Community Engagement and Global Health Initiatives

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Welcome!

With great joy, I welcome you to the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) and our Office of Community Engagement and Global Health Initiatives (OCE&GHI) team. We envision a welcoming community of learners, research scientists, health care providers and changemakers within our faculty, staff, students and administration. We are dedicated to creating and sustaining a shared sense of respect and belonging for all. A welcoming community is key to advancing the health sciences that will benefit our generation and beyond.

Our work lives at the intersection of health, justice and belonging, where the University meets the world, and the world meets the University. It is not simply a set of programs; it is a promise that every person in every community we serve will be seen, served and strengthened by what we build together.

Our office is continuously working to establish a culture of belonging and embracing all of our shared values at SHRS by creating, implementing and supporting the following initiatives to increase knowledge of community-based health through empathy and understanding and resources to support you on your journey:

  • Global & Local Travel Learning Program
  • SHRS Affinity Groups
  • SHRS Brave Space & Pantry
  • Interdisciplinary Healthcare Service Programs at the SHRS Wellness Pavilion and beyond
  • Workshops and retreats and so much more!

We work with Primary Care Health Services in Homewood to provide wrap-around clinical services at the SHRS Wellness Pavilion, which started in Spring 2024. We are honored to support each and every one of you here at SHRS.

– Nancy Gauvin

Our People

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Mission

We are committed to advance health equity and inclusive excellence by weaving community engagement, interprofessional education and global health partnerships into the fabric of SHRS, preparing students, faculty and communities to address the health disparities that endure not from lack of care, but from lack of access, trust and belonging. We do this through reciprocal relationships, rigorous scholarship and the conviction that proximity to community is not a supplement to education, it is its highest form.

Vision Statement

We envision SHRS to be at the forefront of creating and sustaining a thriving united community for administration, faculty, staff and students that celebrates the unique talents across SHRS to improve health care for all people in society.

Looking ahead, we aspire for SHRS to be recognized as an international model for how a health sciences school can center community, cultivate belonging and produce scholarship that changes lives. We envision the SHRS Wellness Pavilion Clinic replicated in other communities, our global health partnerships formalized and enduring, and the Brave Space model shared widely, so that the students, staff, faculty and community members shaped by this work carry its spirit far beyond Pittsburgh. Not despite being a small team, but because of how deeply we believe in what we do.

What We Believe

Our work is guided by a set of shared commitments that shape how we show up for our communities and for one another:

  • Reciprocity, not charity. We come to communities as learners first. Every partnership is built on mutual respect and the understanding that community knowledge is scholarship.
  • Brave space over comfort. We created our Brave Space because growth requires honesty. We hold that same standard for ourselves, naming what is hard and coming out stronger.
  • Belonging is infrastructure. A pantry stocked. A mentor who reflects who you are. These are not extras; they are the conditions under which people thrive, and we build them deliberately.
  • Local and global are one. Homewood and St. Kitts. Fifth and Halket, Hazelwood and the Hill District. The work at our doorstep and the work across the sea share the same root: dignity in health care.
  • Evidence of impact, not activity. We measure what matters, patients/clients seen, students mentored, and scholarship that carries community voices, metrics that reflect transformation, not just attendance.
  • The team is the mission. The people of this office do not simply work for it, they are it. Each person’s growth and wellbeing is as central as any outcome we pursue in the community.

Four Pillars of Our Work

  • Community – Engage deeply, sustain faithfully. Through the Wellness Pavilion Clinic, CEC on the Road, the Summer Program Advancing Rehabilitation Knowledge (S.P.A.R.K) in Health Sciences and Medicine, and every relationship in Homewood, we show up consistently. Community trust is earned over years, not events.
  • Education – Teach toward justice. Incorporating curriculum across all nine SHRS departments to our St. Kitts global health course, we believe education improves health care outcomes.
  • Research – Scholarship that centers community. We ask the questions communities need answered. From diabetic foot ulcer care to health disparities in children, we publish work that makes care more equitable and more human.
  • Leadership – Grow the field, not just the office. Through organizations on the national and international stages, we share what we have built so others can build it too. A model worth replicating serves more people.

Serving Our Neighbors

Building a stronger community.

