Compassion, service, excellence

Ekaterina Liu-Clark Lavroushin, M.D., OUWB ‘25, has been selected as recipient of OUWB’s 2025 U.S. Public Health Service Physicians Professional Advisory Committee Excellence in Public Health Award.

The award recognizes medical students from across the U.S. who have made significant contributions to advancing public health through research, advocacy, and outreach. Honorees have addressed critical health challenges by demonstrating leadership and innovation in service to medically underserved communities.

Recipients are selected based on the impact of their work, the level of leadership demonstrated, and their potential for a future career in public health or preventive medicine.

Lavroushin was nominated for the award by Tonya Bailey, Ph.D., associate dean, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Engagement.

“Her dedication to addressing health disparities, patient advocacy, and community outreach truly set her apart,” says Bailey. “Ekaterina embodies the values of service, compassion, and excellence that this award represents, and I have no doubt she will continue to make a lasting impact in the field of public health.”

The recognition falls in line with what Lavroushin calls a commitment to “advancing health equity by spreading health-related information and resources to people from all backgrounds, particularly in underserved communities.”

Creating lasting change 

Lavroushin’s passion for medicine was evident from an early age, shaping her academic journey. She attended the University of California-Los Angeles where she studied biology and Russian, a combination that deepened her understanding of the intersection between language and medicine.

While at UCLA, she worked in a clinical setting as a scribe for physicians in both family medicine and the obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) departments. In the OB/GYN department, where the physician and many patients spoke mostly Russian, she used her bilingual skills to understand and learn from the encounters.

Additionally, she conducted both basic science and clinical research in a reproductive biology laboratory.

“I recognized that physicians must bridge a ‘language’ barrier by translating pathophysiology, pharmacology, genetics, and more to patients,” says Lavroushin. “I aspired to become a physician who translates the language of medicine in order to make it accessible and to empower patients to assume agency of their own health within the health care system.”

Steve Collard, CMA, vice dean, Business and Administration, hands Lavroushin the Public Health Award at this year's OUWB Honors Convocation.

Her commitment to community continued at OUWB.

As the vice president of the OB/GYN Interest Group (OGIG), Lavroushin implemented a clean birth kit assembly event in partnership with Global Health Charities (GHC), a nonprofit located in Farmington, Michigan aimed at lowering maternal and infant mortality.

She secured $500 in grant funding to assemble kits that were distributed in Nigeria, and has continued to volunteer with GHC, and later coordinated another initiative that produced $500 worth of kits to Palestine.

Additionally, Lavroushin also organized a community baby shower with the Women-Inspired Neighborhood (WIN) Network: Detroit, providing resources and education for Black women in a prenatal care program. She secured nearly $5,000 in grant funding to purchase essentials like car seats and strollers. She presented her efforts at the 2024 Future Physicians for Change Conference.

Further, she served as community service chair of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the director of community service and a medical student representative for the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS).

Her dedication to public health extended to teaching CPR as a first-aid instructor throughout college and medical school, leading sessions at health and career fairs. She also initiated a partnership with the Auburn Hills Public Library to host recurring CPR classes for children.

Additionally, she led an initiative focused on supporting Florida’s migrant farmworker population, whose occupation leads to sun-exposure-related dermatologic conditions. Securing $1,750 in grant funding, she organized kits with sunscreen, sun hats, sunglasses, hydrocortisone, and aloe.

“The events I have organized have covered a broad range of topics,” she says. “These initiatives are deeply meaningful to me because they create lasting change by equipping individuals with the knowledge to protect their health. Community outreach is central to my public health efforts.” 

In March, Lavroushin matched into OB/GYN at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.

“Training here will equip me with the medical and surgical expertise to make a meaningful impact on women’s lives through patient care, research, and community service,” says Lavroushin. “I have no doubt that service and community engagement will always play a role in my career.”

Reflecting on her journey at OUWB, Lavroushin expresses gratitude for the support she has received from OUWB.

“I felt overwhelming support throughout the entire process. My mentors have provided guidance, feedback, and encouragement,” says Lavroushin. “I chose to attend OUWB because of the clear focus on service, and it has been incredibly fulfilling to see that commitment in action.”