WVU School of Medicine Eastern Campus faculty and students connect with community members through Mini Med School events

Students and faculty at the West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Eastern Campus are connecting with local community members through a series of educational events called Mini Med School.

The Mini Med School events are led by Rosemarie Cannarella Lorenzetti, M.D., MPH, professor for the Department of Family Medicine and co-director of the Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine Track. The events are designed to allow physicians and students to connect directly with community members and share valuable knowledge on a variety of healthcare-related topics.

The events were cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but were recently reinstated with an event hosted at the Health Sciences Center Eastern Division in Martinsburg on October 7.

“It has been an ongoing goal for us to bring back these events, which provide an open forum for us to interact with our patients in a non-clinical setting where they can ask questions, build relationships with physicians and learn helpful tips and information on preventing illness and disease,” Dr. Lorenzetti said.

Organizers said that preventive medicine is a common theme for Mini Med School, with the October event having been centered on diabetes prevention. The event included presentations from School of Medicine faculty on topics such as diabetes management, healthy food options for patients with or at risk for diabetes and diabetic foot care.

Speakers included Samantha Minc, M.D., associate professor for the Department of Surgery;  Omar Nadra, M.D., assistant professor for the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; Kathryn McQueen, M.D., assistant professor for the Department of Family Medicine; and Emma Eggleston, M.D., MPH, associate professor for the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and director of the WVU Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Health.

Following these presentations, a group of medical student volunteers provided patients with a series of cooking demonstrations, where they introduced them to easy, healthy recipes from the University’s Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine Track (CLMT).

Among these volunteers was Darby Criss, a third-year medical student at the Eastern Campus who is also enrolled in CLMT.

“I really enjoy the cooking demonstrations we host through CLMT, so I was very eager to get the opportunity to do something similar through our Mini Med School events,” she said. “This event in particular allowed us to share healthy, easy-to-make recipes directly with diabetic patients, while also providing them with important information such as ingredient substitutions that can make everyday meals more diabetic-friendly.”

Recipes shared during the cooking demonstrations included quinoa vegetable salad, orange and kale salad, humus and vegetables, oatmeal protein bits and orange creamsicle smoothies.

Organizers said they hope to continue hosting Mini Med School events throughout the academic year, with the goal of having them on a quarterly basis. The next event is tentatively scheduled for February and will focus on heart-healthy living.

To learn more about educational opportunities at the School of Medicine’s Eastern Campus, visit medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/eastern.

To learn more about culinary medicine and nutrition and to view the track’s full catalogue of healthy recipes, visit medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/culinary.