Welcome to Summer Spotlight: where HPA explores the summer experiences of our students.
Stanley Stoutamire '27 spent the summer after his first year working with an American Heart Association funded research study called EPIPHANY, or Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension by Addressing barriers to Nutrition and Physical Activity.

This summer, I had the opportunity to work as a paid intern with an American Heart Association funded research study. EPIPHANY, or Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension by Addressing barriers to Nutrition and Physical Activity, is an ongoing investigation by the Division of Preventive Medicine at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. It is one arm in a series of national inquiries into the reduction of high blood pressure by addressing the social determinants of health. The EPIPHANY arm focuses on rural African American communities in Alabama’s Black Belt by partnering with churches throughout Alabama’s Black Belt region.
To me, this opportunity was extremely special not only because of its significance to me as an Alabamian, but also because of how I became a part of the EPIPHANY team. Last year, over my first-year fall break, I connected with a member of the broader preventive medicine team hoping to see if there were any volunteer or intern positions available that would be open to undergraduates. Eventually, after what I felt was a long enough gap to assume the answer was no, that team member connected me with the study’s Principal Investigator. From there, I was allowed to participate in training over winter break and invited to work with the EPIPHANY team over the summer.
Over the course of the twelve week internship, I was able to travel with the EPIPHANY team to several recruitment events around the state. I gained valuable experience measuring the blood pressures of potential participants and managing the facilitation of a straightforward consent process. Additionally, I also learned about the nuances of community health work. This not only meant scheduling and completing participants’ interviews, but also establishing genuine connections with community members.
Even with the excitement of fieldwork, I found the time I spent with the team at the central office to be just as interesting. It gave me a new insight into managing the staggering amount of physical and digital data that comes with research at scale. I found that my work with both the quality assurance team and logistical inventory support team were critical to the broader statewide network’s success.
From everything I learned this summer my most crucial take away was the value of perseverance. It can be difficult to find valuable summer experiences as a first or second year student. The key for me was perseverance. Reaching out to people and organizations outside of the box can open doors that you never knew existed and create access to truly inspiring experiences.
These experiences, alongside clinical shadowing built into the internship, broadened my understanding of what my future in medicine can look like. I am deeply grateful that I was able to spend my summer working to support my Alabama community, and I am excited to apply everything that I’ve learned to my future.