Alumni – Hannah Smith
2020 Graduate
My name is Hannah Christine Smith, and I am currently a fourth-year medical student at Brody School of Medicine. I am applying for a Family Medicine residency, with a hope to continue to serve as an advocate for my patients and my specialty. I have a huge passion for community service and service learning, and have found myself integrated into each community that I have had the pleasure of living with. From the homeless shelter in Boone to the homeless shelter in Greenville, and the Children’s Council in Watauga County to the Exceptional Community Recreational league in Pitt County, being present in my community is very important to me. The ERHD program has helped me better understand the health disparities, as well as connect with the diverse cultures that make up each community. With the knowledge and connections from this course, I have found myself advocating more and more effectively for the health of my patients and my community, especially as COVID impacts health disparities immensely. As a future Family Physician, I have the unique ability to care for the entire family, impacting health outcomes across generations, and voicing the patient stories and advocating for the resources and policy changes that can keep patients healthy. Many of my papers throughout the ERHD course focused on autism resources, autism diagnosis, and physician comfort with and ability to diagnose, treat, and advocate for their patients with autism.