Internal Medicine residents at the Wayne State University School of Medicine recently volunteered to package food for the needy with Gleaners Food Bank.

Thirteen residents, a chief resident and a faculty member packaged 1,272 pounds of food at Gleaners’ Warren Distribution Center on Oct. 29. The food they prepared was to be distributed to 1,118 recipients requiring food assistance.

The effort was the group’s first social determinant of health community engagement, designed to educate the young physicians about the health impact of food insecurity and malnutrition.

“It was a wonderful experience,” said Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, M.D., FAAP, WSU assistant professor of Internal Medicine/Pediatrics and co-director of the Wayne State University Global Health Alliance and Global Urban Health Equity Curriculum. “The residents found it fun to provide the efficient teamwork. They worked hard, fast and together. Many declined breaks they were so focused on their tasks. It was quite a learning experience.”

The goal of the program is to strengthen patient care with a dose of cultural humility. GLUE provides a greater awareness of cultural and socioeconomic factors, and emphasizes the importance of communication skills in medical practice. The free two-year longitudinal program involves seminars, group learning, mentoring, and international and local projects. It is designed for medical, public health, nursing, pharmacy and graduate students; and residents, fellows, faculty and allied health care professionals interested in global health.