Year 4. October 27. Community Engagement in Action.
An essential pillar of the UCLA Department of Medicine’s (DoM) strategic plan is our community engagement goal, which exemplifies our commitment “as a public university, to advance health and improve outcomes for our diverse communities.” The strategies include plans to increase access to care and strengthen our engagement with organizations that care for historically and contemporarily under-resourced communities. We also focus on providing high-quality training and research that address unequal health outcomes in the communities that we serve, while promoting healthier neighborhoods through health education and disease prevention. The leadership of this pillar have made substantial progress in actualizing some of these goals. In addition, there had been ongoing initiatives by members of the DoM to increase our community impact that perfectly align with the community engagement goal of our department’s strategic plan. This week, I want to shed a spotlight on some aspects of this important work that will Lead in Innovation, Transform Care and Advance Health for All.
Inaugural DoM LA Summit Supercharges Community Engagement Strategic Plan Mission
Los Angeles is a beautiful, vibrant city, and we here in the DoM are fortunate that its many communities turn to us for care. As a public institution, it is our responsibility to ensure the well-being of those who call L.A. and southern California home — especially those who are disadvantaged or under-resourced. We will succeed in achieving this vision by collaborating with the many fantastic community partners who share our goal of uplifting Angelenos from all walks of life.
Our strong and developing alliances with these organizations were on display Sept. 29 in Westwood during the inaugural DoM LA Summit, where stakeholders and leaders from Homeboy Industries, Venice Family Clinic and more gathered with DoM members to get to know each other and foster community-centered health initiatives. The theme of this first DoM summit was “Rooted in LA, Growing Together in Community.” The participants consisted of UCLA DoM staff, faculty, trainees, colleagues from varied specialties and disciplines looking to collaborate on community-engaged health work with UCLA DoM; safety net partners, community-based organization members and leaders (current and new partners); funders/philanthropy; community-engaged scholars and advocates working with UCLA DoM. One manifestation of our shared mission was the absence of honorifics and titles on name tags of UCLA faculty — a symbol of our unity in our quest to transform health for all.
“We're just showing up as ourselves here and we’re all part of the same team,” Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS — Associate Vice Chair for Community Impact in the UCLA DoM Office of Community Engagement and Inclusive Excellence (CEIE), an internist, health services researcher and one of the lead faculty of the inaugural conference — said. “We're all serving the same goals in different capacities.”
The day began with a keynote panel of leaders from Homeboy Industries, the world’s largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry nonprofit. Co-Chief Executive Officer Shirley Torres, MSW; Homeboy Art Academy Co-Founder and Executive Director Fabian Debora; and Donna Harati V.P. of Wellness & Community Care and Director of Legal Services spoke about organization’s role in improving the lives and health of people who were previously incarcerated or involved with gangs. Kaitlyn Michelle Fruin, MD, a primary care physician with a focus on clinical nutrition and community engagement and clinical instructor in the DOM, who works closely with Homeboy, moderated the panel. The Homeboy representatives inspired attendees with success stories of the organization’s impact on the lives of those who use its programs. They also explained that those who are incarcerated could often be thought of as “patients” who may be sick on account of social problems — making it much harder to prevent their illness without focusing on the health of the system more broadly.
“I think we need to be eyes wide open that in order to build healthy communities, we need to invest in whole communities,” Shirley said. “For us to collectively have an impact, we need to understand how we're all connected. We need to imagine a different way, and what we would do if we actually invested in that and in a way that doesn’t recreate the same systems.”
“It was just beautiful to see so many organizations come together that are from very different backgrounds,” Dr. Natalie J. Perry said.
The next session was a rapid-fire “get-to-know-you” panel of pairs of DoM faculty and leaders from the community partners they work with, including Chinatown Service Center; the Venice Family Clinic Diabetes Management Program; LA VIDA at Olive View-UCLA; MLK Community Healthcare; and Operation Armenia and the Community Wellbeing Project. Attendees learned about the challenges each organization is addressing, their impact so far and the lessons their work has taught them, both within Los Angeles and internationally. One key takeaway was the importance of our engagement and investment being not only community-centered, but community-driven. That includes being part of the conversation on where and how the money is spent.
