From Beets to Better Health: Medical Students Tackle Healthy Eating in Preschoolers

Madison Mixer and Lela Walter Tran, third year medical students, and Zachary Lanza, a pharmacy resident from Western New England University, spent their UMass Chan Medical School’s Population and Community Health Clerkship (PURCH) working with Square One, a nonprofit organization in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their mission? To tackle a big problem with small, meaningful steps: teaching preschoolers about healthy eating in a city struggling with food deserts. For their project, they piloted a taste-testing activity for young children at Square One’s early education center. The kids were encouraged to explore a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables: pumpkins, beets, eggplant, and more through touch, smell, and taste. Every giggle, curious lick, and brave bite became a small but powerful step toward healthier eating habits. 

Madison, Lela, and Zachary noticed how quickly the kids warmed up to the experience, showing excitement as they discovered new textures and flavors. One child remarked that a beet had "long hair like Elsa," turning what might have been an ordinary activity into a moment of shared wonder. This experience wasn’t just about introducing kids to new foods, it was about understanding the larger challenges families face in Springfield. Food deserts (low-income areas where residents have limited access to affordable, nutritious food due to a lack of nearby grocery stores or supermarkets) make it hard for families to find fresh, affordable produce, creating barriers to healthy living. Madison, Lela, and Zachary saw this up close during food distributions and conversations with parents. They realized that these barriers aren’t just about food availability they’re about affordability, accessibility, and education. Through this experience, they also learned the power of advocacy. Early learning care centers supporting local programs and policies, like the Massachusetts Farm to School grant, could help ensure more kids have access to fresh, locally sourced food in schools. 

For Madison, Lela, and Zachary, this wasn’t just an academic exercise, it was a call to action. This work opened their eyes to how healthcare extends beyond clinics and hospitals. It lives in communities, in homes, and yes, even in the colorful, messy world of a preschooler’s lunchtime curiosity. For these future healthcare providers, this experience reshaped their understanding of what it means to care for others. It’s not just about treating illnesses, it’s about creating environments where health can thrive, one bite at a time.

PURCH Students Discover The Healing Power of Food in Vulnerable 

Communities

John Almeida, Justin Nguyen, and Lindon Tran, third year medical students in the UMass Chan Medical School’s Population and Community Health Clerkship Program (PURCH), recently spent time with the Springfield Food Policy Council (SFPC) to learn about food insecurity and how it directly impacts health in underserved communities. Through hands-on experiences, these students were able to see food in a new light not just as nourishment but as a critical part of healing and wellness.

At Brightwood Health Center, John, Justin, and Lindon helped distribute fresh produce to people who waited patiently each week for their free CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. The line of families and individuals, all there to receive fresh, culturally relevant ingredients, turned this weekly event into a community gathering. For the students, this was a powerful visual reminder of the importance of food access. They also helped with a pop-up free farmer’s market, where community members had the opportunity to choose from a variety of fruits and vegetables. Many expressed excitement about trying ingredients from different cultures, bringing a sense of pride and joy to the event.

Their field visits to Gardening the Community (GTC) and World Farmers were equally eye-opening. At GTC, they saw how young people in Springfield’s Mason Square neighborhood are being taught to grow food on vacant lots, transforming the land and gaining job skills and confidence. At World Farmers, they met refugee and immigrant farmers growing culturally relevant produce and learning sustainable farming practices. Both places showed how agriculture could empower people and bring health and resilience back to a community.

The experience left them with new insights about their future roles as healthcare providers. They came to see that food isn’t just about filling stomachs—it’s medicine. Watching people struggle to find affordable, fresh food in Springfield’s “food desert” showed them how lack of access can lead to poor health outcomes, particularly in marginalized communities. They heard stories from patients who had improved their health through simple changes in diet, but only when they could afford nutritious options. This made them realize that access to healthy food needs to be a core part of healthcare.

Their work with the SFPC also taught them the power of advocacy. They learned that programs like the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) are vital, but they’re only as effective as the policies and funding that support them. In Springfield, HIP is underutilized because there aren’t enough markets where people can use it. This showed them how essential it is for healthcare providers to engage in policy discussions that shape these programs.

These experiences strengthened their resolve to integrate the social determinants of health into their future practice. They left with a deep respect for the community health workers and advocates who are doing this work every day, and they now feel a responsibility to continue it. They’re determined to fight for better food access in the neighborhoods they’ll one day serve, making sure their patients have the resources to build healthy lives.

For John, Justin, and Lindon, this wasn’t just an assignment; it was a transformative experience that changed the way they view health. They now understand that healing doesn’t happen in a doctor’s office alone, it happens in the places where people live, work, and eat. And they’re ready to be part of that change.