In recognition of their work with the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Equity & Justice Lab, third-year medical students Haniyeh Zamani and Michal Ruprecht received a travel grant from the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to attend the academy’s 74th conference, held Sept. 6-7 in Kalamazoo, Mich.
This is the second consecutive year the two received the award.
“This travel award provided us with the opportunity to learn directly from pediatric experts in the state of Michigan and meet peers from across the state,” Ruprecht said.
Zamani presented her research project, “From Race-Based to Race-Conscious Medicine: Advancing Equity in Graduate Medical Education.”
“This study explored the knowledge, perceptions and personal experiences of Wayne State University School of Medicine medical students, residents, fellows and attending physicians regarding race-based medicine,” she said. “It focused on four core areas: the understanding of race-based medicine, how it’s perceived and applied in clinical settings, personal encounters with it in practice and attitudes toward its removal from medical education curricula.”
Ruprecht presented a case report on the management of an infant with failure to thrive and multiple congenital anomalies in the context of socioeconomic challenges and family stressors.
“MIAAP's commitment to empowering students and trainees in pediatric education is vital, especially during a time when fewer students are choosing to pursue careers in pediatrics. In fact, this year's Match saw a threefold increase in unfilled categorical pediatric residency program positions compared with last year,” he said.
The pair were encouraged to get involved with the MIAAP by Professor of Pediatrics Lynn Smitherman, M.D., and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, M.D., FAAP. Dr. Nnodim Opara is also director and founder of the Equity & Justice Lab.
“Michal and Haniyeh are research associates at our Equity & Justice Lab and lead innovative health equity research projects. Their proficiency in understanding the impact of social contexts and drivers of health outcomes distinguish them clinically, and academically,” Dr. Nnodim Opara said. “As grant winners, they serve as examples for other students and trainees of health equity scholarship and how to center the social determinants on health in clinical practice and scholarship. This should be the national standard, and I’m proud to mentor Michal and Haniyeh to be standard bearers here in our great state of Michigan.”
Ruprecht is an especially active student member of the AAP’s Michigan Chapter, named to MIAAP’s board as a student representative earlier this year to advocate for the health of children in Michigan and help support efforts to increase mentorship programs at the organization.
He also received the academy’s 2024 Dr. Natalia Tanner Advocacy Scholarship, named in honor of the first Black pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. She served as a professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Through the scholarship, he attended the AAP Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., in April, working alongside the Michigan delegation to advocate for two bills – one aimed at making social media safer for children and the other focused on securing funding for pediatric emergency medical services.
Zamani has served as the student lead in the Research and Innovation Subcommittee of the Ending Race-Based Medicine Task Force since March 2023.
“I’m incredibly grateful to MIAAP leadership, especially Emily Rambo, for the opportunity to share my research findings and for the valuable feedback I received. I’m also thankful for the mentorship and guidance of Drs. Nnodim Opara and (Latonya) Riddle-Jones, whose support has been instrumental in this journey,” she said.