As a school, we are privileged to enjoy all the resources of the University of Pittsburgh and its affiliation with world-class health care institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. With this privilege comes responsibility and a commitment to using our expertise to serve members of our community.

Because we are a school that educates health care providers from a variety of disciplines, we have the capacity and the knowledge to support and complement health care institutions in the area by coordinating wellness and outreach activities for targeted populations of people. We routinely provide community-based exercise programs for older adults in nursing facilities, nutrition counseling for children and families in schools and other venues, blood pressure screenings in underserved neighborhoods, and routine foot exams for people with diabetes.

Where do we serve?

Find where SHRS faculty and students are serving our communities, near and far, through the University’s interactive Engagement and Outreach Map.

SHRS Wellness Pavilion

Located in the Community Engagement Center (CEC) in Homewood

The SHRS Wellness Pavilion is a student-led community space that offers person-centered inter-professional services and programs that aim to improve, maintain and promote the health and wellness of Homewood residents and surrounding communities, across the lifespan.

Wellness Pavilion Clinic

The Wellness Pavilion Clinic initiative, a partnership with Primary Care Health Services, aims to further support the health and well-being of the surrounding Homewood community.

The Wellness Pavilion Clinic offers a range of clinical and rehabilitation therapy services for free. The services are administered by SHRS program faculty and students training to become clinicians in their fields.

Wellness Pavilion Resources

SHRS Brave Space

A brave space is a supportive place where participants feel comfortable learning, having a shared voice while honestly sharing in order to grow individually and together.

The purpose of this space is to encourage all students to engage in courageous conversations, confront biases and constructively challenge perspectives to build unity. Students will use their own autonomy to engage in dialogue while learning from one another.

We fully acknowledge that discomfort and growth often coincide, but by stepping out of our comfort zones, meaningful progress can be achieved. We envision the SHRS Brave Space as playing a pivotal role in cultivating an environment where student voices are not only heard but are valued as people share their experiences and perspectives without fear of judgment or reprisal.

Where is the Brave Space?

The Brave Space is located on Floor 8 of Fifth and Halket in room 8609 right next to the Student Quiet Study room. Operating hours are Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Brave Space Pantry

The food and resource pantry within SHRS plays a vital role in addressing food and resource insecurity among our students.

Here are several key reasons why the Brave Space Pantry was created:

  1. Supporting Food and Resource Insecure Students: Many students face financial challenges and may struggle to afford regular meals. The Brave Space Pantry aims to provide access to free or low-cost food, ensuring that students do not have to choose between paying for textbooks, tuition, food or resources.
  2. Improving Academic Performance: Hunger can significantly affect a student’s ability to focus, concentrate and perform well academically. By alleviating food and resource insecurity, students can better focus on their studies, leading to improved academic success.
  3. Mental and Emotional Well-being: Food and resource insecurity can lead to stress, anxiety and mental health struggles. Having access to a food pantry reduces some of these pressures, allowing students to focus on their well-being.
  4. Building a Supportive Community: The Brave Space Pantry aims to foster a sense of community on campus and show that we deeply care about our students’ overall well-being. SHRS wants to continue to promote a culture of kindness, solidarity and support among peers.
  5. Promoting Equity: Not all students have the same financial resources. The Brave Space Food Pantry can help ensure that all students, regardless of their background or financial status, have access to essential resources like nutritious food and hygiene products.
  6. Reducing Stigma: The Brave Space Pantry being implemented as part of the broader SHRS and campus infrastructure, can normalize the experience of receiving help. This can help reduce the stigma associated with food and resource insecurity and encourage students to seek the support they need without shame.
  7. Increasing Awareness: Having the Brave Space Pantry on campus raises awareness about the broader issue of food and resource insecurity. It can inspire students, faculty and staff to engage in social justice initiatives and community outreach.

Overall, the Brave Space Pantry at SHRS is an essential resource that supports students’ well-being, academic success and sense of community. It is a proactive approach to ensuring that all students have access to basic needs, allowing them to thrive during their time here at SHRS.

The Brave Space Pantry will be available year-round for any SHRS student who needs these basic necessities.

Events

Check out events offered by the University, school and Wellness Pavilion. These events offer ways to get involved on campus, at SHRS or in the community.

University Resources

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