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Community Engagement

About the Office of Community Engagement

About us

The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) is dedicated to improving the health of communities of Wisconsin and beyond by advancing the art and science of community engagement. Community engagement, one of the four missions at the MCW, is richly embedded in office programs and throughout MCW centers, institutes, and departments. The office is also dedicated to leadership and excellence through community engagement, and partners with community organizations to enhance learning, research, patient care, and the health of the community. With strong support from Staci Young, PhD, senior associate dean for community engagement, the Office of Community Engagement provides a variety of resources to both academic and community partners to advance community engagement at MCW.

learn more about our work (PDF)

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Mission
Improve the health of communities of Wisconsin and beyond by advancing art and science of community engagement and make the Medical College of Wisconsin a national leader in improving the health of the public.
Guiding Principles
  • Develop reciprocal and mutually beneficial partnerships with communities of Wisconsin
  • Use bi-directional dialogue to define and understand community and community engagement and identify program scope based on relevant community issues
  • Recognize the importance of relationships in developing strong community-academic partnerships with equitable power and agreed-upon responsibilities that acknowledge the historical imbalance of power
  • Build capacity within MCW and the community
  • Effectively disseminate outcomes via diverse methods

Meet Our Faculty & Staff

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Staci A. Young, PhD

Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement, School of Medicine; Director, Office of Community Engagement; Professor of Family and Community Medicine; Director, Center for Healthy Communities and Research; Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, Cancer Center

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Laila Azam, PhD

Research Scientist

lsazam@mcw.edu

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Rebecca Bernstein, MD, MS

Associate Professor, Family & Community Medicine; Co-Director, Urban & Community Health Scholarly Concentration; Community Health Instructor, M3 Family Medicine Clerkship

rbernstein@mcw.edu

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Kristine Burke, MPH, MSW

Program Coordinator III

kburke@mcw.edu

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Yesica Desarden

Program Coordinator II

ydesarden@mcw.edu

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Zeno Franco, PhD

Associate Professor; Director, Research and Education, Emergency Medicine

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Kelsey M. Potratz

Program Coordinator III

kpotratz@mcw.edu

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Ayo Idowu, MBA

Business Operations Coordinator

aidowu@mcw.edu

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Jai Lor, BS

Administrative Associate

jlor@mcw.edu

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David Nelson, PhD

Professor, Family & Community Medicine; Director, Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

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Sarah P. O'Connor, MS

Program Director I

spoconnor@mcw.edu

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Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS

Associate Professor, Family & Community Medicine; Director, Center for Healthy Communities and Research; Director, Thriving During Clerkship, MCWfusion Curriculum; Co-Director, Continuous Professional Development Course, Discovery Curriculum; Director, Building Community Partnerships and Coalitions, DrPH Program

lruffalo@mcw.edu

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Christopher Simenz, PhD, MS

Associate Professor, Associate Director- Master’s and Doctor of Public Health Programs

csimenz@mcw.edu

Connect with Us

There's more than one way to connect with us - join our email list for program news and event updates, or keep up with us on our socials!

General Inquiries

communityengagement@mcw.edu

Join our email list

Community Engagement Requests

submit CE request

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