Personal/Professional Growth - The Student Health Coalition Archive Project

For many of the university students and newly minted professionals who joined the SHC, months of living and working with low-income people in Appalachia and west Tennessee had a profound effect on their lives and careers. Former members of the SHC reflect on some of ways in which they were influenced and enriched by this experience. (See also, “Expanding the Boundaries of Higher Education and Professional Practice.”)

Pete Moss on mentorship and expanding the boundaries of healthcare workers

Pete Moss, who at the time of his involvement with early SHC health fairs (1970) was Vanderbilt’s Chief Resident of Pediatrics, discusses what drew him to the Coalition: the opportunity to mentor students and influence their pursuits in the medical… Continued

Bill Corr reflects on the Coalition’s and Center’s roles in providing avenues to act on values

Bill Corr recounts his introduction to the Student Health Coalition (SHC) and Center for Health Services (CHS) shortly after graduating from Vanderbilt Law School. He was working with the Tennessee Department of Public Health at the time Irwin Venick encouraged… Continued

On the empowerment intrinsic to Linda Hart’s nursing career and its role in challenging the system

Linda Hart speaks to the evolution of her nursing career, in part influenced by connections to the Student Health Coalition (SHC). Upon being recruited by Bill Dow, she worked five years as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) at the White Oak… Continued

Diane Lauver’s response to sexism with pivot toward becoming a Nurse Practitioner

In exploration of how sexism influenced Coalitioners’ career paths, Diane Lauver describes her introduction to the Nurse Practitioner role that Loretta Ford championed and that Bill Dow and Leah Albers advocated for in the SHC approach to community healthcare. Following… Continued

Reflections on personal growth from SHC participation

Carolyn Burr poignantly describes the profound mutual value of getting involved with projects like the Student Health Coalition (SHC), based on reflections of her own experience and the personal growth that transpired from her participation. Follow this link for access… Continued

The Coalition’s influence on Carolyn Burr’s work as an NP and personal healthcare philosophy

Carolyn Burr reflects on the Coalition values she carried forward into her future work as a Nurse Practitioner (NP). In doing so, she describes the intellectual stimulation that came from working with a diverse group of folks and its influence… Continued

Carolyn Burr on Rick Davidson’s mentorship

Carolyn Burr describes her work at the SHC health fairs in Smithville, White Oak, Briceville, and Deer Lodge from 1970-1971. She explains the nature of nursing students’ role in conducting physical exams and providing follow-up care, their skills having been… Continued

SHC’s patient-centered healthcare and its role in the expansion of Nurse Practitioners

Carolyn Burr discusses the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC) approach to healthcare, emphasizing their value of patient/community involvement and accountability. She describes Dr. Amos Christie’s direct influence on her own nursing career, as well as on the profession moving forward–namely as… Continued

On the evolution of treatment and maintenance for opioid addiction in St. Charles, Va.

Art Van Zee discusses the evolution of treatment for opioid addiction, including monumental shifts particularly valuable to rural communities such as St. Charles, Va. He explains that access to methadone maintenance treatment is extremely restricted for many people in isolated… Continued

On healthcare education and mentoring

Art Van Zee discusses the value of healthcare education and mentoring. He expresses gratitude for the nurturing and supportive environment both his parents cultivated for him as a child; for Sister Beth Davies’ mentorship in the field of addiction-related healthcare… Continued

Nancy Raybin’s community organizing pursuits post-SHC

Nancy Raybin shares more about her background in community organizing and related post-SHC pursuits–namely, her graduate education in public, private, and nonprofit management at Yale’s Business School. Follow this link for access to the full-length interview. Recorded October 28th, 2021. Continued

On the Coalition’s installation of hope, strength, and inspiration to keep going

Margaret Ecker frames healthcare as a tool the SHC elected to use toward community empowerment, concluding, along with Rosie Hammond, that while the Coalition may not have made many structural changes to healthcare in the region, their community organizing efforts… Continued

Did we make a difference? Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond reflect.

Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond grapple with the question: did we (the SHC) make a difference? Margaret shares how, in reflection of Art Van Zee’s insight to ongoing addiction throughout southwest Virginia and the Appalachian region, there are new challenges… Continued

SHC influence on Rosie Hammond’s career arc: public clinics vs private practice

Rosie Hammond details how the SHC experience influenced her career arc, highlighting a nurtured commitment to Coalition philosophies (such as really listening to the patient for context and expressed needs, as well as considering all social determinants of health) and… Continued

Discussion about the SHC’s degree of influence on approaches to nursing

Margaret Ecker and Rosie Hammond discuss their difference in perspective about the Coalition’s degree of influence on participants, namely as it regards those who went on to pursue nursing. They ponder how much certain characteristics (such as fierce autonomy and… Continued

