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PAIRING PHYSICIANS WITH CLINICS IN UNDERSERVED AREAS Alexander Yi, a cardiologist in Boston and a MAVEN volunteer physician for the past two years, has been working with the Lynn Community

Health Center in Lynn, Mass., to conduct telehealth consultations with patients on issues such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. “A nurse practitioner from the clinic is the

primary care provider who facilitates visits with patients while I provide a remote video consultation,” Yi says. “By bringing cardiology directly to the clinic, we can treat patients who

may have difficulty traveling long distances to receive specialty care due to financial constraints or mobility issues.” Debra Cohen, a semiretired pediatric endocrinologist from Santa

Clara, Calif., joined the MAVEN Project two years ago and has been providing remote consultations to young patients with diabetes. She currently volunteers eight to 10 hours each month but

hopes to take on more. “The MAVEN Project is one of the most efficient and well-organized nonprofits I’ve ever worked with,” Cohen says. “From ensuring that volunteer doctors are covered by

malpractice insurance, to matching physicians with a clinic, to training us on how to use telemedicine equipment that is compliant with patient protection laws, they make it a seamless

process.” Cohen says she enjoys working with local health clinics to address problems their pediatric patients might be having with blood sugar and diabetes-related complications. “Prior to

learning about the MAVEN Project, the only volunteer work I knew of for physicians was traveling outside the U.S. and serving on a medical mission,” Cohen says. “The MAVEN Project allows

physicians to work in their own homes, and they are very flexible about scheduling and working around vacations or other commitments.” In addition to providing retired physicians with

meaningful volunteer opportunities, Green says the MAVEN Project works to create a community for physicians who have retired or downsized their practice. “Doctors work in large student

cohorts as they progress through medical school, and then work with colleagues throughout their career,” Green explains. “Suddenly in retirement, they become isolated and no longer have that

interaction with others who share their medical mindset.” The MAVEN Project recently held appreciation events in San Francisco and Boston for volunteer physicians. “It was wonderful to see

the doctors so engaged with one another,” Green says.