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In This Issue:
Each summer, BWH welcomes a distinguished and diverse group of new residents to its training programs. This year, in a three-part series, BWH Bulletin spotlights a group of residents with unique experiences, backgrounds and talents.
When Michael Wilson, MD, and Felicia Chow, MD, finish their residencies next year, they can move on knowing that they have made a difference in the lives of many homeless people in Boston.
Last year, the Neurology residents, both in their third year at the time, teamed up with the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) to establish the first clinic that offers neurological services to one of Boston’s most vulnerable populations.
“We saw the need and an opportunity to do more than what we typically do during our training,” said Wilson. Both he and Chow had worked on similar projects during medical school.
The clinic sees patients referred by the primary care providers at BHCHP. Patients come in with an array of neurological problems, including chronic headaches and back pain, neurologic complications of HIV, seizures, undiagnosed neurodegenerative diseases and other illnesses.
“Sometimes, these health issues lead to a person becoming homeless,” said Chow.
The clinic runs once a month and is staffed with volunteer residents and an attending supervisor. During the first year of operation, there were plenty of residents and attendings who willingly volunteered to run the clinics. “We have never had to ask twice or cancel because of a lack of volunteers,” Wilson said, adding that junior residents are already taking charge to continue the program long after he and Chow complete their training.