The national organization was founded in 1977 by a group of family practitioners. With growing popularity and interest from medical schools, residency programs, public health schools, and community groups, it has become an international program with over 150 chapters and 10,000 members. Tulane University School of Medicine is a relatively new member of the organization, joining in 1995.

With the increasing importance of preventative medicine as our driving force, Tulane D.O.C. grows with strength and enthusiasm and looks forward to educating people about health issues for many years to come.

Description of Project:

Our goal as a chapter is to offer medical students, who are interested in health education, the opportunity to become involved with the community by educating people about health related issues. We will have a training session and these medical students will then give presentations to various schools in the New Orleans area.

The Tulane D.O.C. has gotten off to a great start. With over 65 founding members, our group ha grown to over 100 members. The program began by focusing on tobacco in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout. With much help from the national chapter of D.O.C., the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Cancer Society, we were able to create a curriculum that curbs the growing use and promotion of tobacco products among adolescents. We also participated in the FDA Postcard Coalition’s efforts to control the sale, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products in this country.

With a growing concern over many other health-related issues, D.O.C. began steadily adding other programs to its repertoire. Tulane D.O.C. now offers six educational programs every year. These programs include HIV/AIDS, Smoking, Violence Prevention, Heart Power, Nutrition, and Sexual Decision-Making.

The above listed programs are taught in the order in which they are listed. The first session is typically in September, with the next two following in the consecutive months. The fourth program, Heart Power, is generally presented in early February with the next programs following likewise. The exact dates will be provided beforehand via fliers and e-mail.

The training sessions are always held within one week prior to the commencement of teaching the lessons in the schools. The training sessions last for one hour during a lunchtime meeting. The individual coordinators are responsible for conducting the training sessions. During the training, all students will be briefed on the script they are to follow. The scripts, along with any necessary handouts, overheads, or supplies, will be provided in a satchel for easy transport to and from the schools.

The requirements for participation are that all teachers must be Tulane medical students or public health students. All interested participants must attend the training session. The participant must teach the course in order to receive credit for attending the training session.

Co-President: Kori Elkins, T-2

Co-President: Steven Hale, T-2

Secretary: Tom Efird, T-2

Treasurer: Elissa Wible, T-2

D.O.C.

Box TW-30

1430 Tulane Ave.

New Orleans, LA 70112

HIV/AIDS: Louis Chemin

Tobacco: Ronishia Thomas, Justin Platzer

Violence: Mehdi Qalbani, Paul Mullarkey

Heart Power: Tom Efird, Sonia Kamboj

Nutrition: Andrew Nanton


Location/Facility:

The D.O.C. office is located in Room 1510 of the Tidewater building.

The presidents can be reached at 897-9026 or
818-1364, respectively.

Students are responsible for choosing what session they would like to teach. The hours awarded are as follows:

1 hr. – training

1 hr. – travel to school

1 hr. – teaching the lesson

1 hr. – travel from school.

Total hours earned per teaching session: 4 hrs.

The hours should be documented on the sign up sheet. At the end of the year, one of the officers must sign the student’s time sheets according to the original school teaching rosters. Credit will only be given to those students who obtain officer’s signatures.

The Emergency Contact for this organization is Peggy Chehardy. Her office number is 588-2212. Her beeper number is 521-3624.

The student teachers should reflect upon their experiences at the year’s end. This reflection will be in a question and answer format on the reverse of the Service Learning Log. The classroom teachers whom we are visiting will also be given a chance to reflect on the students teaching abilities and overall effectiveness of the lesson. This is very important as it allows for appropriate feedback geared towards positive changes in the program.

Last year, D.O.C. members touched an amazing number of students with their educational programs. We visited over 60 schools. 3000 elementary students were taught about nutrition in a fun and interactive way. 2500 students were given presentations on the dangers of smoking. Another 2500 secondary adolescents were taught about HIV/AIDS. 1500 high school students were instructed in responsible sexual decision making.

Tulane D.O.C. desperately needs funding, as we were recently dropped from Medical Student Government disbursements. Since D.O.C. is a service organization, we are no longer entitled to receive money from the student government. Our organization needs continuing monetary support in order to be a success. The programs need replacement supplies and the lunchtime meetings need to be funded in order to ensure adequate turnout.

The leadership will change hands after a general election at large for new officers in April. Following the election of new officers, the policies and procedures will be reviewed with them. The newly elected officers should begin as soon as possible devising and implementing a tentative schedule of events as well as recruiting group coordinators and meeting with the D.O.C. advisor, Peggy Chehardy.