From Lived Experience to Community Impact My Journey – Urvi Patel

Hi everyone! My name is Urvi Patel, and I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Neuroscience, with minors in Chemistry and Entrepreneurship. Throughout my time at Carolina, I have been driven by a strong interest in how access shapes health outcomes. As I prepare for a career in medicine, I have become especially committed to addressing the inequities that prevent individuals in underserved communities from receiving quality care.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t work with skin of color.” This was what I was told when I visited the only dermatology clinic in my hometown of Wilson, North Carolina. Growing up as a person of color in a rural community often meant that receiving appropriate dermatologic care required driving more than an hour to Raleigh to see a specialist who could properly assess my skin. At the time, I did not yet have the language to fully describe what I was experiencing, but I understood the impact. That moment opened my eyes to the reality faced by many people living in underserved areas and has stayed with me ever since. When

I arrived at UNC, I was determined to confront the barriers I had once faced.

Motivated by my experiences with dermatology, I co-founded The Dermatology Society to create a space to learn from experts while organizing service initiatives rooted in community engagement. During a sun safety campaign, I became aware of widespread misconceptions about skin of color, particularly the belief that individuals with darker skin tones are not at risk for skin cancer. Through independent research, our organization learned that although incidence rates are lower, people with darker skin experience higher skin cancer mortality rates, often due to delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.

In response, we partnered with SAICEP and were awarded a $10,000 Projects for Peace grant to develop a sun protection initiative that provided culturally relevant resources to tribal communities. While working on this project, we noticed that many young people lacked access to accurate skin health education, leaving them vulnerable to misinformation. To address this gap, we began developing Our Skin, Our Stories, a platform designed to share accessible, research-based information, personal narratives, and educational content tailored specifically to skin of color. This work reinforced my belief that effective healthcare solutions must be grounded in both evidence and lived experience.

Over the past four years, I have dedicated myself to building sustainable solutions to health inequities in underserved populations. These values ultimately led me to NC MATTERS, where I am currently a Karen M. Gil Intern. During my internship, I have worked on creating patient facing educational materials that will be hosted on the NC MATTERS website, as well as developing a behavioral health referral database for pregnant and postpartum patients. This experience has shown me how access to clear information and coordinated care can significantly improve health outcomes, particularly for individuals navigating pregnancy and postpartum care in underserved communities. The mission of NC MATTERS closely aligns with my own goals as a future physician, which center on improving access, reducing disparities, and ensuring care is guided by both evidence and empathy.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this work and to learn from such dedicated professionals. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Karen Burns and Carine Kelleher for their guidance throughout my internship, as well as to Dr. Steven Buzinski and Richie Gray for their continued support. Thank you for investing in my growth. This experience has played a meaningful role in shaping how I envision my future in medicine, and I am deeply thankful to be part of the NC MATTERS and Karen M. Gil Intern community.