Jefferson’s SPRING Showcases Innovation and Empathy in Action
Sidney Kimmel Medical College students strive for excellence in health care through independent projects.
As SPRING Scholars, med students Oluwapelumi “Pelu” Osunkoya and Linh To tackled projects that challenge convention and advance compassionate care. (Photos by ©Thomas Jefferson University Photography Services)
The Summer Program for Reimagineers to Innovate, Network and Grow (SPRING) has inspired dozens of young Jefferson scholars to pursue ideas that bridge science, creativity and human connection.
Through a philanthropic gift from Rose and David Anderson Jr., the four-year initiative allows Sidney Kimmel Medical College students to turn bold ideas into meaningful projects that challenge convention and advance compassionate care.
“Without leaps and measured risk, great things cannot come to be,” says Dr. Wayne Bond Lau, professor of emergency medicine and associate dean for student affairs, who has led the program since its 2022 inception. “Progress needs the insight, boldness and investment of all community members to coalesce.”
This year marked the program’s final cohort—a group of students whose work exemplified SPRING’s mission to make tomorrow’s improvements a reality. Read more below about two student projects.
Oluwapelumi “Pelu” Osunkoya explored how personalized, handmade garments could influence the confidence and mental health of women experiencing homelessness.
Rewoven: A Trauma-Informed Clothing Intervention
For second-year med student Oluwapelumi “Pelu” Osunkoya, medicine and fashion don’t come from opposing worlds—they’re threads of the same fabric. Through her project, “Rewoven: A Trauma-Informed Clothing Intervention,” Osunkoya explored how personalized, handmade garments could influence the confidence and mental health of women experiencing homelessness.
Partnering with Eliza Shirley House residents, she collaborated with three women to design and create custom clothing, holding interviews before and after to measure changes in mood and self-perception.
“Many of the women I met didn’t have access to clothing that made them feel seen,” Osunkoya explains. “Afterward, one of the residents was strutting around like it was a fashion show. It was amazing to witness the joy and confidence it brought.”
Her project combined artistry and empathy, revealing how something as simple as a garment can become a tool for healing and empowerment.
“I’ve always been passionate about mental health and working with vulnerable populations,” Osunkoya says. “If no one steps up to listen to them, they become even more overlooked. That’s why this work matters.”
Linh To worked to amplify the voices of people often stigmatized and marginalized within healthcare systems.
Empowering Hospitalized Patients Who Use Substances
Fourth-year med student Linh To turned her SPRING project into a platform for patient advocacy. Her research, “Empowering Hospitalized Patients Who Use Substances,” amplified the voices of people often stigmatized and marginalized within healthcare systems.
Through interviews with 10 patients, To examined how stress and stigma affected their hospital stays and care outcomes. Her findings revealed that unclear communication and inconsistent policy enforcement often left patients feeling distressed, punished and alienated.
“Hospitalization is one of the few times many people with substance use disorders engage with care,” To notes. “Yet, too often, they encounter judgment or confusion about treatment decisions. We can, and must, do better.”
Her insights underscore the need for transparency and inclusion, from explaining personal protective equipment procedures to allowing patients more say in their care plans.
Motivated by personal loss and her passion for addiction medicine, To hopes her work will shape a more compassionate approach to treatment. “Listening to patients empowers me to be a stronger advocate,” she says. “Every story is a reminder that empathy is essential to healing.”
Fostering Innovation for the Future
Across its four cohorts, SPRING has helped Jefferson students turn inspiration into impact—proving that innovation doesn’t just happen in labs or lecture halls, but in the connections made between people, disciplines and ideas.
“I’m deeply appreciative of the Andersons’ beneficence,” Dr. Lau says. “The work completed by our SPRING awardees demonstrates the creative and quality thinking needed today to give tomorrow’s innovations a fighting chance.”
As the program concludes, the projects it inspired continue to ripple outward, each one a reminder that at Jefferson, imagination and empathy move forward together.