Medical Students Serve Their Communities

With more than 100 student clubs and organizations on campus focused on volunteering in areas such as food insecurity, mental health, and homeless outreach, students develop the skills necessary to identify the social structures that influence their patients' lives and to navigate available community resources to benefit their health and well-being.

Patricia Curtin, SOM Class of 2028, says that her “commitment to community service during medical school stems from a belief that meaningful medical care begins with being present for others.” She volunteered with Homeless Outreach through Medical Education (HOME) initiative, participating in shelter outreach and resource development at the Grasslands Homeless Shelter and facilitating health conversations that addressed barriers to care.

She also started a medical student shadowing volunteer program alongside Carolyn Joyce, SOM Class of 2028, last year, with the Westchester Institute for Human Development, offering students direct exposure to disability care. The program aims to address implicit bias in health care and build student confidence in discussing and managing disability-related topics.

“Together, these experiences have deepened my understanding of health equity, interdisciplinary care, and the importance of community,” said Curtin. “Most importantly, they have affirmed my belief that each and every individual who we interact with are deserving of dignity and respect.”

This sentiment is shared by Isaac Lopez, SOM Class of 2027, who founded the Health Literacy Club in 2025. Club members educate community members on healthy eating through a partnership with El Centro Hispano, Inc.'s food distribution center. Through informational pamphlets in English and Spanish, students teach about nutrition, including how to incorporate fruits and vegetables into meals, save money by buying in season, and read nutrition labels.

Lopez doesn't need a clinic to have meaningful conversations about health. He meets people where they are. "I've always been interested in health literacy," he said. "I also believe we don't need to use high-level technical jargon to have full conversations and have an impact. We can speak like regular people and still get our point across."

“There’s a lot to say about living in a community versus being a part of a community,” added Sahshe Gerard, right, SOM Class of 2029 and outreach coordinator for Health Literacy Club. “As a physician, working in the clinic is just as important as knowing the actual community you’re serving.”

Mordechai Weitz, SOM Class of 2028, was drawn to medicine after witnessing firsthand how medical professionals supported his brother through a history of seizures and provided comfort in the final moments of his grandfather's life. For more than two years, he has volunteered with the William P. Faist Volunteer Ambulance Corps, where a single shift might take him from a 92-year-old with breathing difficulties to an eight-year-old who is choking — offering a vivid picture of the diverse community he serves.

One interaction that has stayed with him involved a woman he suspected had suffered a fracture. In pain with every bump on the road to the hospital, she was also consumed with worry about her recovery in the weeks ahead. Weitz focused on keeping her calm and grounded in the present moment.

“I wanted to see health care from the inside,” he said of his decision to volunteer. “More importantly, I believed I could make a difference in the lives of the patients I encountered — that alongside my colleagues in EMS and fellow student doctors, I could show up for my community, care for people in difficult moments, and grow as a future physician.”

Every year, SOM students are recognized with Community Service Awards by the Office of Student Affairs for completing more than 100 hours of community service. For students like Curtin, Lopez, Gerard, and Weitz, these hours represent far more than a milestone. They reflect a shared conviction that becoming a great physician means showing up — not just in the clinic, but in the community, long before the degree is earned.