Community Engagement

Committed to Community

Service to the community is one of the Keck School of Medicine’s defining characteristics and there are different ways students can engage. All students at the Keck School participate in service-learning projects, which involve engaging with the community. These projects give students insights into the structural, psychological and social aspects of patients’ lives, which are important, but often overlooked aspects of patient care.

Keck School students engage actively with the Los Angeles community, such as here at the Skidrow Midnight Mission.

Keck in the Community

There are numerous opportunities to serve the local communities that surround the Health Sciences Campus through the Keck in the Community program. Student volunteers have in the past helped with public health efforts, been involved with food distribution programs, worked to get school supplies to school children in need and volunteered with senior citizens centers.

Keck Service-Learning Program

At KSOM, community service is integrated into our medical students’ curriculum. In alignment with the goals and objectives of the Health Justice & Systems of Care course, students engage in service-learning opportunities in response to community-identified concerns. Service-learning is defined as a structured learning experience that combines community service with preparation and reflection. Through the Service-Learning Program, our students learn about the context in which service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and the structural, psychological, and social components that influence patients’ lives from a perspective that will complement their careers as future physicians.

For more information about Keck in the Community and the Keck Service-Learning Program, please contact Juniper Estes, Senior Student Engagement Programs Advisor, at juniper.estes@med.usc.edu.