PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, students gathered for a health and wellness fair.
On Wednesday, they announced their solutions to these health problems to the local community. “So we, as PA students, are actually filling that gap right now. There’s a shortage of health care providers, so we’re filling that gap and making sure people get seen. We’re working hard,” said physician assistant Laura Hassan.
Future health workers Laura Hasan and Mitchell McDonald both provide health-related information to community members. McDonald’s emphasizes research on weight loss. “Obesity is a huge problem in America right now, with BMI rising and more people obese than ever before. And preventive care is more important than addressing the problems that arise from obesity. So we’re just trying to attack it early before it becomes a big problem,” McDonald said.
MacDonald said his research found more people need knee replacements and ways to reduce stress on the joints, but there are solutions. “So our goal with HIIT workouts is to show you that you don’t have to spend more than an hour a day working out, even though most people say they don’t have time. So you’re doing a light course of five exercises, and completing that cycle should take you about a minute and a half to two minutes,” MacDonald said.
And event organizer Dr. Rana Shah says the annual event gives health information directly back to communities in need. “So our goal for the community is to be educated about several diseases and receive the resources they need to participate in their own health care,” said Dr. Rana Shah.
Participating students are first, second, or third year graduate students, and their research does not end here. “I think the next step is to get more people into these kinds of roles so we can actually help the community with the diseases that are emerging over time.” said Hassan.
Local businesses and vendors also shared their wealth of knowledge at the event.
