Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) third-year osteopathic medical student Abigail Abraham has taken her passion for community health education nationwide, presenting her team’s poster entitled, Bridging Gaps in Adolescent and Adult Sexual Health: Training Medical Students as Educators, at two major professional conferences this fall.
Abraham showcased the project first at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Denver, Colorado, held September 26–30, 2025. Just weeks later, she brought the team’s findings to a broader public-health audience at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., from November 2–5, 2025.
The study – conducted by Abraham alongside fellow LECOM students, Sarah Nguyen, Avarie Willette, Olivia Price, and Zainab Farooq – explores the way in which empowering medical students as sexual-health educators may help address gaps in adolescent and adult health literacy. Their work highlights the potential for future physicians to play a more active role in community education, offering evidence that structured training can increase comfort, competence, and communication around sensitive topics.
The project was guided by Paul Cervone, MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Surgery at LECOM-Bradenton. Dr. Cervone praised the students for tackling a traditionally underserved area of preventive health with creativity and academic rigor.
With presentations at two leading national conferences, the team’s work is helping to shape conversations about the way in which medical education can better prepare students to meet the evolving needs of the communities they will serve.