Photo: Hallie Leo
Third-year medical student Jaein Jung has launched a community health clerkship program called the Lantern Project, pairing third-year T.H. Chan School of Medicine students at UMass Chan Medical School with local refugee teenagers and helping them acclimate to Worcester.
As a first-year medical student, Jung taught English to refugee teenagers as part of the community service component of the Vista curriculum. That experience inspired her to form a volunteer group at UMass Chan called the Refugee English Club and then the Lantern Project.
“I’m very passionate about language barriers for health care, but the Lantern Project isn’t just about teaching English,” said Jung, a Princeton University graduate from Lakeville who studied medical anthropology with a minor in global health and health policy. “The lantern is a symbol in many cultures for lighting the way and lighting a path. We all deserve a healthy and happy future.”
All third-year medical students complete a population & community health clerkship. The Lantern Project became a formal rotation option this summer, with 12 students taking part through March. Working with Maya Desai, volunteer coordinator for the Welcome Neighborhood Support Team, and advised by Jill A. Zitzewitz, PhD, associate professor of radiology, the group teaches English, meets with volunteers who help settle families into Worcester, and shares dinner and hosts conversations with refugees. The group has also led on-campus tours to help teenagers visualize how to become a nurses, pharmacists, social workers, doctors or researchers.
Photo: Hallie Leo
“When health care professionals learn from their patients, that makes them more well-rounded and holistic providers. It’s scary and vulnerable for these kids to move to America, but they’re so smart and resilient,” said Jung. “I want to be a positive agent of change in medicine. I admire UMass Chan for having strong community partnerships because a lot of people say great things about our school being a driver for primary care.”
Jung said she is drawn to adolescent and youth populations because she has two young siblings and has tutored high schoolers. Outside of school and volunteering, Jung loves doodling, poetry, traveling and photography.
“The world is full of uncertainty, discord and tension, and people are becoming numb to the world and to each other. The Lantern Project has been beautiful because it reminds us that there’s still hope. We can always do more.”
The Student Spotlight series features UMass Chan Medical School students in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and T.H. Chan School of Medicine. For more information about UMass Chan Medical School and how to apply, visit the Prospective Students page.
