Students from NEOMED’s American Academy of Pediatrics – Pediatric Action Club gathered  on a recent Friday evening, not for happy hour or a night out, but to assemble fleece blankets for young patients at Akron Children’s Hospital.

The community service activity has become an annual tradition for the group, according to member Ethan Vo, a first-year College of Medicine student who chaired this year’s Project Linus activity spearheaded by the national non-profit organization.

It’s one of many collaborations NEOMED has with Akron Children’s Hospital. Numerous students complete clinical rotations at the pediatric hospital, and researchers from ACH work alongside NEOMED scientists in laboratories located in the Research and Graduate Education building.

Fayez Safadi, Ph.D., a professor of anatomy and neurobiology and director of Northeast Ohio Medical University’s Musculoskeletal Research Focus Area, has been recognized for his work as a senior scientist at ACH’s Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute, where he partners in developing treatments for pediatric patients.