On Vanderbilt’s first PrimEx program and its role in the movement toward Nurse Practitioners

Rosie Hammond describes her life post-SHC, beginning with an invitation to participate in Vanderbilt’s first PrimEx program during her Senior year. PrimEx was a government-sponsored initiative designed to provide primary care training for nurses. It functioned as a pivotal step… Continued

On the SHC’s process identifying post-health fair follow-up needs in East Tennessee

Rosie Hammond describes the Coalition’s process identifying cases in need of follow-up, be it subsequent visits to the nearby clinic in Clairfield, Tenn. (where Sister Martha Stucker conducted primary care), a referral for speciality care, or ongoing support from Frontier… Continued

Impact of the SHC experience on career and life: John Kennedy reflects

John Kennedy reflects on the impact of his Coalition experience, both on his career and life as a whole. For more information on John Kennedy’s involvement with the East Tennessee Research Corporation (ETRC) and work related to black lung, follow… Continued

On John Kennedy’s management of UMW’s Black Lung Treatment Programs, Kentucky and Tennessee

John Kennedy describes the evolution of his career and transition to Washington in 1974. Upon suggestion from Eula Hall, Director of the Mud Creek Clinic, and with an official offer from Tom Ludwig, the union rep responsible for occupational health… Continued

On the role of institutional support in community-driven change

Bob Hartmann and Irwin Venick respond to Gillian’s question about how they would approach or encourage others to approach similar student and/or community-led projects today. Bob provides insight into what the Coalition did right and what it could have done… Continued

Resistance to institutionalization: then and now

Bob Hartmann, Irwin Venick, and Joe Little reflect on how the SHC process became institutionalized and the widespread (but split) resistance to it. Bob concludes that if they’d known more about how universities work or approached the formalization process retrospectively,… Continued

Positive impact despite Coalition/Center conflict: Joe Little reflects

Joe Little reflects on the influence of Coalition (and Center) participation on himself (and others) as an individual, choosing to think on how it impacted so many students in positive and profound ways despite the conflict that surrounded the Center… Continued

Outside convention and against the grain: what set the Coalition apart

Bob Hartmann frames the Coalition work as having absolutely been outside convention and against the grain, in large part due to Bill Dow’s talent at generating and following through with big, extraordinary ideas. He then elucidates one of his favorite… Continued

Sharon Roberson on institutional racism and her invitation to Chancellor Heard’s home

Sharon Roberson shares what she’s most proud of from her time in West Tennessee, explaining how it cultivated greater depth to her critical understanding of institutional racism and the ensuing drive to educate others on the matter. Full footage… Continued

Sharon Roberson’s work with the YWCA

Sharon Roberson delves into more detail about her ongoing work with the YWCA and how her experience with the Coalition shaped the values which, to this day, inspire her professional priorities. Full footage of Sharon Roberson’s 2018 oral history… Continued

West TN summers and their impact on Sharon Roberson’s career arc

Sharon Roberson shares how her experience with the Center for Health Services informed her professional pursuits, particularly as it relates to combatting the mentality she’d witnessed among many people in West Tennessee–that being the impetus not to “rock the boat”… Continued

Reflections on the level of care at SHC health fairs

Tom John and Rick Davidson retrospectively comment on the level and quality of care provided at the Student Health Coalition summer health fairs, and how theses experiences shaped their own understanding of and perspective on healthcare. Full footage of… Continued

What the SHC did (and didn’t do) well

Tom John and Rick Davidson share their retrospective thoughts on how the Student Health Coalition succeeded, as well as how, in certain respects, the SHC could have operated differently. These critical reflections offer insight to community organizing efforts today, particularly… Continued

Tom John and Rick Davidson on their ongoing connections with community members

Tom John and Rick Davidson share the depth of their many relationships born from their respective Student Health Coalition experiences, and the long-term impact said connections have had. Full footage of the 2013 interview with Tom John and Rick… Continued

Tom John on the origin of his participation with the SHC and its community-oriented focus

Tom John reflects on how he first got involved with the Coalition, the multi-dimensional impact his SHC involvement had on him, and sets the student-led organization apart from others at the time as he details its community-oriented approach to rural… Continued

Rick Davidson on what led him to work in the mountains with the Coalition

Rick Davidson shares the impetus behind his involvement with the Student Health Coalition and how that decision impacted him both personally and professionally for years to come. Full footage of the 2013 interview with Tom John and Rick Davidson. Continued

Art Van Zee on the first health fair in St. Charles and early clinic history

Art Van Zee shares about the first health fair in St. Charles, Va. (1973) and expands on the origins of the clinic that still stands today. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of Art Van Zee’s interview. Continued

