2016 UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic Fellowship

Sponsored by the UConn Honor’s Program, El Instituto: Latina/o, Caribbean & Latin American Studies Institute, CT Area Health Education Center & the UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic

Brief Description:

The UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic fellowship is a competitive award that allows students with an interest in migration studies and/or medicine to spend part of the summer working with a team of UConn medical professionals to provide services to migrant farmworkers. Honors students who speak Spanish and whose undergraduate research would be enhanced by such an opportunity will be given preference.

This fellowship is complemented by an internship that allows the fellow to train for the clinic in the late spring. Students will also help coordinate other student volunteers, visit area farms, and assist AHEC with clinic tasks. In the fall, fellows will contribute to the honors core course LLAS/HIST 1570 by training and coordinating student volunteers as well as by working with the professor to present a unit of the course and write a reflection for El Instituto’s newsletter. The internship in the spring is 1 credit and begins mid-March; the fall internship is also 1 credit. Fellows sign up for LLAS 4212 with Dr. Gebelein or Dr. Overmyer-Velazquez.

The fellowship during the summer comes with a stipend of $1,000 to cover traveling expenses.

Deadline for letter of interest: Friday, March 4, 2016 to

About the Organization:

Full Organization Information: UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic, c/o CT Area Health Education Center at UConn Health, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-2928,

El Instituto Contact: Anne Gebelein, PhD, Associate Director, El Instituto: Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin American Studies Institute (, 860-436-5508)

UConn Health Center/CT AHEC/UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic Contact: Shannon McClure, Program Coordinator, UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic, CT Area Health Education Center (, 860-679-4223)

Industry/Agency Description: The UConn and Connecticut Area Health Education Program (CT AHEC) developed the UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinics to provide free primary health care, health education, and increased access to quality, community-based, primary health care services to migrant and seasonal farm worker populations in Connecticut.

Connecticut hosts 7,000-20,000 migrant farm workers annually. This population is part of the poorest group in the United States with the highest rate of occupational injury and illness with little or no access to health care. To address this issue, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Connecticut Area Health Education Program (CT AHEC) developed the UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinics which provide free primary health care, health education, and increased access to quality, community-based, primary health care services to migrant and seasonal farm worker populations in Connecticut. For more information visit

Learning Experiences Offered by the Organization:

Fellows will be trained to assist patients and clinical volunteers. The clinics will run Tuesday through Thursday evenings. Learning goals include increased cultural competency, health literacy and understanding of social justice issues in medicine. Because of first-hand knowledge, fellows will be able to articulate:

  • Barriers to health care faced by an uninsured population and by a migrant population
  • Health care and labor issues among Jamaican, Mexican, Central and South American migrant laborers
  • Occupational hazards and preventive measures for farm workers working in Connecticut orchards, berry farms and tobacco fields
  • Common health issues for farm workers and treatment including medications that are distributed during the clinics
  • Improved medical Spanish vocabulary by translating and speaking to patients at the farms (if applicable)
  • Training methods for new volunteers on how to take a focused medical encounter, take vital signs, and present to the attending.

Spring Internship Description

Estimated hours of commitment: 40 hours over 3 months

Duties, roles and responsibilities:

  1. Meet with program coordinator at UConn Health, CT AHEC office in Farmington in March to review goals, roles and responsibilities.
  2. Meet with El Instituto fellows on UConn Storrs campus from the prior year to discuss strategies for organization
  3. Schedule student volunteers for 3 spring clinics (undergraduate, post bacc students and students applying to health profession schools) into master google docs schedule. Send schedule to students by the first of each month. Make changes as needed to the schedule based on student request.
  4. Send reminders to these students prior to each of the 3 spring clinics
  5. Attend clinic once a month on March 21st, April 21st and May 2nd. March will be a training clinic. During this clinic, there will be mentoring opportunities from the previous year’s medical student coordinators and fellows.
  6. During April and May, oversee volunteers providing medical triage services to migrant farm workers. Clinics are held in the evening. Expected to transport supplies and other volunteers from the UConn Health Center in Farmington to farm clinic location and back to the Health Center. Arrive at 4:00 p.m. Anticipated end time depends on the number of patients seen at the clinic between approximately 9-11 p.m.
  7. Attend the UConn Migrant Farm Worker Symposium on June 7th from 8:30-1:30 at UConn Health, Massey Auditorium. During this session, assist with clinical training session. Complete registration application at:
  8. Reflection sessions with Dr. Anne Gebelein and Shannon McClure

Summer Fellowship (for $1,000 stipend):

Stipend: Each fellow is eligible for a $500 stipend through UConn Honors/El Instituto, and $500 from CT AHEC for a total of $1,000.

Estimated hours of commitment: 50 hours over 3 months

Duties, roles and responsibilities:

  1. Assist AHEC in coordinating and training other student volunteers.
  2. Attend 6 evening clinics (TBD).

At the clinic, everyone has a role. Since fellows are not medical professionals, their role is to overseethe vitals station at the clinic; to oversee volunteers providing medical triage services to migrant farm workers; and if applicable, to assist in medical interpreting.

If fellow has an interest in medicine, s/he may shadow professionals at the clinic.

All participants in the clinic are expected to help transport supplies and other volunteers from the UConn Health Center in Farmington to farm clinic location and back to the Health Center. Participants should plan to arrive at 4:00 p.m. Anticipated end time depends on the number of patients seen at the clinic between approximately 9-11 p.m.

Fall Internship Description:

Estimated hours of commitment: 40 hours over 3 months, with the bulk of the hours between the end of August and mid-October.

Duties, roles and responsibilities:

  1. Set up fall schedule for undergraduate, post baccalaureate and other students applying to health profession schools. Send schedule to volunteers by August 1st. Update schedule weekly in google.docs file shared by other coordinators of the clinic.
  2. Send weekly reminders and answer questions via email and phone.
  3. Oversee vitals station at clinic for 2 Wednesday evenings in September. Role to oversee volunteers providing medical triage services to migrant farm workers. Expected to transport supplies and other volunteers from the UConn Health Center in Farmington to farm clinic location and back to the Health Center. Arrive at 4:00 p.m. Anticipated end time depends on the number of patients seen at the clinic between approximately 9-11 p.m.
  4. Provide two training to new volunteers. On Monday, August 22nd from 12-4 at UConn Health, Classroom P. On Friday, August 26th from 3-5 p.m. on Storrs campus.
  5. Work with professor of LLAS/HIST 1570 to contribute to a unit of instruction for the course.
  6. In the academic year following their fellowship, contribute a reflective article to the Instituto newsletter.

Experience and Qualifications:

Requirements: Reliable vehicle to drive to and from clinics. Ability to use vehicle to transport supplies and other volunteers on scheduled clinic nights. Work directly with co-intern on a daily basis to accomplish tasks listed above.

Preferences: Honors students whose undergraduate research would be enhanced by the opportunity; who have an interest working in a medical setting and/or with migrant populations; Spanish speakers.

Application Specifics:To apply please:

  1. Send a one page statement indicating how this experience would help further the applicant’s academic and/or professional goals toAnne Gebelein, PhD, Associate Director, El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin American Studies ()The deadline is March 4, 2016.
  2. Complete CT AHEC participant application at:

This internship/fellowship has been established by funds from the UConn Honors Program endowment, El Instituto, and CT AHEC.