“HOSMP taught me the importance of patient advocacy.”
– Aditaya M.
My name is Aditya Mahadevan, I am a 5th-year MD-PhD Candidate and a Director Emeritus/Former Executive Director for the Homeless Outreach and Street Medicine Program (HOSMP) from August 2021 to November 2023. After handing off my position to Karla and Trey, I’ve taken a more advisory role – in addition to patient care shifts and working to solidify some of our workflows for field-based blood draws and Hepatitis C/HIV treatment.
I’ve been with the program since 2020 and, very quickly, my time with HOSMP taught me the importance of patient advocacy. Healthcare is very fast-paced, by nature, and our patients require much more time and attention to detail to accomplish simple care goals compared to a standard-housed, insured, and moderately health-literate population.
With the often transient nature of our patient population – and the way that community resources constantly change – it takes a significant commitment to each patient of ours to accomplish our goals for their care. It is a constant effort from our directorate to remain as “tapped-in” as much as possible to relevant community changes.
The lessons I’ve learned with HOSMP have shaped how I interact with all patients and, as a scientist, have driven me to frame my research in the most pragmatic and equitable ways possible. Outside of HOSMP, I work in perinatology and obstetrics – which provides a critical window to care for many underserved women, who often find themselves with a brief window of government insurability.
In addition to caring for unsheltered patients, I hope to use what I have learned to ensure these women – and their children – are engaged with the healthcare system during this period.