SMU Podiatric Students Win National Public Health Awards

Unlike most hardworking graduate students, Helen Shnol doesn’t blow off steam by working out or socializing. Instead, the third-year student at Samuel Merritt University’s California School of Podiatric Medicine (CSPM) copes with stress by volunteering at an evening drop-in clinic for homeless and low-income patients.

“I find it empowering and can’t get enough of it,” says Shnol, who has been doing community service since high school. “It’s a nice night off that takes me away from studying and brings me into the real world.”

Shnol and two of her fellow CSPM students, Lauren Eller and James Uh, recently won the “Student Award for Significant Contribution to Podiatric Public Health” from the American Public Health Association. The prestigious national award is given to students who are involved in podiatric public health advocacy at the local, state, national, or international levels.

All three students volunteer at the Suitcase Clinic in Berkeley, which provides free health and social services to underserved populations. At both a general clinic and a women’s clinic, CSPM students and faculty members provide diabetic foot screenings and other foot exams.

Shnol says many of the patients at the clinic’s drop-in centers walk around a lot, but only have one pair of improperly fitting, worn-out shoes and often lack socks. As a result, the patients suffer from blisters and other overuse injuries to their feet and ankles.

The CSPM students attend two clinics a month and spend at least two hours with patients. Third and fourth-year students mentor underclassmen new to the clinic.

“Everyone works really hard,” says Shnol. “It’s a team effort and the award belongs to everyone.”

CSPM Assistant Professor Ajitha Nair (DPM, MPH) nominated the three students for the public health award because of the depth of their involvement at the clinic, which includes recruiting volunteers and collecting supplies.

“It’s a pretty big undertaking for the students,” says Nair, who serves as one of the attending physicians at the clinic. “They’ve been able to sustain this commitment over the past few years despite their busy schedules and with very little oversight. They’ve taken this initiative on themselves.”

In addition to providing podiatric services at the Suitcase Clinic, the CSPM students distribute socks and orthotics, and are considering organizing a drive at SMU next year to collect shoe donations.

“I am very proud of these students and their dedication to the field,” Nair says. “It takes an immense amount of dedication to accomplish sustainable community interventions while in the midst of podiatric medical school. The students go above and beyond what they are required to do because they value giving back to their community.”

Pictured at top right, CSPM students at the Suitcase Clinic in Spring 2015