As a student, Clarence Monteclaro, MD ’10, worked with the Milwaukee Hmong community and realized that effectiveness in community engagement projects requires funding. Consequently, the recent graduate took $2,000, primarily from his own savings, and started the Monteclaro Cultural & Community Medicine Annual Grant Fund at The Medical College of Wisconsin.
Grants from the fund are available for any ethnic or diversity-based student group. The intention of the fund is to encourage medical students to be community medical leaders by promoting local cultural identity and by addressing local health interests among varied ethnic groups in Milwaukee.
By establishing the fund, it is Dr. Monteclaro’s hope to not only foster individual growth, but to collaborate with other student and local community leaders. In 2010, the fund already disbursed two awards – one to be used as cash prizes for a Hmong cultural dance competition held during the Silver City’s Asian Fest in Milwaukee, the other on behalf of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association to fund health prevention efforts and screenings during Asian Fest 2010 and other community-based venues between August 2010 and August 2011.
Donations to the grant fund will be accepted at the end of each academic school year.
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