Interest Groups

We encourage Pathway students to take advantage of the Penn medical student interest groups that focus on primary care. Categories include activism clinical interest, and community outreach.

 For more information, find the interest groups below on the list of active student groups.

Student Interest Groups in Primary Care

Name of Organization 
Mission 
Activism

Beyond the Stethoscope 

The mission of this organization is to empower future doctors with the mindset and skills to be agents of political and structural change that centers the patients and the communities we serve. Future Doctors in Politics (FDIP) advocates for policies that and candidates who prioritize patients over profits, establish that health is a right, create greater equity and justice for all, and combat systemic problems with structural solutions. 

Cards for Courage at Penn Med 

Our mission is three-fold: to provide emotional support to patients through hand-drawn cards with uplifting messages; to teach art as an outlet for creativity and a means for kids to learn about, serve, and connect with patients in their community; and to engage medical students in the important roles of educating young minds, providing compassionate support to patients, and facilitating a sense of connection between members of the greater Philadelphia area. 

FReSH (Food Redistribution to Support Health) 

FReSH an initiative focused on delivering groceries and necessities to the residents of West Philly to combat the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on this population. 

Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) 

Medical Students for Choice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to destigmatize abortion provision among medical students and residents, improve reproductive health education and training, and support medical student advocacy. Our chapter aims to provide the Perelman community with information surrounding reproductive rights and abortion provision, encourage and empower future pro-choice physicians, and incorporate reproductive justice conversations into our medical school education. 

NAMI On Campus 

NAMI on Campus is local campus based, student run branch of the National alliance on Mental Illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. This includes providing resources for individuals suffering from mental illness, engaging in education efforts to destigmatize mental illness, and fostering a community that is conducive to those who are suffering from the effects of mental illness. 

Penn Med Votes 

Penn Med Votes is a health-system wide organization that is dedicated to increasing civic engagement among patients and staff by promoting voter registration and helping hospitalized patients file emergency absentee ballots during elections. 

Philly TREEs Initiative 

With the support of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philly TREEs partners with local environmentalists to increase urban tree canopy in Southwest Philadelphia to improve neighborhood health along a variety of axes: temperature control (cardiovascular disease, etc.), air quality (respiratory disease, etc.) and mental health. Through talks, panels and, most importantly, volunteer prunings/plantings, we build medical student familiarity and facility with racial and environmental health issues, and improve relations between Penn and the medical apparatus generally and those living in underprivileged areas of our city. 

Scrubs Against the Firearm Epidemic (SAFE) 

Rally the medical community to advocate for gun violence to be viewed as a public health threat instead of a political one. This will allow us as healthcare professionals to be supported with facts and information that will in turn allow us to support our patients in making the most informed decisions surrounding firearms. 

Students Against Weight Stigma (SAWS) 

Our goal as an organization is to help train a group of physicians that treats all patients with respect and dignity, regardless of body size and weight. 

Students Opposed to Racism in Medicine (StORM) 

StORM is a student group dedicated to spreading awareness, promoting critical thinking, and equipping medical students with the skills and knowledge needed to advocate and address inequalities and oppression in medicine derived from identity related politics (Read: Race, Gender, Sexuality, Religion, etc.). In doing so, StORM intends to create an environment of inclusivity and respect. 

Clinical Interest 

Addiction Medicine Interest Group 

The purpose of this organization is to promote collaboration between students at the Perelman School of Medicine interested in treating and preventing substance use disorders and the practitioners, community organizations, and local and national policy makers doing that work across the city. The organization also aims to build the base of providers trained in addiction medicine by connecting students with faculty mentors, organizing training sessions, and linking students to opportunities for further engagement with the field, including fellowships and conferences. Finally, the Addiction Medicine Interest Group will collaborate with existing organizations to amplify ongoing work across campus and across the city, such as overdose reversal trainings and advocacy for safe injection sites. 

Cornfeld Pediatric Society 

The Cornfeld Pediatric Society aims to serve as a bridge for medical students to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, connecting students to general pediatrics, pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties, shadowing, grand rounds, and volunteering. We also provide mentorship from faculty and senior medical students toward our goal of helping students discern a career in pediatrics and apply to pediatric residency programs. As a PSOM student group, we collaborate with other interest groups related to pediatrics, including the CHOP Homeless Health Initiative, CHOP Family Connects, and more. 

Culinary Medicine Interest Group (CMIG) 

The goals of CMIG are to help students learn how to advise and guide future patients on diet and cooking strategies. Our club emphasizes practical interventions for common nutritional problems and concerns. 

Family Medicine Interest Group 

The Family Medicine Interest Group supports medical students interested in the field of family medicine to learn about the broad scope of practice. The group provides a space for students interested in primary care or family medicine to find mentors, speak with more senior students about their experience in family medicine, and learn about the role of primary care providers in addressing challenges facing Philadelphia, such as the opioid epidemic, trauma, gentrification, and more. 

Geriatrics, Aging, and Neurodegenerative Disease in Medicine and Society (GrANDMAS) 

To inform medical students about new developments in Geriatric Medicine and Aging/Neurodegenerative Disease Medicine/Research, connect students across disciplines that emphasize geriatric/neurodegenerative care, and mentor students with a particular interest in these fields. 

Global Health Interest Group (GHIG) 

This interest group serves to not only expose the student body to burgeoning interventions and topics in global health, but also to engage in longitudinal professional development and identify near-peer mentors based on research areas of interest. It is our hope to facilitate a pre-professional track that students could continue to rely on in the future for considering summer and away rotation placements abroad or at the IHS, residencies with global health tracks, fellowships, and academic careers. While other similar student organizations are fantastic collaborators, this organization is strategically placed to provide resources about the immense field of global health while not limiting itself to oncology or surgery. 

Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (LMIG) 

The mission of the Penn LMIG shall be twofold: 1) to provide information about the specialty of Lifestyle Medicine, and 2) to educate members about evidence-based practices of helping individuals and families adopt and sustain healthy behaviors that affect health and quality of life. 

Nourish 

Nourish's mission is to equip Penn Med students with the nutritional skillset to advise patients on diet and nutritional components of disease. We seek to 1) supplement the nutrition education of the Penn Med curriculum, 2) foster an understanding for how social factors influence population-level dietary health, and 3) engage in outreach with Philadelphia communities to promote wellness and disease prevention. 

Palliative Care Interest Group 

The mission of the Palliative Care Specialty Interest Group is to expose Perelman students to the field of palliative care, from career paths to its benefits for patients, and allow them to engage with palliative care outside of the academic curriculum. As medicine advances and palliative care continues to grow, we aspire to promote its benefits among all PSOM students, regardless of intended clinical specialty, in order to improve the quality of life of future patients. 

William Pepper Medical Society - 
Internal Medicine Interest Group 

To promote exposure to and provide support for educational, research, clinical, and professional opportunities within Internal Medicine and its subspecialties and to foster a culture of curiosity about Internal Medicine amongst the student body. 

Community Outreach

CHOP Homeless Health Initiative (HHI) 

CHOP’s HHI provides free health services to women and children living in local emergency housing shelters. Dedicated volunteers from the HHI offer high-quality medical and dental care and health education during weekly clinic nights at three shelters in the Philadelphia area. Medical students assist residents during their history and physical exams of children at homeless shelters. 

Cut Hypertension 

Cut Hypertension is a community outreach program run through the Student National Medical Association (SNMA). Our group aims to address health disparities by providing blood pressure screenings, information about the risks of hypertension, and ways to reduce hypertension every Saturday at Philly Cuts, a barber shop in West Philadelphia. 

Dance for Health 

To promote dance-related physical activity, provide education about health and wellness, and eventually set up the basis for a student-run clinic. 

Educational Pipeline Program 

The Educational Pipeline Program is a collaboration between the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Our mission is to provide mentorship and education at all levels while encouraging high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine to aspire to medical careers. 

Health Science Exploration (HSE) 

Teach science and health-related topics to elementary-school (5th and 6th graders) children at Benjamin B Comegys Elementary School in West Philadelphia. 

Homeless Outreach Project 

The Homeless Outreach Project is a partnership between the Perelman School of Medicine and Philly Restart that promotes active engagement with the city's homeless population on the streets. 

Philadelphia Human Rights Clinic (PHRC) 

Our mission is to provide medical evaluations for asylum seekers due to persecution and/or torture in their home countries. The clinic trains physicians to perform physical & psychiatric evaluations of asylum seekers and educates medical students about the process of asylum seeking and achieving refugee status, as well as the role that healthcare professionals play in this process. Medical students are also trained to support physicians at the evaluations by taking notes and writing up a draft of the affidavit to be presented to the judge." 

Refugee Health Interest Group 

The Refugee Health Interest Group encompasses a range of educational, advocacy and volunteer opportunities for Penn Med students to engage with Philadelphia’s refugee population. This includes opportunities to provide health education to patients and shadow providers in the general refugee clinic, refugee women’s clinic, and CHOP refugee clinic, as well as to volunteer with HIAS. We also create opportunities to learn more about advocating for refugee health, lead quality improvement initiatives in the clinics, and learn about the unique health needs of refugees. 

The Magnolia Project 

The mission of The Magnolia Project is to repurpose florals from Penn events to gift to hospital patients. Through arranging and delivering re-vased bouquets to patients, we hope to provide joy and hope to patients, a form of de-stressing for student volunteers, and a means of increasing sustainability in our community. 

The UpLIFT Project 

First-generation and/or Low-income students are one of the most underrepresented groups in medicine. With more than 75% of all US medical students hailing from the top two income quintiles in the united states, recent data supports that a substantial barrier for FGLI students to achieve admission to medical school is in the admission process itself (i.e AMCAS and interviews). Furthermore, FGLI students are less likely to have strong connections to mentorship and reliable advising in comparison to their more privileged peers. Our group has been formed from a synergy between students who are passionate about educational equity and the leaders of the FGLI affinity group. Together, we seek to publish the UpLIFT Guide (Underrepresented Low-Income/First Time Guide ) as a reliable source of material in an open-access, online format for pre-medical students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to receive mentorship from the shared experiences of Penn Medical students. 

Unity Health Clinic 

Unity Health Clinic is a free community clinic for uninsured and underinsured patients in South Philadelphia. We strive to provide competent primary and preventative care to patients with limited access to healthcare and medication. 

University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC) 

The University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC) is a multidisciplinary organization that provides comprehensive food, medical, dental, legal, and other social services to people experiencing homelessness in West Philadelphia. The UCHC Medical Clinic works as part of this organization to provide free, readily accessible acute primary care services, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation specialty care services, select pharmacy services, diabetes and hypertension screening, general medical and pharmacy consultations, and referrals to more longitudinal patient care services. By doing so, the UCHC Medical Clinic critically helps to fill many otherwise unmet health care needs for people experiencing homelessness in West Philadelphia, a vulnerable and medically underserved population. 

Walk with a Future Doc (WWAFD) 

WWAFD is a community engagement group that holds walks in West Philadelphia twice a month from April-November. Our mission is to develop relationships with community members while promoting health through exercise and education. 

Other 

Penn HealthX 

PennHealthX is a student-led organiztion within the Perelman School of Medicine with the intention of supporting students with interests in healthcare management, entrepreneurship, technology, and business.