SOAR Students Stand Out for Their Research on Food Insecurity

At the Prisma Health Education & Research Institute Showcase on November 7th, SOAR students Catherine Chopade and Jordyn Lombardo received the Outstanding Medical Student Research Award for their poster, “Physicians Fighting Food Insecurity,” mentored by SOMC faculty Dr. Mark Humphrey and resident Dr. Will Capell.

Their project explored how “prescribing” fresh produce to patients with chronic health conditions can improve health outcomes and strengthen community wellness.

Lombardo, who presented the team’s work, reflected,

It was eye-opening to see how something as simple as access to healthy food could impact people’s health and well-being. I learned so much about the bidirectional relationship between food insecurity and poor health outcomes, and what it takes to create programs that meet people where they are.

Projects like this one highlight how valuable strong mentorship can be to a students research experience.

“The Physicians Fighting Food Insecurity project has been one of the most meaningful experiences in my medical education so far,” said Chopade. “I came in with very little background in public health or preventive medicine but was immediately welcomed into a project led by clinicians who truly cared about their patients and the health disparities they face.”

The team’s efforts underline the impact of evidence-based practice and community-engaged medicine in addressing one of the most pressing social determinants of health — access to nutritious food.