“Community led programming obviously goes way beyond inclusion, right? It's really about community leadership, authorship, and ownership — not only of the programs and the systems, but of the budget,” said Alina Dorian, PhD, associate dean for public health practice at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a leader of Operation Armenia and the Community Wellbeing Project alongside Eric Esralian, MD, MPH, chief of the UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases. “I think that's been a really important piece when we've been able to do this work.”
All attendees were invited to take part in a community art project developed and led by Christian Cabuñag, who is an artist and an administrative analyst in UCLA’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Participants wrote, drew or painted patterns on the tree to symbolize their organization or the kind of work that they do, with help from Christian if they wanted assistance.
“The purpose of this is just to see how all our work is interconnected,” he said. “I picked a tree because I kind of visualize our work working together to grow the future.” He chose the medium because he wanted to emphasize to everyone that they could be an artist.
“I like to do these collaborative kinds of projects, because everyone discovers how talented they are,” Christian said. "You just pick up whatever materials are available and express yourself.”
Attendees also had the privilege of hearing an eye-opening lecture from sociologist and historian Marques Vestal, PhD, a professor of urban planning and critical Black urbanism at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Dr. Vestal spoke about the little-known history of homelessness in the area that would eventually become Skid Row, dating back to the house courts of the early 1900s. He explained how a 1907 policy called Ordinance 14113 made it illegal to live in a part of downtown Los Angeles called Seaton Street Court, which sparked a mass eviction of residents there — many of them Mexican railroad workers — and, ultimately, to the formation of Skid Row. He argued that eviction has been used as a tool to make and maintain property, and as such has created and maintained homelessness in Los Angeles.
“Most folks used to have legal tenure on the property where these buildings are at, and this mass eviction moved them to the sidewalk,” Dr. Vestal explained. “Those tents there are part of a continuing land struggle that's been happening for over a century.”
For many attendees, including Dr. Perry, Dr. Vestal’s presentation was a major highlight of the summit.
“I was really struck by how much the story of economic development in Los Angeles was tied to the disenfranchisement and displacement of its people, and it's just hard not to see that continuously play out,” Dr. Perry said.
The conference also featured a community discussion and listening session with community partner leaders Miriam Hernandez, MD, workforce development director of Visión y Compromiso, an advocacy organization for promotoras; and Minister Damon Collier and Pastor Vernon Andrews of Inglewood-based Big Homies Foundation, which pairs at-risk youth with role models who help them set and achieve their goals. (Damon and Pastor Andrews were accompanied by two young men who had just started college after being enrolled in the program.) The panelists talked about their organizations’ main priorities and the most pressing challenges they see in their communities, then took questions from the audience.
Pastor Andrews noted a need for health care professionals to come speak about mental health to communities like the one at his church, which recently benefitted from a talk about heart attacks and strokes by emergency room physician, Big Homies board member and UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program alumni Joshua Tiao, MD. Pastor Andrews added that Dr. Tiao is trusted by his church’s congregation and the surrounding community because he has made a concerted effort to be part of it — a crucial step in establishing a working relationship, especially in light of wrongs such as racism that have historically plagued U.S. health care.
“There are a lot of things that have happened in the past between the medical communities and urban communities that have led to distrust. The best way for the medical community to bridge those gaps is by coming into the community, like Josh is doing, and getting to know people,” Pastor Andrews said. “He’s not just coming in here for research and forgetting about everyone he just met — he checks on the health of people who are willing to share what’s going on in their lives.”
Trust was a common theme for all of the speakers at the event. Health services researcher Keith C. Norris, MD, PhD, DoM executive vice chair who leads the UCLA DoM Office of Community Engagement and Inclusive Excellence (CEIE), also feels that trust requires action. Marginalized and oppressed communities that have experienced exploitation by outsiders may be wary of those who come in to say they want to help.
“They have to see that in action, and the first steps are people showing up and doing work,” Dr. Norris said. "When they see that members of academia are showing up, doing work and being part of the community, then they'll start to trust.”
The summit served as an opportunity for members of the DoM to continue to foster trust with existing and potential community partners by demonstrating how members of our department, such as Dr. Fruin with Homeboy Industries, have been putting in the work.
“Oftentimes, there’s a bit of lip service when big institutions try to connect with community organizations,” said Patrick G. Frierson, program manager for the UCLA DoM Office of CEIE. “Today we’re seeing the beauty of actionable, clear, and authentic connections between UCLA and our community partners. We are here to do good and improve lives, and this summit is a powerful opportunity to continue that work.”
