Muskego Grad Combines Study and Service in Med School

Muskego native and UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) student Matthew Augustine recently learned he will serve his residency in internal medicine at the New York University School of Medicine in New York, NY after graduation in May. As impressive as that sounds, his dedication to

Augustine, a 2002 graduate of Muskego High School, told Muskego Patch that he decided to go into medicine because "I believe medicine uniquely captures my interests in the biology and physiology and a moral obligation to serve others.  Few careers are as intellectually fascinating and allow one to directly impact another person's life on a daily basis." 

Before Augustine entered medical school, he spent a few summers as an undergraduate and two years while pursuing his M.S. degree in a basic science lab. During the masters program, he said "I quickly discovered what I wanted to do was beyond the confines of a lab and included more direct interaction with patients."

During grad school he traveled to Costa Rica, where he served in an impoverished community, leading him to reflect on the parallels there and in the inner cities of Milwaukee and Chicago. Poverty, unstable homes and a lack of resources perpetuated health disparities in each of these places. 

Augustine also worked with Allied United for Health in Madison, which is a student-run organization that partners with low-income, low-resource communities to improve health education and awareness.

There he helped to initiate and maintain many health education programs for adults at food pantries, children at after school programs, and families by going door-to-door. Augustine also worked in Milwaukee's central city between his first and second years of med school, with the grass roots health organization,  Lindsay Heights Neighborhood Health Alliance. 

He continued with Lindsay Heights in a program called, TRIUMPH (TRaining In Urban Medicine and Public Health),completing most of his clinical training at Milwaukee hospitals and clinics while also working on a community health project.

"My project has predominantly focused upon developing a Community Health Worker program within the Lindsay Heights Community," he explained.

Augustine's efforts and focus earned him the Michelle Tracy and Tracy-McGovern Awards, which are both given to students for commitment to community service and leadership.

While he said the training in Internal Medicine "more completely satisfies my intellectual interests," the specialty also satisfied his need for flexibility and the "ability to treat patients in any setting whether within rural/urban communities, here in the US or abroad. More importantly, I want to have the training and skills to improve the care for individuals and populations marginalized by society and who, I believe, have a right to quality health care." 

His parents Jerry and Nancy still reside in Muskego, and Augustine said he would love to practice back in Milwaukee to be closer to family and friends, and of course to serve.

"From a medical standpoint, I think there is much to be done in the city of Milwaukee to ensure that all have access to quality health care, especially within the underserved inner city communities. With my limited experience over the past few years, I have observed the disheartening disparities in health and how easily individuals fall threw the cracks of our current health care system."