Background/Objectives: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to evaluate the impact of food is medicine (FIM) programs, such as medically tailored groceries (MTGs) to treat hypertension among diverse populations. Partnerships between academic centers’ student-run organizations (SROs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) offer critical safety nets for historically underserved groups, positioning these organizations to effectively undertake FIM programs among populations disproportionately affected by hypertension. We conducted an unblinded pilot RCT whose objectives were to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an SRO-coordinated, CBO-partnered MTGs intervention targeting blood pressure (BP) and food insecurity (FI) in underserved groups. Methods: Adult Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx patients in Durham, North Carolina, where essential hypertension and FI were randomized (parallel arm, computerized 1:1 ratio) to 12 weeks of home-delivered, hypertension-focused MTGs plus in-person nutrition education sessions with compensation (intervention) versus data collection sessions with compensation (control). We offered transportation, childcare, and home visits to facilitate session attendance. The primary outcomes were the eligibility, enrollment, and retention rates (feasibility), and the survey feedback from the participants and CBO partners (acceptability). The secondary outcomes included the changes in the mean BP and median FI score with associated 95% confidence intervals. Results: Medical record screening identified 1577 eligible participants. Of the 94 reached to confirm eligibility, 77 met the enrollment criteria, and 50 were randomized (82% post-screen eligibility, 65% enrollment). A conventional content analysis of 15 participant surveys and CBO partner feedback affirmed the acceptability, noting intervention components that enhanced the retention (e.g., home delivery, transportation support, home visits). Pre–post analyses of secondary outcomes for 13/25 intervention and 15/25 control participants completing ≥2 sessions ≥2 months apart were performed. The intervention was associated with an average change in systolic BP of −14.2 mmHg (−27.5, −4.5) versus −3.5 mmHg (−11.7, 5.9) in the control group. The FI scores improved by −2 (−2.2, −0.5) in the intervention group and −1 (−1.3, −0.2) in the control group. No adverse events were reported. Conclusions: SRO-CBO partnerships could be feasible and acceptable avenues for conducting FIM trials among underserved populations. This multi-component FIM approach enhanced the study equity by addressing the participants’ disease-related social needs and warrants expansion into a powered RCT.

Shame is a pervasive yet often unspoken feature of health professions education, associated with burnout, emotional withdrawal, diminished empathy and threats to professional well-being. Experienced as a deeply affective and somatic phenomenon, shame can be difficult to access or address through conventional, cognitively oriented pedagogies. This study examines Moving Shame , an interprofessional workshop series that uses trauma-informed, embodied practices to support learners in recognising and engaging with shame in more constructive ways. 13 students from five health professions programmes participated in a three-part series integrating trauma-sensitive yoga, body mapping, movement-based reflection, creative resources such as graphic medicine and podcasts, and facilitated group dialogue. Workshops were led by an educator with specialist training in trauma-informed embodied facilitation. Participants completed anonymous surveys before the series, immediately after completion and 6 months later. Quantitative measures assessed shame frequency, anxiety and depressive symptoms, with changes over time analysed using non-parametric tests. Qualitative free-text responses were analysed thematically to explore participants’ experiences and perceived impacts. Participants demonstrated statistically significant and sustained reductions in reported shame frequency, anxiety and depressive symptoms at follow-up. Qualitative findings suggested shifts in how shame was recognised, shared and navigated, including increased bodily awareness, relational openness and a sense of collective permission to acknowledge vulnerability within educational spaces. These findings suggest that trauma-informed, embodied pedagogies may offer a meaningful approach to engaging shame in health professions education. Rather than functioning as a discrete intervention, impacts appeared to emerge through the relational and ethical conditions created by embodied practices and skilled facilitation. The study highlights implications for professional well-being, cultures of care and workforce sustainability, while raising questions about transferability, facilitation expertise and the ethics of working with vulnerability in educational contexts.