Stanford Community Health Advocacy Fellowship
Summary
The Community Health Advocacy Fellowship provides Fellows with knowledge and concrete skills for
working with and advocating for underserved populations. Through coursework and placements in
community health clinics and social service organizations, Fellows will broaden and deepen their
understanding of the social and economic determinants of health, how they impact underserved
populations, and the various levels at which these challenges can – and should – be addressed. Fellows
will engage in structured activities that center around supporting the mission of their placement
organization, direct service with clients, and the design and implementation of a capacity-building
project. Weekly classroom meetings will serve as a forum for teaching and training, discussion of class
readings and placement experiences, project development, and troubleshooting and support.
Prerequisites
 MED 157 (offered Spring quarter) or equivalent coursework
 Spanish language proficiency is a requirement for most placements
Course leaders
 Gabriel Garcia, MD
 Jennifer Newberry, JD, MD
 Nell Curran, MPH
Learning Objectives
Throughout the year, Fellows will gain the knowledge and skills to:
 Differentiate between the medical and public health models for addressing health challenges
 Analyze the upstream factors impacting the health of communities
 Articulate a position on the social role of health care providers in community settings
 Characterize the underserved populations in the Bay Area as well as the specific health, health
care, and social challenges that they face
 Describe the key programs that provide health services for local, underserved populations
 Identify and access key community resources to improve individual and community health
 Research and synthesize peer-reviewed literature on a specific health/health care topic
 Develop and implement a project to build capacity at a partnering clinic or social service
organization
 Describe the policy process and current legislation in California
 Identify and track key legislation and media coverage about health issues impacting local
communities
Fellowship Requirements
All Fellows must commit to:
1. Enrollment in a year-long course series
MED 257A/B/C
2 units per quarter, letter grade only
2. Enrollment in an additional one-quarter course
MED258
2 units, letter grade only
3. Regular shifts at one of the community partner sites throughout the year (see below)
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Stanford Community Health Advocacy Fellowship
All Fellows will complete:
 Design and implementation of a year-long project that meets a partner-identified need
 Legislative and policy advocacy activities, including a lobby day in Sacramento (April 2016)
 Presentation of project at June 2016 Program Reception and Fall 2017 Community Health Symposium
 Fulfillment of all other course requirements
Community Partner Sites
Arbor Free Clinic http://arbor.stanford.edu
795 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 – carpools available (15-20 min drive)
Shifts: Sundays 9:45am – 3:00pm (requirement: 4+ shifts/quarter)
Bilingual proficiency strongly encouraged
Arbor was established in 1990 by Stanford medical students. This student-run Sunday clinic provides free quality health
care services to medically uninsured residents of San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties. Current patient
population: Hispanic and African-American adults and some children. Arbor also serves as an interactive, clinical learning
environment for Stanford medical students and undergraduates. Please note: Fellows who select this site must have at
least 6 months of prior Arbor experience.
Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula (BGCP) www.bgcp.org
401 Pierce Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 – available by bicycle, Marguerite, bus, car
Shifts: Weekly 4-hour shifts at Boys and Girls Club or other afterschool sites
The mission of BGCP is to help the at-risk youth of our community develop the academic and life skills needed to
complete high school ready for college or a career. As the area's largest at-risk youth development organization, BGCP
works with parents, corporate partners, and schools to serve 1,700 K-12 youth in East Palo Alto, Redwood City, and East
Menlo Park. Among its many initiatives, a Health and Wellness Task Force (HWTF) was formed at BGCP to educate and
provide support to youth, their families, and BGCP staff about healthy food and physical activity choices. Community
Health Advocacy Fellows will have the opportunity to develop, implement, and evaluate initiatives related to the Health
and Wellness Task Force.
Day Worker Center of Mountain View www.dayworkercentermv.org
113 Escuela Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040 – accessible by bus, car
Shifts: Flexible; during week and on Saturday mornings (requirement: 4 hr shift/week)
Spanish-proficiency required
The Day Worker Center of Mountain View is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving the communities
surrounding Mountain View, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale. The Center was established in 1996 by leaders from local
businesses, churches, and the community to provide job-matching services for hundreds of local homeowners
and businesses annually. The mission is to connect workers and employers in a safe and supportive
environment; empower workers to improve their socio-economic condition through fair employment,
education, and job skills training; and participate in advocacy efforts that support the day laborer community.
