Who We Are
"Love recognizes no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."
- MAYA ANGELOU
Our Story
We began in July 2020, founded by a group of Durham Public School moms who had a vision for how to help schools during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing volunteers to take temperatures and assist with arrival screening protocols at area schools. Our work now is focused on being a bridge to make preventive health care services accessible to Durham youth.
Our Mission
We aim to bring accessible, high quality and free preventive healthcare to children and adolescents in Durham through collaboration with local non-profit organizations.
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We aim to greatly increase access to preventive services such as vision screenings, sports physicals, routine vaccinations, and mental health resources, particularly for underserved youth in our community.
We aim to empower children and adolescents to maintain whole-life wellness through lifestyle interventions such as healthy eating, healthy sleep patterns, physical activity, stress management, fostering positive social connections, and avoiding risky substances.
Our Values
Access
Health Equity
We believe that everyone deserves access to high quality, compassionate, evidence-based preventive health care. We believe in breaking down barriers by taking services where they are needed most.
We know systemic inequities lead to health disparities. We focus on providing services for those who need it most, who otherwise may not have the opportunities they deserve – regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, or socioeconomic status.
Service
We cannot do our work without committed, caring medical and non-medical volunteers. We strive to be a space where our volunteers can connect with the Durham community and each other in a meaningful and purposeful way.
Commitment to Community
We believe in Durham. We collaborate with other established nonprofits and organizations focused on children and adolescents in Durham to further our mission. Together we can build a healthier, stronger Durham.
Quality
Durham’s most vulnerable children and adolescents deserve high quality, evidence-based preventive health services. We pledge to be trustworthy, transparent, and serve with integrity.
Our Team
Cathi is a family physician and small-town Ohio native who received her medical training at Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. She moved to Durham in 2006 to complete residency at UNC Chapel Hill; she has proudly called Durham home ever since. In that time, Dr Sander has practiced family medicine, worked as an urgent care physician for Duke, and helped manage worksite-based health clinics. Cathi founded the City of Medicine Volunteer Medical Corps during COVID-19 as a direct act of thanks and love for the amazing DPS teachers, counselors and support staff who have supported her two children. She and her family enjoy spending time together traveling, swimming, and watching Marvel movies.
Cathi Sander, MD
Founder & Medical Director​
Kate Mitchell, MD
Kate has lived in North Carolina for over 40 years and has called Durham home since 2000. She received her medical degree from UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine and completed her residency and fellowship in Internal Medicine/ Rheumatology at Duke University. She has worked in both academic medicine and private practice in Durham for over 15 years. One of Kate’s greatest joys in medicine has been developing relationships with and serving our diverse Durham community. Kate joined the City of Medicine Volunteer Medical Corps’ staff in 2022. She is excited to serve Durham in a new way by teaching wellness to children, youth and their families. Kate is the proud mother of two children in the Durham Public Schools. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, and community dinners.
Director of Wellness and Community Partnerships
Larissa Rimkevicius Shore
Chaos Organizer
Larissa is a DPS mom and graduate as well as a graduate of UNC-Greensboro. Heavily involved at the DPS schools of her two children, Larissa joined Cathi’s COVID-19 aid efforts from the beginning. As the scope of the group has expanded, Larissa applies her creative problem solving and eye for detail to helping the City of Medicine Volunteer Medical Corps stay organized behind the scenes.
She is fully committed to the vision and mission of the City of Medicine Volunteer Medical Corps and is honored to be part of the team. Larissa was, and still is, heavily involved with her kids’ schools. While her kids stayed virtual, Larissa helped with morning screenings at Pearsontown three times a week and made sure things ran smoothly behind the scenes. As the VMC grew beyond COVID, Larissa became our Volunteer Coordinator, expanding her behind the scenes work to make sure volunteers have all the credentials and training needed, community partners have the information they need, and details for each event are handled along with follow up. She and her family love spending time together, the beach, and trying new dessert places.
Volunteer Spotlight
Anushka Goel
Superstar Intern
Anushka is a recent graduate from Duke University hoping to go to medical school. She has been volunteering with the VMC since 2023 and has loved every moment, from performing vision screenings to scribing for Dr. Cathi during sports physicals. Now that she's back in California, Anushka works with the VMC virtually, helping with grant writing, website management, and other projects.