November 10, 2005
A life of service, at the UW and beyond
Connie Huffine doesn’t take the idea of a personal philosophy lightly. Hers is to serve in every area of her life.
As program coordinator of the UW Department of Family Medicine’s Community Health Advancement Program (CHAP), Huffine has been sharing her service-driven philosophy with health-care students for more than a decade.
The program sponsors student-initiated community service projects that address the health needs of underserved communities. Health-care students design, plan, implement, staff and evaluate the programs with the assistance, guidance and support from staff and faculty in the Department of Family Medicine and community organizations.
Student projects include providing a dermatology clinic for the homeless at the Downtown Emergency Service Center, a diabetic foot care clinic, teen and women’s health clinics, as well as tutoring and mentoring in health education.
While students actually run the projects, Huffine coordinates the many elements that make the program not only a gift to the communities CHAP serves, but also to the students who are serving.
“She always has in mind what needs to happen. She makes sure the relationships are working between our students, our clients and our community partners,” says Dr. Sharon Dobie, CHAP advisor. “I once gave her a cartoon about a border collie because Connie is like that — always hard working and herding. She’s the person who tracks the details and keeps the organization running smoothly. She has always gone above and beyond her job description.”
Huffine has done so since her first day on the job. “At first I thought of my involvement in CHAP as a bit of volunteer work to go along with my administrative job. I found that I love working with students and the people we serve. The students have such fresh eyes and so much compassion.
“For example, watch a student soak a patient’s feet in the diabetic foot care clinic. It’s amazing how this ritual impacts the students. While the client’s feet are soaking, students educate the patient on foot care. But, many times the education goes both ways.
“We learn from the client. We learn what it’s like to be homeless. For example, when we do our foot care clinic, we can’t just tell people that your shoes don’t fit, don’t wear them. Or tell them to take pills when they have no food or water. We also learn to be kind.”
Huffine’s approach to service has made a real impact on students in the program.
“Her enthusiasm affects us. She and the program have opened my eyes to a huge population who are often ignored. We are rarely exposed to people who live in such terrible conditions and have few resources available to them,” says Ali Ravanpay, medical and neurosciences graduate student. “Thanks to Connie’s leadership, CHAP has brought me into contact with people I wouldn’t be exposed to ordinarily during my medical training. CHAP has opened my eyes to new possibilities. It’s given me a new perspective of what medicine can be. CHAP has allowed many medical students and me to do what we actually dreamed of when we applied to medical school — to spend time with people who really need help. CHAP teaches us what medicine is about.”
Dobie says Huffine is not only a model for CHAP students but for others as well. “Her life is a testament to her courage, values, and her personal choice to serve beyond what her job calls for.”
The notion of service shows in everything Huffine does—at work and other parts of her life. Her sense of service was instilled early in life.
“I’m a farm girl from a tiny, tiny river town in Illinois. My grandmother was a foster mom. She quit after taking care of 100 kids. This is just what our family did — we always gave. She was our model.
“I’ve always wanted to give more than money; I wanted to be involved!”
Of course, Huffine’s involvement with the world extends way beyond the CHAP program. Locally, she solicits donations of clothing, socks, and personal hygiene products for those who are homeless and others in need. She and her husband established a private foundation to help with what most of us take for granted. “We have a slush fund from which people can draw to help in a crisis situation—like sometimes people just need enough to pay a light bill or the month’s rent because something catastrophic has happened to them.”
That fund also has helped build a multigenerational home for a family in Guatemala and will help pay for the education of a family’s children in India.
“I can’t imagine a world without service. Service and serving with kindness should be a part of everyone’s world. I believe in the motto — pay it forward.”
(Huffine is retiring this month, but will continue her life of service locally and internationally.)