The lead staff for the event was Xen Colón, MPD, project coordinator and administrator within the DoM CEIE office of Dr. Casillas. Reflecting on the summit, she recalled one of the messages in a video she watched as part of UCLA’s hiring process when she was brought on for her role a few months ago.
“The video said, ‘It begins with you,’” Xen said. “The issues our community partners work with are so big and feel insurmountable that it’s hard to picture what one person can do. But then you see people showing up, one at a time, and you realize that it does begin with you. I’ve seen all of these people show up for their communities, organizations and for us, and it’s really inspiring to see the culmination of that here today.”
I am grateful to Dr. Alejandra Casillas, Xen, the office of CEIE, the community engagement and investment pillar team for the DoM, and our many community partners for coming out to celebrate our work together and forge new partnerships that will improve the quality of life for Angelenos. Although I could not attend the entire event, the part that I experienced clearly manifested a deep sense of commitment, passion and energy. I am encouraged to see this and am convinced that our department has the capacity and commitment to leave a lasting legacy on our community. The summit was an exceptional convocation of minds that will go forward and continue to make a difference in our communities, and I am proud to work alongside you to advance this mission. Thank you.
Volunteers Help Veterans Garden Grow
The Veterans Garden at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) has served as a space for nutrition and healing since the 1960s, when it was created as a place for Veterans returning from the Vietnam and Korean wars to find community and peace. On Oct. 25, volunteers from the DoM joined Veterans to plant, prune and prepare the soil for the next round of crops.
“The most rewarding part of being involved with the Veterans Garden is witnessing the transformation of the Veteran gardeners themselves,” said DoM faculty member Kaitlyn Michelle Fruin, MD, who recently spearheaded a fundraiser to refresh the garden. “Many participants have experienced homelessness, severe mental illness, or food and financial insecurity. Through the Garden, they are finding community with fellow Veterans and clinicians, participating in therapeutic programs, and gaining meaningful employment. These opportunities support their healing journeys while helping them achieve greater food and financial stability.”
The garden serves as a model for how health systems can use their land to improve health. VA patients use it to grow nutritious food, take part in therapeutic nature-based healing programs, and are employed as garden workers. This past year, the garden’s nonprofit partner GrowGood built a new regenerative farm at the site and launched a paid agricultural training program to help Veterans learn new skills that could lead to employment opportunities, which currently employs eight Veterans and has a waitlist of more than 45 others. On top of that, VA’s Whole Health Department created a new outdoor classroom and meditation labyrinth, which now hosts weekly classes and gatherings for Veterans and community members.
“The Veterans Garden is a reminder that healing doesn’t only happen in hospitals or exam rooms. A clinical space can look like this too — outdoors, in the soil,” Jennifer E. Allen, NP, who led the volunteer event at the VA, said. “It’s a place where Veterans find connection, purpose and peace and we’re proud to keep that spirit alive.”
For volunteer and DoM Wellness Director Dr. Josh Khalili, the event was meaningful because it was an opportunity for our community to come together to support our veterans.
“Volunteering at the VA Garden was such a wonderful time for us to come together in the UCLA community. We were able to disconnect while getting our hands dirty to help build a garden that will support our Veterans who have given so much,” Dr. Khalili said.
Dr. Fruin views the garden as a model for how health systems can use their land to improve health.
“By growing nutritious food for patients, offering therapeutic nature-based healing programs, and providing agriculture-based employment opportunities, the garden demonstrates an innovative, holistic approach to health,” Dr. Fruin said. “We are thrilled for the UCLA Department of Medicine community to partner in this groundbreaking work and to support the health and well-being of Veterans experiencing food and financial insecurity.”
Thank you to Katie, Jennifer, all of the wonderful DoM volunteers and especially Veterans for toiling in the soil to keep this special garden growing!
DoM Volunteers Sort, Pack and Bond at LA Food Bank
In another example of our department’s service to community members who face food insecurity, I would like to highlight the work of a group of eleven DoM, UCLA and VA volunteers who helped out at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (LA Food Bank) on Oct. 18. There they joined other volunteers from across the community in sorting and packaging 52,000 pounds of produce; our team enjoyed being on carrot duty, as you can see.
