Volunteer Wall of Fame
Honoring the efforts of our numerous volunteers can be tricky as students move away and changes are made to clinic staff. Luckily, our incredible clinic manager, Luz Rivera, started the Volunteer Wall of Fame as a way to reconnect with and thank our previous volunteers for their tremendous contributions. Below you can find personal testimonies of their experience with the Free Clinic, as well as "then and now" photos.
Who knows, your face might be up on this wall one day!
These volunteers have not been put in any particular order, and their placement on this list is in no way a reflection of their respective importance to the clinic and our hearts. We appreciate them all tremendously.
Terry Li
Then
Now
My name is Terry Li and I was a volunteer at Ithaca Free Clinic in 2016-2017 while attending Cornell University. I conducted exit surveys of patients to evaluate their clinic experience and to improve quality of care. Working at the clinic exposed me to the integrative health model, and the people I met and worked with broadened my worldview in many ways. Since leaving Ithaca, I have graduated from New York University School of Medicine and I am currently doing my internal medicine residency at NYU Langone. I plan to apply to a fellowship in Gastroenterology thereafter. My time at IFC has stuck with me and continues to impact me in my work and everyday life.
Nader Hashweh
Then
Now
My name is Nader Hashweh and I was a volunteer at the Ithaca Free Clinic from 2016 to 2018. I worked in scheduling and discharge and with the chronic care clinic. I worked closely with Sue during the early stages of the food pharmacy. I loved volunteering at the clinic. Everything about it was great from the great patients to the providers and administrators to the nature of the volunteering job. It was always rewarding. Probably my favorite clinical experience leading up to medical school. I graduated from Cornell College of Human Ecology in 2018 and started medical school. In 2022 graduated medical school at Saint Louis University and I will be starting Psychiatry Residency at the University of Chicago.
Mary Melati
Then
Now
I volunteered from June 2016 to June 2018; I staffed the reception and discharge desks during clinic walk-in hours, audited and filed patient charts, entered statistics, and demographic data, and initiated partnership with Ithaca Homeless Shelter to provide needed winter gear for clients. I graduated from Cornell in 2018 and University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2022. I am currently an Internal Medicine resident in George Washington University's Primary Care Track. I am so grateful for the Ithaca Free Clinic for giving me the opportunity to start working in public health and with underserved populations and I hope to continue doing that in the future.
Rebel Todhunter
Then
Now
I volunteered as a patient discharge clerk with the Ithaca Free Clinic from June 2016 to June 2019. I loved getting to play a small part in the important work the clinic does. I enjoyed connecting with people in the Ithaca community and working to provide a positive, holistic experience during their visit. I graduated from Cornell University in 2019 and then taught high school science in Fall River, MA through Teach For America. I am currently finishing a Master's degree in Education Policy and Analysis at Harvard Graduate School of Education. After graduation, I will be working in education consulting in Boston, MA.
Lisa Gusman
Then
Now
I volunteered from 2018 until graduating in the winter of 2019 from Cornell. I am grateful to have worked with so many kind, diligent, and resourceful people at the clinic, both staff and patients alike. I cherished getting to know some lovely community members through the chronic care program, and it was heartening to see them benefit from the clinic’s personalized, integrative approach to health. In stark contrast to other experiences, I have had working in healthcare, the Ithaca free clinic stands out as a truly special place. Right now, I am finishing prerequisite coursework to apply to medical school next year, and I am working on a citizen science game where people can help speed up Alzheimer’s research. My future plans are to work towards providing affordable, accessible, and integrative healthcare like the wonderful staff at the clinic do!
Crystal Han
Then
Now
I volunteered at the Ithaca Free Clinic from 2011 to 2013. I graduated from Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences in 2013. The Ithaca Free Clinic was an extremely impactful and formative experience for me, one that played an important role in my deciding to pursue a career in medicine. The quality care, respect and compassion given to each patient regardless of background, and passion and dedication with which the team worked made an impression on me I will never forget. I am currently finishing my fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD and I am relocating to Boston for positions at the Harvard student-counseling center and the Mass General Hospital child psychiatry clinic.
Morgan Chadwick
Then
Now
I volunteered at the Ithaca Free Clinic from mid-2018 to beginning of 2020. I graduated from Cornell University in May of 2020, majoring in Nutritional Sciences. Beginning this summer, I will be a medical student at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. During my two gap years, I worked at a local primary care office and volunteered in my hometown of Binghamton, NY.
Volunteering at the Ithaca Free Clinic as an undergraduate student was one of the highlights of my time at Cornell. The Clinic provided a direct way to benefit the health of the community by providing extremely necessary services. Furthermore, there is no better way to learn about the faults in our nation's healthcare system than by speaking with those who are most affected by the structure and complexity. It was so rewarding to work with providers who gave their time to the Clinic, with incredible and supportive administrators and staff at the Clinic, and with patients who were extremely appreciative of the assistance provided through the many services. I would not trade my experience with the Ithaca Free Clinic for the world, as it increased my awareness of health inequities and continues to motivate me to lessen the inequities as a future physician.
Matt Chen
Then
Now
My name is Matt Chen and I volunteered at the free clinic between 2019 and 2020. I graduated in 2020 from Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences with a major in Biology and Society and a minor in Business. After taking a year off of school, I began medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, California this past year, and I am about to finish my first year. I hope that in the future I can complete my goal of becoming a doctor, though exactly what type of doctor I am still unsure.
I personally loved my experience volunteering at the clinic – it was extremely enlightening to have the opportunity to converse with so many members of the local Ithaca community and learn about their stories, which is something I would never have the opportunity to do without working at the clinic. I learned a lot about different perspectives on life and how to make connections with people who have vastly different backgrounds and life experiences than myself. It was also cool to get experience working with the providers at the clinic as well as the EMR system. I think the experiences altogether prepared me well for my future in medicine. Most importantly, though, it made me appreciate the beauty of service, and I have since made consistent efforts to continue to stay involved in service to my communities.
Janet Back
Then
Now
I graduated from Cornell University in 2019. From 2018-2019 I volunteered at Ithaca Free Clinic, including the summer of 2018. Working at IFC was a memorable experience as I was able to meet with a wide range of patients and witness the clinic leaders' desires to help serve the medical needs of the community. I was so encouraged by the leaders of the clinic who knew the patients personally and organized so many events: a food pharmacy, wellness classes, etc. Not only that, but I still remember the clinic had a small celebration for the graduates when I graduated with cake, gifts, and even a graduation cord! Overall, IFC truly felt like a welcoming community and my experience encouraged me to pursue a career in medicine. I am currently a third year medical school student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) in Long Island, NY with hopes of becoming a radiologist after I graduate.
Rory Sheng
Then
Now
I volunteered at the free clinic in my last two years of college (2018 to 2019) and graduated from Cornell University in December 2019. It was a wonderful experience, which allowed me to contribute to the Ithaca community and motivated me to pursue a career in medicine. As a new immigrant myself, I empathized with many of the difficulties that some patients faced. The connections that I formed with the patients of the free clinic were truly special and helped me to grow and mature. Currently, I am studying scoliosis and obesity as a Research Associate in a bioengineering and genetics lab at the University of California San Francisco. My hope is to become an academic physician, who could both practice medicine and conduct medical research.