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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.

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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 across 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.
Build capacity within the Medical College of Wisconsin and the community.
Effectively disseminate outcomes via multiple methods.

Meet Our Faculty & Staff

Staci A. Young, PhD

Professor, Family & Community Medicine; Director Emeritus, Center for Healthy Communities and Research; Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement; Director, Office of Community Engagement; Faculty Director, ThriveOn Collaboration; Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center; Co-Director, Qualitative Research Consulting Service

Laila Azam, PhD

Research Scientist

Rebecca Bernstein, MD, MS

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

rbernstein@mcw.edu

Kristine Burke, MPH, MSW

Program Coordinator III

Yesica Desarden

Program Coordinator II

ydesarden@mcw.edu

Zeno Franco, PhD

Associate Professor; Director, Research and Education, Emergency Medicine; Associate Director, RAPID-EM Fellowship Program

Kelsey M. Potratz

Program Coordinator III

kpotratz@mcw.edu

Ayo Idowu, MBA

Business Operations Coordinator

Jai Lor, BS

Administrative Associate

David Nelson, PhD, MS

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

Corina Norrbom, MD

Associate Professor

cnorrbom@mcw.edu

Sarah P. O'Connor, MS

Program Director I

spoconnor@mcw.edu

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

Christopher Simenz, PhD, MS

Associate Professor, Director, Master 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

Find or Post Volunteer Opportunities

Visit the Engagement Hub

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