The University of Massachusetts Chan School of MedicinePopulation-based Urban and Rural Community Health (PURCH) is a 2- week clerkship that offers students from various medical disciplines an opportunity to learn more about healthcare disparities and specific health issues that affect urban and rural communities. Currently, the students in this program consist of medical students from UMASS Medical School, PAs from Bay Path University, and pharmacy students from Western New England University.
Over two weeks in October and November, 2022, four PURCH students worked with ReGreen Springfield examining the tree canopy and environmental justice issues in Springfield’s Upper Hill, McKnight and Old Hill Neighborhoods, using i-Tree software analysis tools developed by the USDA Forest Service. One the the major research components of the clerkship was to examine tree cover in the neighborhoods and establish relationships between urban greening and socio-economic characteristics of these area.
The students compiled a report on their i-Tree research, providing an overview of the connection between trees and residents living in the Greening the Gateway Cities Program neighborhoods. Click on the cover of the report to view or download the document.
