Introducing the 2025 Student Externs

Each year, Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan selects MAFP student members to participate in a 4-6 week clinical and/or research experience tailored to their interests and under the mentorship of a family physician member of MAFP. The goal is to stimulate student interest in the family physician specialty. Selected externs receive a $2,000 stipend after completing the externship. Funding is provided by matching grants from Family Medicine Foundation of Michigan and AAFP Foundation. Congratulations to the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) student externs for 2025: Halle Ciganick (M2 at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine), Simran Hehar (M3 at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Macomb University Center), Moriah Maunu (M3 at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Detroit Medical Center) and Jeremy Taigman (M3 at Wayne State University School of Medicine).

Halle Ciganick

M2 at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Ciganick said her strong interest in the family medicine specialty was sparked during her gap year as a patient care technician at the Munson Family Practice Center in Traverse City. Ciganick said the experience allowed her to witness firsthand the impact of family physicians in rural healthcare and inspired her pursuit of a career in family medicine.

Now, as a second-year medical student serving as co-president of her school's Family Medicine Interest Group, Ciganick will return to Traverse City to complete a clinical externship under the mentorship of David Klee, MD, FAAFP and the residents at the Munson Family Medicine Residency Program. The first half of the externship will focus on inpatient obstetrics and gynecology, where Ciganick will work alongside a family medicine resident on the OB/GYN service, gaining exposure to surgical procedures and the birthing process. In the second half, she will shift to outpatient care and participate in Traverse City’s street medicine program, an initiative led by Dr. Klee to serve the city’s unhoused population.

“I am eager to learn more about what this entails and how family medicine physicians can be involved in providing direct care to meet the needs of their community,” she said. “Overall, I am beyond excited about the opportunity to develop my interest in and knowledge about the field of family medicine.”

Simran Hehar

M3 at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine – Macomb University Center 

Hehar will serve her externship under the mentorship of Family Medicine Associate Program Director Abigail DeLand, DO. Hehar said she is eager to explore the intersection of patient education and chronic disease management through a quality improvement (QI) project. The project centers on evaluating the effectiveness of after-visit brochures designed to improve patient understanding and self-management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and blood glucose control. Hehar will collaborate with Dr. DeLand to develop tailored, patient-centered educational materials that address the specific needs of underserved populations.

“Through this experience, I will receive personalized feedback and mentorship from an experienced family medicine physician, helping me refine my clinical reasoning skills and improve patient care planning," Hehar said. "This externship will ultimately enhance my ability to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care while addressing the critical needs of underserved communities.”

Moriah Maunu

M3 at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine – Detroit Medical Center

Maunu will complete a clinical externship with Richard Bryce, DO at the Community Health and Social Services (CHASS) Center in Southwest Detroit. Maunu said she is deeply committed to working in underserved communities, a commitment reflected in her Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) scholarship, which requires four years of service after residency. During the externship, she will gain valuable experience in street medicine, gender-affirming care, and full-spectrum family medicine, while also continuing to strengthen her Spanish-language skills in a real-world clinical setting.

“I hope to grow in my comfort level while navigating social determinants of health, which are particularly complex with unhoused patients,” she said.

Jeremy Taigman

M3 at Wayne State School of Medicine

Taigman is completing a four-week clinical externship with Richard Bryce, DO at Detroit’s Community Health and Social Services Center (CHASS). Taigman said he is excited about gaining more hands-on experience with underserved populations, especially those facing housing instability. Through his previous work with Detroit vs. Addiction, he developed a passion for substance use disorder management and harm reduction and he looks forward to continuing this work during the externship. He also said he looks forward to gaining exposure to gender-affirming care and enhancing his procedural skills, including joint injections and women’s health exams. 

“The opportunity to assist at newer CHASS locations such as the Pope Francis Center will allow me to provide care to patients navigating housing instability,” he said. “I have worked with this demographic through Wayne State’s organization Detroit vs. Addiction, and I look forward to expanding my clinical skills with this patient population while further building on my knowledge of substance use disorder management and harm reduction principles. The externship will also provide me with valuable experience in gender-affirming care, which I have had minimal exposure to throughout my core rotations and am excited to explore further through CHASS."