Resource Library >> Social Mission Case Study

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Action Areas: Community Engagement

Strategies: Explicit Commitment

Charles R. Drew University (CDU) educates medical students through a joint program with UCLA and now has a standalone four-year MD program. The university explicitly names diversity and serving marginalized populations among their values. Students gain clinical experience at community facilities that serve large amounts of people on public insurance and learn about social determinants of health and policy advocacy. In 2020, CDU received the Macy Award for Institutional Excellence in Social Mission for developing “students into change agents who are poised to be champions of health equity.”

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