WesternU COMP-Northwest students join OHSU in delivering health services at annual health fair
For the fourth consecutive year, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest (COMP-Northwest), which is in the process of transitioning to its new name, the Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine, participated in the annual Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Health Care Equity Fair (HCEF) held Oct. 25, 2025, at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon.
Every fall, future health professionals from COMP-Northwest, OHSU, Oregon State University, Pacific University, and the University of Western States unite in a spirit of service and collaboration to support Portland’s uninsured and underinsured residents. Students, faculty, and volunteers work side by side to offer free high-quality care and community resources. Health professionals and local volunteers provide medical, dental, and vision screenings, haircuts, food, clothing, and even veterinary care to community members. For WesternU’s osteopathic medical students, HCEF provides a unique opportunity to care for Portland’s most vulnerable populations while gaining hands-on experience in interprofessional teamwork and compassionate patient care.
During the fair, COMP-Northwest students work collaboratively with OHSU students to determine the best course of action for patients. After an initial intake screening, patients are led to private tents where they are greeted by WesternU medical students, medical or physician associate (PA) students from OHSU, and an attending or resident physician. There, the students work together to determine their patient’s needs.
“There are five primary care tents, and each tent includes two students from OHSU, whether that’s a MD or PA student, a DO student, and an attending physician. They’ll take the patient’s history, and the DO students’ role is to determine if they think the patient might benefit from osteopathic treatment,” said COMP-Northwest student and pre-doctoral teaching fellow Sydney Jennings. “The benefit is we can help a patient’s musculoskeletal complaints and even some other complaints on the spot, acutely, so they don’t have to wait to get a medication refilled or take medication for a couple of weeks and hope their pain goes away. We can help them by treating them with our hands and hopefully relieve or completely improve the pain they have.”
This collaborative model not only enhances patient care but also creates a rich learning environment for students from both institutions. By working together, they gain a deeper appreciation for each other’s unique perspective and expertise. The experience fosters mutual respect, improves communication skills, and prepares future clinicians to deliver more integrated, patient-centered care.
“It’s super cool because we get to see how DO students evaluate whether they need more holistic care through osteopathic medicine,” said OHSU first-year medical student Chloe Chiu. “We are in dire need of primary care physicians, so being able to provide free health care to folks who might need it today is really important.”
COMP-Northwest and OHSU students worked closely to plan and execute the event. At COMP-Northwest, second-year students Myles Nelson and Ashley Kao took the lead, coordinating with committees and their chairs to make sure every detail came together on the day of the fair. The process of planning such a large event wasn’t without its challenges, but it proved to be a rewarding experience, one filled with teamwork, problem-solving, and moments of growth.
“Working with other organizations has been great. Community engagement has been huge this year. We’ve had more groups than in the past few years come in and help with the event organization. It’s really cool to see the community of Portland come in and help their own community,” said Nelson. “Working with them has been a lot of different communications and I’ve learned a lot about how to support what they need while also fulfilling the needs we have as a health fair.”
As a first-year OHSU medical student in 2008, Dr. Gina Miller, now a COMP-Northwest Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, helped organize the very first Health Care Equity Fair. Today, she leads WesternU’s ongoing efforts to continue that tradition.
The Health Care Equity Fair has evolved significantly since those early days. When Dr. Miller was a first-year student, the event was known as Cover the Uninsured Week, a small community initiative offering education and free health services to those with limited access to care. The following year, a partnership with Potluck in the Park helped expand its reach to Portland’s unhoused population, laying the foundation for what would eventually become today’s HCEF.
“When I moved back to Oregon several years ago and found out that this was still happening, I began engaging with the OHSU students as a way to provide some historical knowledge and just some supervision as a physician. Before I even came to WesternU as a Professor, I was working with the medical students and I thought, ‘we should really have both medical schools in the state working together on this,’” said Dr. Miller. “I thought this was a great opportunity to showcase to each other the different learning styles and what they can do.”
Now, the HCEF not only delivers vital care to community members but also provides students with a powerful, hands-on learning experience. Through their volunteer work, students strengthen their clinical and communication skills while gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to serve with compassion.
“Our students see firsthand how collaboration and compassion create healthier communities,” says Dr. Miller. “This event is about bringing care directly to people who need it most.”