“It is one thing to work together in an office setting on business goals together, but quite a different thing to be side-by-side doing something positive together,” Cathy Rujanuruks, director of research administration and the coordinator of DoM volunteer events, said. “Chatting and getting to know each other outside of the office on a personal level while paying it forward — it is a win all around!”
One in four households in Los Angeles County faces food insecurity, a problem with far-reaching consequences for public health. Through programs like those at the VA Veterans Garden, LA Food Bank volunteer opportunities and other initiatives, DoM members have played an active role in solving this problem.
“It was rewarding to know that the produce we sorted would be distributed to those with food insecurity in the LA area,” Cathy said.
DoM Laboratory Safety Officer Lead Alan Wagner enjoyed contributing to our community alongside his colleagues — and was grateful to work with tasty-looking produce.
“It felt rewarding to contribute to my community and it was fun to work outside of our usual roles with volunteer team members from UCLA. Helping portion apples, potatoes, and carrots last Saturday was fun and easy work,” Alan said. “I was thankful to be helping on a day with items that appeared tasty and not working with donated durian or shellfish.”
Thank you to Cathy and all of the volunteers who helped out at the LA Food Bank! We are inspired by your commitment to serving those in need. Enjoy the carrot-filled highlights below.
UCLA CARE Center Walks to Fight HIV/AIDS
The UCLA CARE Center has long been at the forefront of progress in the care of patients with HIV as well as breaking new ground in therapies. It is also actively engaged in the greater L.A. community: On Oct. 12, the center participated in AIDS Walk LA, an annual event to raise awareness and funds to fight HIV/AIDS as well as honor the history of activism that started the movement in L.A. back in 1985.
“The UCLA CARE Center is a community hub of safety and support for many community members who come to us for care. Our visibility at events like AIDS Walk LA shows that our work is rooted in genuine connection,” Kevin Pizarro, outreach coordinator for the CARE Center, said. “When people see CARE staff out in the community, it reminds them that we’re not just a clinic that treats them but we’re a community that stands with them.”
Kevin noted that there is a misconception that HIV is no longer a serious threat. Even with so many therapies that make it possible for people with HIV to have long, relatively normal lives, the disease continues to have unacceptable rates of morbidity and mortality, particularly among members of our community that face barriers to healthcare.
“I hope participants walk away understanding that the HIV epidemic is not over,” he said. “HIV is still disproportionately impacting communities of color and marginalized people who often face barriers to care. Events like the AIDS Walk remind us that everyone living with HIV deserves compassion, support, and dignity.”
The LA AIDS Walk and the CARE Center share the objective of breaking down stigma to help people get the care they need, he added.
“HIV stigma kills. There’s still so much misinformation that keeps people from getting the help and care they deserve. Staying informed about the basics of HIV like understanding that Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U) and knowing how HIV is actually transmitted can save lives,” he said. “Conversations like these help break down fear and shame, replacing them with knowledge and a pathway to care. At the UCLA CARE Center, our goal is to meet people where they are, to help them understand their options, and to remind them that before anything else, before their status, they are a person who deserves respect and support.”
Pink VW Bug Drives Breast Cancer Awareness in Atascadero
Back in 2022 we shared with you the story of how a hot pink 1967 VW Beetle restored by Corina L. Guzman, now practice manager at UCLA Hematology & Oncology Atascadero, was used to raise breast cancer awareness at UCLA Health Cancer Care Center San Luis Obispo. The car continues to groove around Southern California — including at classic car shows — and has been parked outside of the new Atascadero cancer center this month in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Those who encounter it often have their own stories to share.
“It sparks fun conversations about classic cars and gives me a great opportunity to share information about our treatment centers and spotlight our new office in Atascadero,” Corina said. In turn, “people share wonderful memories and honor their loved ones. It’s impossible to not smile while driving my 67’ VW.”
Indeed, it’s impossible not to smile when you see Corina’s car, too! Enjoy the photos below!
Dale
P.S.
Reading about the VA community garden and work of our DoM to distribute fresh produce at the LA Food Bank, motivated me to share (at least a photo of) fresh produce from my back yard. My wife has made a commitment to including farm to table, fresh produce in our home diet and has nurtured amazing tomato varieties in pots in our back yard, which are continuing to bear fruit even as the days get shorter. Check out this variety about to be picked. I think they are called “Black Beauty.” This variety turns dark purple when they are ripe.
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