Educational & Patient Outreach Opportunities

As a pediatrician who specializes in child abuse and neglect, I have had important responsibilities in helping to protect some of society’s most vulnerable children, locally and through state and national efforts. As an Assistant Dean in the Program for Diversity and Inclusion at PSOM, I have had the great pleasure of working with our enthusiastic and talented students, supporting their community volunteer work and helping to support their career aspirations.

Cindy Christian, MD
IDEAL MEd, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement

Perelman School of Medicine students volunteer with a number of organizations for underserved or vulnerable populations throughout Philadelphia. This service provides support to communities that are too often excluded from the healthcare system, while allowing students to learn valuable skills.

For more information, please contact IDEAL MEd.

Bridging the Gaps (BTG) allows students in health and social service disciplines to broaden their training through interdisciplinary service to underserved communities. Students collaborate with nonprofit organizations throughout Philadelphia and several other regions. Populations vary by site. Components of the BTG program include a seven-week summer Community Health Internship Program (BTG CHIP), a Seminar Series, and a Community Health Rotation.

Dance for Health aims to increase physical activity through dance among children and their families. With line dance instruction by In the Dance, a team of volunteer medical students, nursing students, and faculty joins community residents for a fun-filled fitness dance class. The volunteers monitor participants' weights, heights, heart rates, and pedometer steps as they dance their way to a healthier lifestyle!

Dance classes are offered at two locations every week:

The Common Place
58th & Chester Avenue
Mondays, 6 - 7 p.m.

Sayre Recreation Center
58th & Spruce Streets
Thursdays, 5 - 7 p.m

Through the Health Science Exploration Program (HSE), medical students, in collaboration with the University’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, help sixth through eighth graders interactively explore health topics relevant to their community. The mission of HSE is to:

  • Increase health knowledge and skills of middle school students through an engaging, interactive curriculum
  • Empower these students to share their knowledge and promote health within their community
  • Strengthen a collaborative, community-centered partnership between Southwest Philadelphia and Penn
  • Diminish education-related disparities by creating lessons that adhere to state standards and are delivered with respect and equity

Medical student volunteers develop and execute the health curriculum, lead small groups, keep students on task, and facilitate activities to maximize engagement.

The Nourish-Mantua healthy lifestyle program seeks to help overcome barriers and improve life expectancy and quality of life in the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia by building on efficacious lifestyle modification interventions that have been implemented in resource-limited communities. Community residents learn how to prepare and eat healthy foods, taking into consideration their budget and health status. They also gather for lectures and exercise and to connect with one another around healthy lunches.

Established by Penn's Center for Public Health Initiatives, Service Link sends dedicated undergraduate, post-baccalaureate medical, MPH, and law student volunteers to primary care and community sites in Philadelphia. Its mission is to improve the health of Philadelphians by linking them with public benefits and community resources that address their non-medical determinants of health. Volunteers work closely with patients to secure basic living and health needs, including healthy food options, utility payments, prescription payments, employment assistance, and legal support.

The UpLIFT Project was founded to create a more equitable medical workforce by providing prospective medical school applicants from under-represented, low-income, and first-time student backgrounds with free access to comprehensive, up-to-date information on how to successfully apply for and matriculate into medical school. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), although 23% of medical school applicants come from the lowest quintile of household income, these applicants make up only 5% of matriculating students. UpLIFT believes this disparity can be reduced by providing lower-resourced applicants with a comprehensive, well-compiled, free resource tailored to their experience and challenges.

Walk with a Future Doc (WWAFD) hosts health education sessions (e.g., about cardiovascular health or how to stay fit in the winter) followed by community walks that allow participants to both exercise and get to know neighbors in the West Philly community. During the height of the pandemic, WWAFD made exercise videos for the elderly congregants of the local Mount Zion Baptist Church. Although we now plan to resume our walks, we hope to continue strengthening this and other community partnerships.

Kingsessing Recreation Center
4901 Kingsessing Avenue
Every other Saturday, 9 - 10 a.m. (April through October)