Michael Rezaee, class of 2017 at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB), earned a master’s in public health from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and worked as a health policy analyst in Boston before becoming a medical student at OUWB. His interest in public health aligned with OUWB’s vision for developing holistic physicians who have a passion for serving the community.

“The community engagement aspect of OUWB's curriculum was an attractive aspect for applying to the school, no question,” says Rezaee. “In many ways it is training in how to deliver patient and family-centered care. Interacting with patients in the community develops a more holistic understanding of who they are as a person and what their lives are really like. You can then apply these experiences and awareness when in the hospital to deliver the right care, at the right time and place for the patient.”

OUWB’s center for community engagement creates long-term partnerships with nearly 60 organizations in metro Detroit, providing a variety of service-learning opportunities for students.

Rezaee connected with The Michigan Institute of Urology Men’s Health Foundation, and it led to a research scholarship where he evaluated prostate cancer screening practices and the incidence of prostate cancer diagnoses in men over 50 years old. His work titled, "Prostate cancer screening practices and diagnoses in patients age 50 and
older, Southeastern Michigan, pre/post 2012" was published in Preventive Medicine.

Michael Rezaee, class of 2017

He supports the annual MIU Men's Health Fair as it benefits a population in the metro Detroit community that often ignores their own health.

“There is a tendency for men to not to visit with a clinician until their daily routines are impacted by symptoms. Often, this delay in seeking health care can have a profound negative impact on the future management and treatment of these health conditions,” says Rezaee. “In men, chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, prostate cancer and depression can be "silent" diseases for many years. The MIU fair educates men on these health conditions and screens for some of these diseases.”

Currently Rezaee is applying for residencies in urology as he plans to pursue a career in this field upon graduating from OUWB next spring.

Community Engagement at OUWB

OUWB’s center for community engagement - COMPASS, creates long-term partnerships with nearly 60 organizations in metro Detroit, providing a variety of service-learning opportunities for students.

About the MIU Men’s Health Fair

The MIU Men’s Health Fair at Ford Field provides opportunities for health screenings, the delivery of services such as flu shots and patient education.