Expert Opinions
Get expert clinic advice
Here are our volunteer Expert Opinions. All of them have listed areas of expertise they have in managing student-run clinics, ranging from patient outreach initiatives to quality improvement efforts. If you have a problem at your clinic you would like some advice on how to handle, these students are great points of contact for providing ideas that helped work for their clinics. Just find someone who has an area of expertise similar to what you are interested in and reach out. FYI- these people are also great assets at advising how to turn your work into research projects for SSFRC annual conference posters and presentations!

Name: Will Miklavcic
Program: MD/PhD
Clinic and School: SHARING Clinics, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Expert on: I have focused on many areas of patient outreach- specifically online advertising campaigns, quarter card drives, call centers, outreach to the unhoused community, and collaborations with local non-profits. I am excited to advise on anything related to recruiting more patients from your community!
Contact information: william.miklavcic@unmc.edu

Name: Kim Sladek
Program: MD
Clinic and School: Union Gospel Mission, University of Texas Southwestern
Expert on: I facilitated a partnership for HIV screening at our free clinic located in a homeless shelter. I also am involved in student leadership – writing guidelines for new clinics and improving inter-clinic collaboration.
Contact information: kimberly.sladek@utsouthwestern.edu

Name: Vani Patel
Program: MD
Clinic and School: Sojourners Health Clinic, University of Missouri- Kansas City (UMKC)
Expert on: I have helped organize and implement a free hearing screening service to our student-run free clinic. I have expertise in fostering relationships with community partners and patient outreach.
Contact information: vanibhupat@gmail.com

Name: Varsha Prakash
Program: MD
Clinic and School: UCSD SRFC
Expert on: I have been working in SRFCs since my first year of college and now have over seven years of experience in a variety of roles, including Co-President of the Suitcase Clinic at UC Berkeley. At the UCSD SRFC I worked in our Pulmonary speciality clinic and managed leadership transitions between MS1s and MS2s. I also served as Head Teaching Assistant of an introductory didactic for MS1s and implemented curriculum updates on MediCal expansion, working with Spanish-English interpreters, and common diagnoses. I have expertise in grant writing and securing funding, organizational structuring, student leadership transitions, patient outreach, and medical education.
Contact information: vprakash3130@gmail.com

Name: Mikayla Tiller
Program: MD
Clinic and School: CARES Clinic, Medical University of South Carolina
Expert on: I have helped develop a community resource library website for use by both patients of the free clinic and volunteers. I have expertise in compiling relevant resources that are used by free clinics and website design. I also have experience in conducting a QI study to ensure that the resource library is meeting the needs of the clinic.
Contact information: tillerm@musc.edu

Name: Carl Russell III
Program: MD/PhD
Clinic and School: Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic, Indiana University School of Medicine
Expert on: I have helped collect data regarding the effectiveness of patient education programs independent from the primary student visit. I have expertise in IRB submissions and qualitative data analysis. Additionally, I have experience managing the clinic’s ongoing research projects.
Contact information: carlruss@iu.edu

Name: Vivian Lee
Program: MD
Clinic and School: St. Vincent’s Clinic, University of Texas Medical Branch
Expert on: I am a licensed mental health therapist turned medical student who works closely with the psychiatric specialty clinic at St. Vincent’s. I have assisted with leading psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic trainings for student providers, improving the environment of the patient rooms and waiting areas, and implementing a “train the trainer” group therapy model. I previously worked in insurance utilization review and at multiple levels of care (IP/RTC/PHP/IOP) in the field of eating disorders.
Contact information: vilee@utmb.edu