Community Medicine & Global Health

Ross University School of Medicine launched its Community Medicine Program in the medical sciences in the fall of 2022. The Community Medicine program is an enhancement of the medical curriculum intended to expose students to social and preventative medicine and gain insight into social determinants of health while building cultural competency skills. It comprises three components: classroom activities, research and/or health promotion projects, and experiential learning in the community setting termed Community Clinical Experiences. These experiences provide valuable learning opportunities for medical students and bridge a gap in healthcare access for vulnerable populations. To deliver clinical services, including non-emergency doctor’s visits and chronic disease health screening, RUSM has partnered with clinical and community partners.

The community medicine concentration is a differentiator that serves to empower students to serve their communities with a patient-centric, ethical, and humanistic outlook and provide an understanding of the impact of social determinants of health on the communities.

• Provide an understanding of primary and preventative healthcare practices and deepen knowledge of the impact of social determinants of health on communities, community members, and the environment.
• Provide outstanding opportunities for early student immersion in diverse patient care settings to help in professional identity formation and development of cultural competency and critical thinking skills.
• Develop dedicated future leaders with a Community and Global mindset who serve with integrity in solving community, national, and global healthcare issues.
• Graduate physicians who are prepared for and are more competitive for primary care residencies
• Promote the importance of preventive and primary care and the impact of social determinants of health on patient outcomes.
• Address present-day needs of the physician workforce and the healthcare environment.