.
 

People smiling

Photo credit: Michelle Pollak

Other projects during Community Action Day focused on collecting food to support the White and Yellow Cross Food Bank, leading children in educational activities through the Body SMAART program at the Belvedere Satellite Library and at the Islamic Center, engaging Mental Health Foundation clients in arts, crafts and fitness activities, cleaning up litter from the Guana Bay Trail with Tri-Sport, and much more.

Thank you to all of our students and colleagues for your dedication toward serving the communities in which we live, study, and work!

 

Want to share your photos or experience at CAD? Reach out to us at aucnews@aucmed.edu.

Related News

News
Christian Green Headshot
Christian Green, MD ‘23, Nominated by Peers as Class Speaker
In celebration of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine’s (AUC) commencement, Christian Green, MD ‘23, was nominated by his peers to represent the graduating class as this year’s student speaker.
News
Jeff Anderson
Global Health Elective: International Opportunities for Clinical Students
With the 2023 Global Health Elective dates in full swing, we sat down with AUC Senior Clinical Coordinator, Jeffrey Anderson, to learn more about the Global Health program and how students can apply for the elective.
News
Brittany Thompson
Brittany Thompson: The Perfect Match for Psychiatry
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) alum Brittany Thompson knew if she graduated medical school in a psychology track, she’d be setting a precedent.
Top
AUC Med Logo

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Careers
  • Student Email
  • Colleague Email
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

10315 USA TODAY WAY,
MIRAMAR, FLORIDA 33025.
PHONE: 305-446-0600

TOLL-FREE: 866-DR2B-AUC
(866-372-2282)
FAX: 305-444-6791

ST. MAARTEN CAMPUS

1 UNIVERSITY DRIVE AT JORDAN ROAD, CUPECOY, ST. MAARTEN

PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

FAX: +1 721-545-2440

PRESTON, UK PROGRAM SITE

VERNON BUILDING ROOM 64, SIZER STREET PRESTON, LANCASHIRE PR1 1JQ

PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

FAX: +305-444-2440

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM, www.accredmed.org), which is the accreditor used by the country of St. Maarten.

 

© 2023 American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. All rights reserved.   
Privacy Policy | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility | Catalog and Student Handbook | Office of Equity and Access

 

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers