Community, Adapted
The learning community model that works in Indianapolis doesn't work in a campus of 30 students, or a region that stretches into Chicago. Here's how Evansville, Northwest-Gary and West Lafayette made it their own.
Bobby King May 29, 2026
Evansville: Mentorship in a Small-Campus Setting
At Indiana University School of Medicine—Evansville, the need for community isn’t something administrators have to manufacture. It already exists.
With just over 30 students per class, the campus naturally fosters close relationships. “Our students are just close-knit here by nature,” said Jamie Henderlong, a lead advisor who helps coordinate the Professional Learning Communities. “That’s kind of a byproduct of being a small campus.”
Still, Evansville launched its version of PLCs last academic year, dividing students into three groups. The emphasis, Henderlong said, is less on building community — and more on deepening mentorship.
Each group is paired with practicing physicians from the local community, offering students insight into the realities of medicine beyond the classroom. These mentors don’t grade or formally teach first- and second-year students, creating space for candid conversations about everything from specialty choices to the emotional weight of patient care.
The gatherings are often informal — dinners, coffee meetups, even outings like axe throwing or a yoga “sound bath.” But the value runs deeper.
“It’s that one-on-one connection,” Henderlong said. “Someone who’s not evaluating them, who can just talk about what it’s really like to practice medicine here.”
Northwest-Gary: Flexibility Across a Wider Region
At the IU School of Medicine—Northwest-Gary campus, Professional Learning Communities have taken on a more flexible, evolving form, shaped as much by geography as by philosophy.
With roughly 90 students across the four years, the campus sits in a region where faculty and students are dispersed across multiple towns — Gary, Hammond, Valparaiso and even across state lines into Chicago. That makes the centralized, small-group model used in Indianapolis harder to replicate.
“We had to adapt it to what works here,” said Anna Kiernicki-Sklar, MD, associate director of the campus.
Initially divided into two groups, the PLCs were restructured after students pushed back, preferring to stay together as a class. Now, the campus operates as a single, larger community supported by a shared group of physician mentors.
Events are less frequent but highly intentional — typically one per month. A recent gathering at Langel’s, a local pizza restaurant, brought together physicians at different stages of their careers for a candid panel discussion. Another featured a “specialty speed dating” format, allowing students to rotate through conversations with doctors from across disciplines.
The result is a model built on access and exposure — connecting students not just to each other, but to the broader medical community around them.
West Lafayette: A Community That Already Exists
At IU School of Medicine—West Lafayette, the concept behind Professional Learning Communities didn’t need to be built from scratch — it was already there.
With classes of about two dozen students, the campus functions naturally as a small community. Students study together, tutor one another and interact with faculty daily in a shared space. “West Lafayette really is its own PLC,” said Matthew Tews, DO, the campus’ associate dean.
Rather than incorporating the same PLC structure used in Indianapolis, West Lafayette adopted a hybrid model. Students are divided into small mentoring groups — about eight per group per class. They are paired with one of three physician mentors. But the connections extend beyond those assignments.
Programming reflects that flexibility. Faculty-led “Doc Talks” feature practicing physicians discussing real-world lessons: perseverance, failure and the realities of clinical practice. Social gatherings might include bonfires, bowling nights or informal meetups that bring students across class years together. Students are also offered sessions in small groups that cover topics such as leadership, maturity, personal strengths and professional growth.
The result is less formal than a framework — one that reinforces a culture of mentorship, connection and growth already embedded in the campus experience.