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Stanford Community Health Advocacy Fellowship
Community Partner Sites, continued
MayView Community Health Center (2 sites) www.mayview.org
270 Grant Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306 – accessible by Marguerite Shuttle
900 Miramonte Ave., 2nd Floor, Mountain View, CA 94040 -- accessible by bus, car (15-20 min drive)
Shifts vary by site. Evening shifts available at both locations; Saturday shifts available at the Mountain View site.
(requirement: 4 hr shift/week)Bilingual proficiency strongly encouraged
MayView provides high quality primary health care to patients from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds
regardless of their ability to pay. It serves 4,000 patients with > 14,775 services per year. Many patients are
Hispanic monolingual Spanish-speaking families, and Spanish is therefore encouraged at this placement.
Pacific Free Clinic http://pacific.stanford.edu
Please note: Fellows who select this site must have at least 6 months of prior PFC experience.
1835 Cunningham Avenue, San Jose, CA 95122 – carpools available (30-35 min drive)
Shifts: Saturdays 9:45am – 3:00pm (requirement: 4+ shifts/quarter)
Bilingual proficiency strongly encouraged
PFC was established in 2003 by Stanford medical students. The student-run clinic provides high-quality screenings,
preventive health, and referral services to medically uninsured adults in the San Jose area. Like Arbor, PFC also serves as
an interactive, clinical learning environment for Stanford medical students and undergraduates. Current patient
population: Immigrant Vietnamese, Hispanic, and Chinese. Please note: Fellows who select this site must have at least 6
months of prior PFC experience.
Puente de la Costa Sur www.puentedelacostasur.org
620 North Street Pescadero, CA 94060 – car required (45-50 minute drive)
Shifts: varied; weekly or bi-weekly (requirement: 16 hours/month)
Spanish-proficiency required
Located on the rural San Mateo County south coast, Puente is the region’s only community resource center, serving the
predominately Latino communities of Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio. Puente both advocates for its
communities and leverages resources that foster economic prosperity and security and promote individual and
community health and wellness.
Samaritan House Free Clinic www.samaritanhouse.com
114 5th Ave., Redwood City, CA 94063 accessible by bus (15-20 minute drive)
Shifts: M-F 9:00am-12:30pm, 2:00-5:00pm (requirement: 3-4 hr shift/week)
Spanish-proficiency required
Established in 1974, Samaritan House is a non-profit health and human services agency that runs a free clinic for low
income individuals in San Mateo County, CA. The current service population: Hispanic monolingual Spanish-speaking
adults.
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Stanford Community Health Advocacy Fellowship
Community Partner Sites, continued
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties – www.shfb.org
750 Curtner Avenue, San Jose or 1051 Bing Street, San Carlos
Second Harvest is one of the largest food banks in the US, providing over a quarter million meals per
month. After initial training, students will provide 1:1 and small-group nutrition education sessions at
food distribution sites in Santa Clara or San Mateo Counties. Our clients speak many languages,
including Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalo, Mandarin and Russian (note: there is no additional language
requirement for this placement). Capacity building projects can include community needs assessments,
program evaluations, culturally appropriate translations, or others in response to student interests.
Shifts: weekdays, varied, 3-4 hours, weekly or bi-weekly
Stanford Health Advocacy & Research Program
Stanford Hospital Emergency Department – bicycle, walk, or Marguerite
Shifts: Any day, any time, but must commit to 4-hour shift/week.
All SHARP students will be expected to enroll for 1 additional course credit in the fall. Students will spend their
shift time in the first month primarily spent on didactics specific to emergency medicine and its intersection with
population and public health.
Stanford Health Advocacy & Research Program (SHARP) is an undergraduate volunteer program focusing on
social emergency medicine. Through direct patient contact and community engagement, students work to meet
the social needs of emergency department (ED) patients such as hunger, housing, health care access, and
substance abuse. Current patient population is extremely diverse and includes monolingual Spanish, Mandarin,
Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Russian speaking individuals. We serve both adults and children. Current on-going
projects include screening ED patients for social and legal assistance needs and making appropriate community
referrals; and facilitating Stanford Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention.
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