Hello everyone.
My name is Catherine Lewis, but you can call me Cat. I am a Licensed Independent Clinic Social Worker. I am new to the medical school world; however, have been practicing Social Work for 13 years. I am filling a newly created role as Case Manager in the department of Medical Student Services (MSS) at The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine where my goal is to provide a safe, nonjudgmental space where, students, MSS, and I can work together to build resilience and foster meaningful change that promotes emotional well-being and professional growth. Whether students are facing a difficult transition, a challenging decision, or looking for tools to navigate daily stress, I'm here to help.
I wanted to take a moment to share a bit about my role as a Social Worker Case Manager and my passion for promoting emotional and mental well-being among medical students. We all know that medical school is incredibly demanding-academically, emotionally, and physically-which is why ensuring students have the right support systems in place is crucial. Currently, I am in the process of developing a system to identify students who are at risk or have additional needs that would benefit from continuous follow-up. The goal is to move beyond reactive support and create a more proactive, structured approach to student well-being, ensuring that those who need extra resources don't fall through the cracks.
I'd love to connect with others who are doing similar work! Are any of you currently implementing structured risk/needs assessments for medical students? If so, I'd be really interested in hearing about the tools or frameworks you're using to assess and track student well-being over time. Let's collaborate and share insights-what's working in your institution, and what challenges have you encountered in implementing these kinds of systems? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
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Catherine Lewis
Social Worker Case Manager
University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine
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