Emma Goodstein, MD, chief resident of the Family Medicine Residency at South Campus, received the national Community Service Recognition Award. The prestigious honor is bestowed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Organization of Resident Representatives.
The AAMC Community Service Recognition Award is doled out annually to one physician who has contributed above and beyond the rigors of residency training to improve the local communities surrounding their training institution.
For Dr. Goodstein, these efforts include working with refugees and asylum seekers in Tucson.
Sommer Aldulaimi, MD, an associate professor of family and community medicine who nominated Dr. Goodstein, said, “Dr. Goodstein has worked very hard during residency with the Arizona Asylum Network Organization to plan a multidisciplinary workshop with lawyers and providers to train physicians to do the Forensic Medical Examination for asylum seekers.”
The exams are used to evaluate asylum seekers who report physical or psychological trauma; appropriate documentation can serve as the foundation for the asylum claim.
Dr. Aldulaimi added, “She has gone above and beyond for uninsured patients that are hospitalized on our service, making sure they get the resources they need when they are discharged.”
In her spare time, Dr. Goodstein enjoysvolunteering at Casas Alitas, a Southern Arizona program that supports migrant families who have left their home countries.She performs basic medical exams on the patients and triages which ones need to get a higher level of care.
As a physician, Dr. Goodstein is keenly interested in global health and assisting underserved communities. To better assist this patient population, she participates in monthly Spanish-languages luncheons to practice her Spanish-speaking skills. She recently completed and passed the Spanish exam to become an official bilingual health care provider.
Dr. Goodstein holds an MD from Emory University School of Medicine, where she also demonstrated a commitment to community service. As a medical student, she volunteered for Meals on Wheels; a free health clinic for homeless females; a mobile clinic that provided medical care to migrant farmworkers; and more.
Dr. Goodstein will be recognized at the AAMC Annual Meeting in Phoenix in November. A $1,250 contribution will be made in the name of Dr. Goodstein to a nonprofit charity that she has designated. Dr. Goodstein has decided that her contribution will go to Casas Alitas.