Weill Cornell Community Service Program
Since 1989, student-initiated volunteer projects in New York City have been a major feature of extracurricular life at the Weill Cornell Medicine. The Weill Cornell Community Service Program (WCCSP) is designed to assist medical students involved in community service and serves as an umbrella organization for community service student-run organizations. The mission of the program is two-fold: (1) to channel the talents and creativity of the medical students into existing non-profit organizations and (2) to help student organizations develop innovative approaches to education and health care. The WCCSP aims to provide a wide range of service opportunities for the students making their experiences as rich and meaningful as possible.
To discuss your interests and available community service opportunities contact the Office of Community Service at 212-746-3390.
Blood Drive
In collaboration with the New York Blood Center, medical students organize a blood drive where staff, students, faculty, residents, and fellows can donate blood. It is held twice a year. The next 
Blood Drive will be held on Thursday, November 14, 2024.
Camp Phoenix (CP)
Camp Phoenix provides a free, safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment for children who have been discharged from New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s burn unit. The treatment and aftermath of surviving a serious burn can often include physical limitations, stress, and low self-esteem. Our goal is to provide a setting for them to experience activities that every child rightfully deserves but might not be accessible due to their environment. And to give them an opportunity to normalize their outlook on life and become the person of their dreams without physical or social limitations slowing them down.
Coat Drive
The Coat Drive is a city-wide effort run by New York Cares which aims to collect over 100,000 coats each year and distribute them to New Yorkers who need them most in these colder months. The number of children, families, and individuals throughout the city in need of warm coats is higher than ever.
Cornell Water Society
Cornell Water Society is dedicated to public health outreach via the installation and promotion of clean water solutions in underserved communities globally including bringing clean, reliable, and affordable drinking water to the people of the Busiya Chiefdom in the Shinyanga region of western Tanzania. And conducting a research study on the efficacy of a solar-powered water pump recently installed in the community. Our goal is to ensure the sustainability of this and future projects through continued participation from WCM students, ensuring long-lasting safe drinking water for those who need it most.
Eye to Eye
Eye to Eye is the student-run organization that provides ophthalmologic screenings for various eye conditions through a community outreach program. Eye to Eye student volunteers attend Heart-to-Heart events and learn to use different diagnostic tools and techniques of the eye exam to screen people for eye problems. Students also can meet members of the WCM Ophthalmology faculty.
Health 4 Life
Health for Life is a comprehensive weight management program at New York Presbyterian for overweight pre-adolescents/adolescents who receive care at NYP's Ambulatory Care Network and are referred by their pediatricians. The program consists of individual clinical visits as well as a group program. The group program includes a half-hour nutrition lesson and healthy snack, followed by an hour of physical education with the fitness coordinator and student volunteers. Parents have an opportunity to discuss the family's progress and/or obstacles to healthy choices with the social worker and dietitian.
For more information: https://www.nyp.org/acn/community-programs/health-for-life
Heart-to-Heart Community Outreach Campaign
The Heart-to-Heart Community Outreach Campaign is a free health screening program carried out in New York City’s underserved and minority communities by the WCM, Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) and the Hunter School of Nursing. Our goal is to mobilize a primary care infrastructure and “bring the clinic to the community” to actively find new cases of undiagnosed and undertreated CVD, and then transition those participants to more permanent health care solutions. It aims to transform the community into a partner in health by providing a model for community health engagement initiatives.
MagicAid
We provide magic therapy to patients in the pediatric Emergency Department by performing and teaching magic tricks. We usually send 2-3 students at a time our hour-long sessions each week. We are also looking to expand into the PICU or team up with other pediatric-focused student groups for programming.
Team KiPOW! Cornell: Health in Action
Team KiPOW! [formerly known as Motivating Action through Community Health Outreach (MACHO)] is a volunteer group who serves PS83 Elementary in East Harlem, a location where childhood obesity rates and associated adverse health outcomes are markedly above NYC average. Our team hosts weekly after-school workshops that teach our 3rd-5th graders practical skills in making healthy choices – including planning a balanced diet, understanding nutrition labels, reading blood pressures, and much more.
For more information: https://macho.weill.cornell.edu/
UV and Me
UV and Me is a student group that visits local high schools to teach students about the importance of skin care and the prevention of skin cancer.
Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights (WCCHR)
The Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights (WCCHR) provides forensic medical, gynecologic, and mental health asylum evaluations and affidavits to victims of torture, persecution, and abuse at no cost. As part of our mission, we offer training to healthcare workers and education to community members on issues relating to torture and abuse. It also works to connect our clients to organizations across the city, including the Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC), that offset low-cost or pro bono medical and social services.
For more information: https://humanrights.weill.cornell.edu/
Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC)
The Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC) addresses the need for accessible and equitable healthcare for uninsured NYC residents. Volunteer positions are available for students to practice taking a medical history and performing a physical examination under the direct supervision of an upperclassman and an attending physician. In addition to a medical consultation, patients are offered on-site social work services, Medicaid screening interviews, nutrition and pharmacy consultations, no-charge laboratory services and medications, and free or discounted referrals to specialty services.
For more information: https://wccc.weillcornell.org/
Weill Cornell Medicine Wellness Qlinic
The Weill Cornell Medicine Wellness Qlinic focuses exclusively on addressing the existing mental health disparities seen in LGBTQ populations. Our mission is to: 1. provide free psychiatric care for LGBTQ-identifying people in NYC regardless of insurance status but emphasizing the uninsured and underinsured population, 2. to advocate for and improve the quality of mental health care for LGBTQ individuals through educational and interventional outreach, and 3. to create meaningful opportunities for WCM medical students to learn about LGBTQ mental health concerns and to gain cultural competency.