Medstart:
A Decade of Influencing Children’s Health and Development

John Barks Photo: Gregory Fox

John Barks, M.D. (Residency 1987), associate professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases in the U-M Medical School, leads a workshop during the 2002 annual Medstart community conference, “Surroundings and Society: Shaping our Children,” held on March 9 on the U-M campus. Barks discussed the effects of maternal chemical dependency on fetal and child development.

Medstart is a coalition of students from the University of Michigan Medical School and the Schools of Public Health, Nursing, Social Work, Public Policy, Education and Law. Now in its 10th year, Medstart, founded by Kevin N. Hibbert (M.D. 1996) and others, promotes a multidisciplinary approach to child advocacy and exposes current and future professionals to children’s issues early in their careers through its programs and activities, which include volunteer opportunities at U-M Mott Children’s Hospital, health fairs, prenatal support for expectant mothers, and Child Watch, a program developed by the Children’s Defense Fund. Michelle Berg (M.D. 2002) served as Medstart’s president for the 2001-02 academic year; next year’s leadership will be shared by Brian Bednarski (Class of 2003) and Alison Gehle (Class of 2004). Many Medical School students are involved in Medstart’s programs and contribute to its success and longevity.

www.umich.edu/~medstart