Service
The goals of HESP include deepening and challenging students’ understanding of issues in health care access, the reality of poverty, the social context of disease, and equipping students with the skills and educational background to work in medically underserved areas and/or become leaders in addressing the issues surrounding health equity among their peers and in their careers as physicians.
Since our founding, we have held regular seminars with leaders in the study of the social determinants of health and in efforts to reduce health disparities. We have visited a number of local safety-net clinics in order to learn about the services they provide to the community, and we are working to develop partnerships with community organizations to establish longitudinal service projects for medical students that help to meet the needs of these communities.