Health Outreach Project: Student-Run Clinics Care for Vulnerable Communities
For over 30 years, Health Outreach Project (HOP) student-run clinics have provided opportunities to address obstacles to health care, including language and cultural barriers, hours of operation, lack of insurance, homelessness and drug and alcohol addiction. HOP is comprised of nine clinics and 20 projects across our West Reading and Philadelphia campuses.
In 2023, 278 DUCOM students volunteered with HOP and donated over 2,100 hours of their time; our physicians donated over 450 hours of their time with HOP.
In 2024, we hosted the Society of Student-Run Free Clinics (SSRFC) Annual Conference at Drexel University.
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Students, faculty and professional staff at the College of Medicine participate in outreach projects to help our communities achieve better health. The forms of our civic engagement range widely, from health screenings to social services, vaccination clinics, and teaching STEM classes at local middle schools. At the student-run clinics in Philadelphia, West Reading, Pa. and beyond, as well as global internships in countries around the world, we help deliver health care and education to those in need.
The Office of Community Health and Inclusive Excellence supports and bolsters, partnerships, collaborations and programs within the University and among Philadelphia community sites and stakeholders to achieve the best health outcomes through the promotion of health and wellness. Learn more.
The Office of Community Engagement prepares medical students to address socioeconomic determinants of disease and become community-responsive physicians. Programs integrate meaningful community service and reflective learning. Learn more.
The Office of Health Equity Research and Innovation provides Philadelphia residents with access to quality health care and education despite the social inequalities that exist across the city. These inequalities, which often create barriers for Philadelphia residents trying to reach their full health potential, include race, gender, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, language skills, socioeconomic status and geographic location. Learn more.
While many of our outreach efforts focus on health care in Philadelphia, several of our students also participate in international rotations to address global health issues. In the past, students have traveled to Guatemala, Cameroon, Senegal, the Gambia, Bangladesh, and many other places around the world to offer health care assistance. Learn more.
Healing Hurt People is a hospital-based violence intervention program designed to reduce re-injury and retaliation among youth ages 8 to 30 in Philadelphia. It is the cornerstone program of Drexel's Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice, whose mission is to decrease violence and trauma through public health policy, practice research and training. Learn more.