The Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) recently honored two medical residents and alumni from Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University for their service to the community.
During an awards ceremony October 25 in Norfolk, Kaitlin Hardy, MD (MD ‘25) a resident in Pediatrics, and Megan Powers, MD (MD ‘24), a resident in Emergency Medicine, were presented with the MSV Foundation Salute to Service Award. The annual awards recognize outstanding efforts of physicians, residents and medical students who are dedicated to creating and nurturing a caring health-promotion and disease-prevention environment by providing service on behalf of patients everywhere.
As an EVMS medical student, Dr. Powers founded , a non-profit organization that teaches healthcare professionals how to recognize and respond to human trafficking. She is part of a statewide coalition working to combat human trafficking. Dr. Powers also created Blue Heart Clinic, which provides trauma-informed care to survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault. Inside Business named her a Healthcare Hero in 2024.
Bruce Lo, MD, professor of Emergency Medicine, said Dr. Powers is a humble and down-to-earth individual who is passionate about her work.
“I have been lucky to have mentored and worked with numerous students and residents from across the country, and I have to say, she is a force to be reckoned with and an inspiration — from a leadership perspective and an involvement perspective — for what she has done for others,” Dr. Lo said.
Dr. Powers was drawn to help human trafficking victims when she interned in New Orleans, an area where human trafficking is a significant issue.
“I realized that there was a huge gap in our training as medical students and future doctors, on how to take care of and how to respond to people who might be trafficked,” Dr. Powers said. “I wanted to do something to bridge the gap of how they are taken care of and how they are even identified in the beginning.”
While she was in medical school at EVMS, Dr. Hardy founded the Community-Engaged Learning initiative known as for children with disabilities across Hampton Roads in collaboration with Excalibur Gymnastics. She also has served as co-director of the student-run HOPES Free Clinic, helping care for the area’s uninsured population. In recognition of her efforts, she received the 2024 Persons with Disabilities Recognition Award from the Virginia Beach Mayor’s Committee. Inside Business named her a Healthcare Hero for community service in 2025.
“She really has embraced her efforts to help disadvantaged kids and, in addition to her own contributions and own time and energy, she has recruited the efforts and energies of others who share the same passion she has, and it’s made a big difference for kids in the community in need of those services,” said Ronald Flenner, MD (MD ‘89), vice dean for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Hardy says community service has become an essential part of her life.
“I really believe, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., the purpose of life is to do as much good as you can for as many people as you can for as long as you can,” she said. “And I try to live that every day.”