Art Van Zee on the opioid epidemic in southwestern Virginia

Art Van Zee was among the first physicians in the U.S. to warn people about the dangers of OxyContin and take a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company head on for its marketing blunders. He describes his witness of the problem rapidly… Continued

Art Van Zee’s message to students today

Art Van Zee discusses how the legacy of St. Charles Clinic may serve as inspiration to students today, and encourages them to harness a belief that they, too, should feel empowered to get involved in social movements. Recorded March 17th,… Continued

On Art Van Zee’s decision to stay in St. Charles

Art Van Zee shares the motivation behind his decision to stay at the clinic in St. Charles, Va., long after the Student Health Coalition’s activity there. His story is but one example of the long-term impact the SHC had on… Continued

Bridging a cultural divide: St. Charles welcomes SHC students, 1973

Art Van Zee reminisces the power of St. Charles‘ warm welcome to students in the summer of 1973, commenting on the richness and impact of mountain culture on nurturing sustainable community relationships. Recorded March 17th, 2013. Full footage of… Continued

Dal Macon’s community return and ongoing work post-Student Health Coalition

Dal Macon briefly shares about some of his post-Student Health Coalition (SHC) community projects, including having served on the board of Marie Cirillo‘s Community Land Trust and organized outreach efforts through the Center for Health Services (CHS) at Vanderbilt University.… Continued

The focal role of listening in community organizing

Dal Macon highlights the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC’s) emphasis on listening as the primary agent of sustainable, lasting community change. Solidifying its importance, Dal shares how this philosophy impacted his long-term relationship-building with community members and overall connection to the… Continued

Margaret Ecker on her inspiration to pursue nursing

Margaret Ecker shares about early career pursuits and explains how the Student Health Coalition (SHC) played a prominent role in steering her toward a life of service through nursing. Recorded on June 2, 2018. Full footage of the conversation… Continued

Hearts of Gold

Brought to us by Margaret Ecker and others involved in its 2013 production, this special collection of insights from several Student Health Coalition (SHC) figureheads in the 1970s features Bill Dow, Bill Corr, Carolyn Burr, Dal Macon, and Marie Cirillo–among… Continued

David Morrow on the personal legacy of his student activism

I became involved with the Appalachian Student Health Coalition when I was an undergraduate at Vanderbilt. In 1977, the summer after my graduation, I worked as a community organizer in Copperhill, Tenn., where the Coalition concentrated on environmental and occupational… Continued

Bob Hartmann on the importance of defining health beyond the physical

Bob Hartmann explains how his and many others’ formative experience in rural healthcare and community medicine with the Center for Health Services (CHS), Student Health Coalition (SHC), and Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC)—both as students and young professionals—left a lasting… Continued

Bob Hartmann on the National Health Service Corps and its role in his development as a young doctor

Bob Hartmann shares about his return to Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC) after graduating from Vanderbilt medical school and explains the role of the National Health Service Corps in his education and early professional development. Full footage of Bob… Continued

How the perception of nurse practitioners and midwives has changed over time

Rick Davidson asks Sally Kimberly to reflect on how the role and societal perception of nurse practitioners and midwives has evolved—from the time she first became certified in the early 1970s to present day. She celebrates that the profession has… Continued

Sally Kimberly on the professional development of nurses with MPHC

Sally Kimberly describes what became an essential element to her and other nurses’ weekly routines while working in Scott County: self-directed educational sessions committed to their professional development. She explains that these weekly meetings were both a professional and social support system… Continued

Sally Kimberly on becoming a nurse midwife

Sally Kimberly traces her personal development in the medical field and shares what inspired her to become a practicing nurse and midwife with the National Health Service Corps and Mountain People’s Health Councils (MPHC) in Scott County, Tenn. from 1974-1982. … Continued

Stephanie Park on doctor-patient relationships

Stephanie Park, a community scholar with the Center for Health Services (CHS), shares how her firsthand experience in community healthcare bolstered her education in the field and furthered her understanding of holistic community development—particularly with regard to doctor-patient relationships. … Continued

Becca Ingle on the SHC and community healthcare

Becca Ingle, R.N., F.N.P. shares about her experience with the Student Health Coalition (SHC) in the summer of 1974 and discusses its profound influence on later becoming a nurse practitioner. She also explains how the organization facilitated a shift in… Continued

“What it took” – Nine nurses reconvene fifty years later and discover the power of common denominators

Nine nurses gathered in Nashville in May 2019 to reminisce about their beginnings as nurses. Nursing practice underwent radical changes in those days. These nine nurses stood apart from their peers and in conflict with convention. Here, they discuss what… Continued