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Professor Lin Zhan's students may be surprised by what, and how much, they learn simply by following her lead.The dynamic College of Nursing professor leads them directly into the community, to identify and answer the healthcare needs of underserved people.
Since 1996, Zhan has expanded and energized UMB's Malden outreach effort initiated by Professor Frances Portnoy in partnership with the Malden Council on Aging in the 1980s. Zhan and her students have participated in a wide range of projects--from providing free services to the homeless to training teenaged mothers in child lifesaving, and serving elderly shut-ins at nine sites across Malden. Zhan explains, "Our patients do not come to us. We go to them. We work extensively with community groups." Over a dozen Malden community groups and institutions currently help identify areas of need.
As Malden's immigrant population has increased, the need for language appropriate healthcare has increased dramatically. Zhan and her students have worked to provide health services to many immigrant groups, especially Asians, who constitute Malden's largest ethnic population.
Although Zhan admits that some students may feel uncomfortable at first in the community health setting, most adjust readily, learn valuable nursing skills, and discover more about immigrant cultures.
For Asian-American students, this discovery can be particularly interesting. A pre-med student in Zhan's CAS course "Asian American Health," Dong Eun Lee reported, "I'm going to research health issues and Asian American women."
Her classmate, College of Nursing junior Ngook Tung added, " I am studying Asian attitudes toward mental illness and depression. This class is very helpful." Non-nursing students will also make trips to the community to observe outreach efforts.
For her work, Zhan has received considerable local news coverage, two Official Citations from the Massachusetts Senate, and high praise from Chancellor Sherry Penney, who stated, " Professor Zhan and her students have done great work to benefit the Asian American community. We are tremendously proud of their efforts."