School of Medicine (SOM)
The School of Medicine is a vital part of the West Baltimore neighborhood in which it resides, and we strive to bring a better quality of life to our neighbors.
Each year, faculty staff and students log hundreds of hours doing community outreach in hospitals, clinics, homeless shelters, and schools throughout Maryland.
To see a complete list of programs and community activities, visit Community Engagement.
UM School of Medicine, Davidge Hall
Community Engagement Highlights
Mini-Med School grew out of a desire to reach out to the residents who live in the communities surrounding the School of Medicine. The program provides tuition-free classes designed to help Baltimore residents improve their health and well-being. Lectures are presented by faculty physicians and open to everyone. In addition to providing the public with important health care information, the goal of the University of Maryland's Mini-Med School is to raise the public's awareness of biomedical research and the importance of enrolling in clinical trials. The Mini-Med School helps provide a better understanding of the basic terms and concepts used in the biomedical sciences, the processes involved in science, and the importance of research to modern society.
Mini-Med School is presented in cooperation with the National Institutes of Health and the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Maryland Area Health Education Center (MAHEC): The AHEC program began in the early 1970s, when many areas of the United States were faced with severe shortages of health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and public health workers. One of the Carnegie Commission’s recommendations led to the development of Area Health Education Centers (known as AHECs). The mission of the Maryland AHEC is to improve the health status of Marylanders through community educational partnerships that foster a commitment to enhancing health care access in the rural and urban underserved areas of the state.
School of Medicine Students Help Those In Need
Project Feast Fund supports an annual volunteer project by University of Maryland School of Medicine students that is in its 26th year. The students organize Project Feast to provide Thanksgiving dinner to Baltimore's underprivileged communities. Each year, students feed about 400 homeless and needy individuals at Booker T. Washington Middle School in Baltimore, an outreach effort that demonstrates the connection School of Medicine students feel with their local community. Gifts allow students to provide Thanksgiving meals as well as winter clothing. The event is sponsored by the University Student Government Association, the Medical Alumni Association, Hungry Harvest, and the School of Medicine Student Council. For more information, please contact Project Feast.
Health Care for the Homeless: Second-year medical students host an annual auction with proceeds donated to Health Care for the Homeless, a University of Maryland-affiliated charity that works to reduce the incidence and burden of homelessness in Baltimore by providing health care services, housing assistance, and education to underserved members of the community.