Drexel University Community Wellness HUB
Title: Health, Education, and Wellness Intern
Student Interns:
Matthew (Heath) Patterson
Drexel University College of Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
James Buehler, MD
Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health
Community Preceptor:
Monica Harmon, MSN, MPH, RN
Drexel University Community Wellness HUB
Community Site:
“Come HUB with me!” With a name chosen by the residents of West Philadelphia, the Community Wellness HUB serves as a welcoming, nonjudgmental safe space for residents of Powelton Village and Mantua to heal, unite, bridge. The HUB is dedicated to improving health, advancing health equity, and enhancing quality of life for West Philadelphians. In addition to offering health screenings and preventive care services, the HUB also hosts health and wellness programming as well as community outreach and education events — all free of charge. By fostering a unique sense of cultural awareness and sensitivity, the HUB advances community engagement through partnership, empowering and encouraging West Philadelphians to assume active roles in individual and community health. In doing so, the HUB establishes the organizational foundation for a sustainable public health safety net, one capable of addressing the identified social influences of health through ongoing collaboration with the residents of West Philadelphia, academic institutions, students, and an interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student intern collaborated with the Community Wellness HUB’s clinical staff and health education program directors to promote health and health equity by engaging West Philadelphia residents in individual and group environments. The intern supported clinical services by providing blood pressure checks, blood glucose monitoring, BMI measurements, and COVID testing, while also assisting with patient-specific care coordination through referrals to primary care, behavioral and mental health, sexual and reproductive health, violence prevention and victim support, resource access, and opportunities for employment and skill development. In addition to facilitating survey administration, community outreach, and wellness program logistics for small group sessions, including art and music therapy, the intern launched a recurring qigong class. Additionally, the intern also partnered with Ausome Ambassadors, an enrichment program for young adults with autism spectrum disorder, to lead an adapted qigong class tailored to participant needs. Last, the intern partnered with Lazarex Cancer Foundation to co-host a virtual community workshop called “The Skin I’m In: Sun Safety,” which focused on skin cancer prevention and education, including addressing myths about skin cancer in people with darker skin tones.
Reflections
“The Community Wellness HUB graciously welcomed me into their community, offering the opportunity to engage directly with residents of Powelton Village and Mantua. Working alongside HUB staff, I supported efforts to address community health priorities through small-group wellness programming, care coordination, and outreach. In these shared healing spaces, I witnessed how trust and continuity empower meaningful health conversations —especially when rooted in mutual respect. While I often emphasized the physical and emotional benefits of qigong, I came to more deeply value how these gatherings fostered relationships through presence and consistency. This experience reshaped my vision for my future role as a family medicine physician. I hope to create a clinical space that integrates holistic and community-centered care, where practitioners such as dietitians, acupuncturists, osteopathic providers, and physicians collaborate to address not just illness, but the broader contexts of isolation and disconnection.”
Matthew (Heath) Patterson