Fall 2010 - Eastern Virginia Medical School

Craig W. Goodmurphy, PhD,associate professor of anatomyand pathology, reviewsfeatures of the skull’s structurewith medical students in thedays before final exams.“The number-one thing that draws students to ourmedical school, according to interviews, is the fact that weare known for doing so much community outreach,” saysTheresa W. Babineau, MD, director of EVMS studentcommunity outreach.“They want to have experiences that are outside theclassroom and have early interaction with patients andothers to keep that personalization going, as opposed tothe book learning.”Many interactions are driven by the students themselves.The 400 or so medical students now studying at the schoolare involved in more than 1,000 projects, she says.It was EVMS medical students who started the area’sannual “Coats for Kids” campaign in 1987 when Dr.Babineau was a medical student herself at EVMS. Thatdrive continues to provide warm clothing for children everyfall and winter.The medical students work with the NorfolkEmergency Shelter Team every year, provide a host ofmedical screenings, mentor students in local elementaryschools and travel to Honduras annually over spring breakto provide health care in areas where there usually isn’tany electricity.Operation Smile and Physicians for Peace had ties to themedical school when they were started and still benefit fromlarge numbers of EVMS students participating, she says.Students help at the Western Tidewater Free Clinic,which Dr. Babineau helped found, and are in the processof setting up their own free clinic.“That’s a pretty exciting opportunity,” Mr. Lester says.“Lots of public community service. That’s just what they do.They like to do it.” He also says that spirit of service permeatesthe entire institution, with faculty and students alike.That level of grassroots connection sets EVMS apart,according to Darrell G. Kirch, MD, president and CEOof the Association of American Medical Colleges.“One of the things that has impressed me most overtime about the students at EVMS is their commitmentto community service,” he said in a recent speech. “Yousee it locally in things like the homeless clinic, and yousee it globally. They have reached out very effectively tothe poorest nation in this hemisphere — Haiti — andestablished programs there.“That is the special thing a medical school brings to acommunity. It brings expertise at the highest level, but it canconnect to people who are the most in need, many of whomare their neighbors. That’s what makes medical schools sucha special resource, not just for the nation, but for the cities,the communities, the regions in which they are located.”Without belonging to a big health system or university,it’s often hard to make a public splash. Instead, EVMSis making a difference, even if it often goes unnoticed orcredit is misapplied.“This is a jewel in the rough that the rest of the countryhasn’t recognized yet,” Dr. Gould says. “EVMS has setthe tone for the way medical care and medical educationshould be delivered in the future.”To view video of EVMS faculty, staff, students and residentsliving the mission, visit www.evms.edu/magazine.EVMSwww.evms.edu FALL 2010 27