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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline OCTOBER 17, 2025 | The Indian Eye 24

NYC Health + Hospitals / North Central Bronx and Lehman

College Unite to Boost the number of Students in Healthcare

Lehman College partnership creates pathway to healthcare careers through hands-on

emergency department experience

OUR BUREAU bring people into the ED. The staff
was very friendly, and I learned a lot
Bronx, NY
from them. The fast-paced environ-
YC Health + Hospitals/North ment of the ED taught me to adapt
Central Bronx has joined forc- quickly and stay alert. This experi-
Nes with Lehman College in an ence reinforced my desire to become
effort to increase the number of stu- a physician and reminded me why I
dents pursuing health-related careers am passionate about serving others.”
through the Emergency Department At the conclusion of their Am-
(ED) Ambassador program. The bassador experience, many students
initiative provides students with a progress to one-on-one shadowing
comprehensive, months-long experi- opportunities with ED providers. The
ence in the emergency department, hospital benefits significantly from the
where they provide direct support to program through enhanced patient
patients while gaining critical insight satisfaction and improved care qual-
into healthcare delivery. Nearly a ity. By having ED Ambassadors avail-
dozen ED Ambassadors have partic- able to address non-clinical needs and
ipated in the program since its incep- provide personalized attention, medi-
tion two years ago, with new students cal staff can devote more time to ur-
enrolling each semester. During their gent clinical care, improving efficiency
internship, ED Ambassadors engage and reducing wait-time frustrations.
in hands-on care activities that bridge Two of the ED Ambassadors with Dr. Nagel in the emergency department at North Central The initiative addresses a critical
the gap between medical staff and pa- Bronx Hospital. need in healthcare diversity, as Black
tients, experiencing firsthand the fast- or African American students account
paced reality of emergency medicine. to nurturing the next generation of called Aleena Mathew, now a first- for approximately 10 percent of U.S.
Under the guidance of care healthcare leaders, particularly those year medical student at Lake Erie medical school matriculants, accord-
teams, ED Ambassadors gain practi- from our vibrant Bronx community,” College of Medicine in Elmira, who ing to the Association of American
cal experience in patient care—listen- added North Central Bronx Hospital participated in the ED Ambassadors Medical Colleges (AAMC), which
ing with compassion, helping patients Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. program at North Central Bronx publishes annual reports on medical
feel comfortable with small but mean- Chinyere Anyaogu. “The ED Am- Hospital during her time at Lehman education demographics.
ingful gestures, such as bringing blan- bassador Program is a testament to College. “In my role, I was able to “Our goal is to improve care for
kets, water, or snacks, and alerting this commitment, creating a pathway make the patients stay more com- our NCB patients while teaching Leh-
medical staff to any concerns. They for young, aspiring healthcare profes- fortable and helped ease their anxiety man students about how health care is
make regular rounds throughout the sionals to gain invaluable experience during this stressful time by listening organized and delivered,” explained
emergency department, introducing while simultaneously enriching the or helping them navigate MyChart so Dr. Nagel. “At the end of their time as
themselves to patients and active- patient experience in our emergen- that they could get more information an Ambassador, many go on to shadow
ly checking on their comfort levels. cy department. It’s an investment in about their care. It was also exciting ED providers one-on-one to gain more
They also focus on improving the both our community’s health and the to see the pediatric side of the ED insight into medical decision-mak-
overall patient experience, including future diversity of our medical field.” and observe the variety of cases that ing and a career in health care.”
assistance with guest WiFi access and “By providing experiential learn-
using the patient portal, MyChart. ing early on, we hope to increase
“The central objective of the pro- the number of students who go into
gram is to increase the representation health-related careers,” explained
of our Bronx community in the field Dr. Lyda Williams, Pre-Health Advi-
of medicine,” explained Dr. Frederick sor and Coordinator at Lehman Col-
Nagel, Chief of Emergency Services lege. “The partnership between NYC
at North Central Bronx Hospital. Health + Hospitals/North Central
“We are grateful for the opportunity Bronx and Lehman College provides
to acknowledge the dedication and our pre-health students with valuable
vigilance of this incredible team, em- insight into the fast-paced and dynam-
phasizing the program’s impact on ic emergency room environment.”
both student development and pa- “Working as an ED ambassa-
tient care quality.” dor at NCB allowed me to be in a
“At North Central Bronx Hos- position to gain valuable insight into
pital, we are not only dedicated to the day-to-day of the ED while also
providing exceptional care but also seeing the patient’s perspective,” re-

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